BOARD: Extend protection to all

It is my hope that the Coeur d’Alene Board of Trustees will consider revising its non-discrimination language to include the LGBT community in its protections. Some people have very strong reservations about lifestyle choices and I can understand their discomfort. We cannot all have the same attitudes and beliefs, and this can be unsettling. However we feel about other people, we must start from a place of compassion for the rights of all people. From there, we can work to share our views if they are different.

When we consider bullying, we know that an important part of it is having power over someone. If we can extend the rights of our students to include LGBT individuals, then they are on a more equal footing with their peers. Their liberty is as important as anyone else’s liberty. This is not the same thing as approving misbehaviors — all teenagers need to be guided through a universally difficult time, and no single group is more or less likely to struggle with adolescence.

It is not just students, but also employees of the district who need to be equally protected. Again, I strongly encourage the school board to revise their policies in this regard.

KIRSTEN POMERANTZ

Coeur d’Alene