LETTER: Talk of the Town: Rights of parents shouldn't supersede rights of trans youth

Jul. 26—We can't trust parents on gender identity IN RESPONSE to (Rep. Greg) Nibert's guest commentary (published in the Journal on July 16): You want to place the rights of ignorant parents over the health and safety of trans youth? What kind of sick individual would put a child at risk? Trans youth and young adults have a higher rate of suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts than the general population. "Data indicate that 82% of transgender individuals have considered killing themselves and 40% have attempted suicide, with suicidality highest among transgender youth." (National Library of Medicine) Trans kids are thrown out of their homes or run away due to abuse/violence causing them to be homeless. The number of homeless trans kids are disproportionate to the general population. "20 to 40 percent: The portion of the homeless youth population who are gay or transgender, compared to only 5 to 10 percent of the overall youth population." (The Center for American Progress). I get that the Republicans are trying to divert attention away from their agenda to screw the middle class and help the rich, but ... Republicans should be ashamed of themselves. Katherine Grimard, RN Albuquerque, mother of trans son Catholic schools no fill-in for public education IN (THE July 19) Journal, a letter posited the support of private schools, including religiously affiliated schools, as an avenue to improving our scholastic achievement. I have strong objections to this. ... Our public education system was important in the development of our country. It required and still requires that no religious doctrine be part of the curriculum. In a time when evangelical Christian beliefs are becoming part of Republican ideology, those of us ... would not like religious schools to substitute for secular public education. We have seen the Catholic Church acquire hospitals in many communities, including Santa Fe. Access to women's reproductive health care is limited to what the church doctrine allows. Whether I am a member of that church or no church, I am subject to church doctrine. Why are we seeing inroads of religion into health care and education? The churches pay no taxes. When every organization and family is having some financial difficulty, the churches have the money they do not have to spend on taxes. Exempting churches from taxes may have been exemplary in the past, but it is no longer appropriate. Clearly churches have become political organizations. They demand that their beliefs become law for all of us and that we follow their beliefs. Their beliefs may be magical, may be supernatural and may be antithetical to modern science. Some believe that their god does not allow blood transfusion or surgical procedures that were not permitted 500 years ago. Why should I, a non-believer, be prevented from availing myself of access to care because another religion does not permit it? Why should their exemption from taxes give them excess funds with which to force us into living with their religiously held beliefs? Enough. We need to reconsider religious exemptions for taxes if we cannot prevent them from using their funds to shut down the rights of the rest of us. SANDRA PENN Albuquerque EV chargers sufficient for most of our trips (RE:) THE ABQ Journal (July 7) editorial "EVs won't go anywhere without enough charging stations" My wife and I own a 2020 EV that now has 36,000 miles. According to the car's app, we used 4,067 kWh of electrical energy last year. Charging at home from a normal 240 amp outlet in our garage provided 72% of that energy. We saved $1,485 in fuel costs. Nobody ever needs to get up in the wee hours to charge their EVs. The EV charging controls are easily adjusted to automatically charge at the times, durations and rates set by the owner. Yes, we need many more public fast chargers. That said, today's electric grid and public chargers are sufficient for EVs to take us to most of the places we need to go while improving Albuquerque's air quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and their devastating impact on New Mexico and our water. ... NORM GAUME Albuquerque EVs shouldn't be forced upon the poor HERE ARE a few comments and observations about Gov. (Michelle) Lujan Grisham's proposed policy on requiring that 40% of vehicles sold in New Mexico after 2027 have zero-carbon emissions. Currently, this implies that these would be EVs, i.e., electric vehicles, since no other alternatives are currently available. Hydrogen is a long way off, assuming that that technology ever takes off, and nuclear, well, that just isn't going to happen. First of all, EVs typically cost more than a gas version of a similarly sized vehicle. The only reason that they are as close in price as they are is that government subsidies are factored in. This is not a free-market principle and distorts the true cost of said vehicles. The bottom line is that EVs are considerably more costly than conventional ones, which also increases the cost of insuring one. New Mexico is a low-income state and to force buyers to purchase one will put an additional financial burden on lower income families. Additionally, when all costs of the vehicle are factored in over the life of the car there are really no economic or environmental advantages. The material — lithium, cobalt, nickel, etc. — to make the batteries requires extensive mining operations, and the disposal and replacement of a battery is very expensive. The national cost of an individual charging station is $1,000 to $2,500. And if the home is not equipped with a 240-volt service, the cost is even more. And what about the small business that may be required to provide charging stations? If the state feels it has the right to tell the consumer what type of car they can drive, what prevents them from expanding requirements for business to accommodate them? Small business does not have the financial resources that large firms such as Walmart have to cover this additional expense. I have nothing against EVs or any other alternatively powered vehicles. But the choice should be left to the consumer. If it is, then we are more likely to have better options available to us. And let's not forget, those gas-powered cars we are trying to replace are getting cleaner and more efficient every year. Why should bureaucrats dictate the market? We should allow it to evolve naturally and most likely we will get better results. RONALD KAEHR Albuquerque Lift chair quick fix at pool was impressive I HAVE always heard that "timing is everything." Between the time that I wrote the letter in response to the Journal article (July 6) on ways to cool off in Albuquerque and the very short time later when the Journal published that letter (July 12), I am compelled to say that many of the issues I raised were actually resolved before my letter was published. City Councilor Brook Bassan directly responded to my request to her office for assistance to obtain accommodation to use the city pool closest to my home. She researched the issue and then connected me to Josh Herbert, division manager of the city's aquatic program. Within one day, Mr. Herbert and a staff in his office were able to obtain, repair and install the ADA-compliant accommodation of a lift chair, which now allows me to safely enter and exit the swimming pool closest to my home. Further, within that same day, Mr. Herbert trained the pool staff in how to safely operate that lift. Thanks to the help of Councilor Bassan, Mr. Herbert, and the excellent customer service provided by the female members of the lifeguard team at the Montgomery pool, I am now able to use this pool, which is closest to my home. I can now happily and thankfully agree with the Journal article, which listed the city pools as a resource to stay cool during this heat wave. As a professional who has worked in the N.M. disability system for more than 50 years, and who is both well-trained and experienced as an advocate in community-based systems, this is the very first time that I have seen or experienced such a quick and appropriate response. My professional opinion is that this is an example of public service at its finest, which I am confident will be extended to other citizens who need assistance. YVONNE HART Albuquerque