West Bend, WI – In a recent letter to the editor at a different local media source, I was accused of being disrespectful to vulnerable members of the LGBTQIA+ community when I referenced “BLM” and “LGBTQlmnop” during my public comment at the school board meeting about controversial materials displayed in the classrooms of the West Bend School District. I would like to take this opportunity to share my response to a larger audience that might not have seen it.
These displays are in violation of Policy 381.
For example, when displaying BLM flags, we are not including people of all races. We know that BLM is a political organization that doesn’t support police officers and Christians. Support of BLM does not express equal love and concern for those students whose family members are police officers or Christians. The LGBTQIA+ flags are about sexuality and that topic is also considered controversial. The only place any part of sexuality has in the school setting is when the students are being guided by their teachers, doctors, or nurses during health class.
The lmnop was not necessarily about the LGBTQIA+ community. It was simply about all of the paraphernalia in the classrooms possibly referred to by acronyms even beyond those two groups. I think we all agree teachers should not show bias, no matter what political or religious views they have. Nevertheless, if Mr. Zwieg wants to make it about LGBTQIA+, he must not have taken into consideration those vulnerable people represented under the “+” of that community. In fact, there is at least one gender for each of the letters LMNOP that are represented by this group (see https://health.ucdavis.edu/diversity-inclusion/LGBTQI/LGBTQ-Plus.html ).
For anyone who misunderstood me, I deeply apologize. We are loved by our Creator and those of us who love our Creator love everyone He created. I believe everyone should be treated with equal respect.
Jody Geenen
West Bend, WI
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