Letters to the editor: Embarrassed by CLU's actions; parental rights
CLU can still do the right thing
This is a difficult letter to write, yet respect for responsibility and accountability made my thoughts necessary. I am both proud and embarrassed to share being a former regent of California Lutheran University. Proud because this jewel has been a wonderful asset to our community. Embarrassed because as a regent I wholeheartedly supported the hiring of President Varlotta.
I was duped. She certainly had experience and led us to believe she understood the value of community engagement and respected the legacy of her predecessor, Chris Kimball. Unfortunately, she did not. She’s even been dishonest about who served as regent. Her rude and often false statements about our city council and management, the Rams, former regents, major donors to the university and former Congressman Elton Gallegly have made me feel that respect for all who came before her is completely non-existent.
Along with other regents and donors, regents were urged to stay true to our word and agreement to make the records and actually the office of former Congressman Gallegly accessible to our students, faculty and public. President Varlotta decided to use false statements, delay tactics and legal maneuvers to confuse the issues surrounding a simple agreement, fellowship donations and her personal desire to put up a “woke” front to destroy this truly honorable man’s historical significance a home at CLU.
These are unique times when the delineation between right and wrong is crystal clear. I have faith in the regents, the faculty and, yes, even in President Varlotta that this is the opportunity to finally do the right thing. A major benefit is an opportunity to bring CLU back to a strong member of an extraordinary community and to the institution we have known and loved for so long.
Rick Lemmo, Newbury Park
Don’t force staff to break trust
Re: Keith Gallagher’s Sept. 7 letter, “Parents aren’t the enemies”:
Mr. Gallagher’s letter not only confuses ideology with human sexuality but also fails to address the importance of meeting student needs. His comments reflect a broader and carefully orchestrated political movement over the last several years by conservatives across our country to return us to the days when only heteronormative, Eurocentric, mostly Christian values were reflected in all aspects of our lives including in our educational systems not representative of our diverse citizenry today.
He doesn’t mention that LGBTQ+ children are already marginalized because they’re different than most of their peers. Nor does he recognize that student data across the U.S. and our own state for those who identify as LGBTQ+ shows they regularly endure much higher levels of harassment, intimidation, violence, and discrimination compared to their “straight” peers; the data is even more pronounced for those who identify as transgender or non-binary.
For many years now, our schools have been working hard to provide safe and secure learning environments for all of our diverse student bodies and though there is still much work to be done, some progress has been made. Forcing school personnel to “out” transgender students to their parents without their consent will not only put these students in possible danger of additional mental and physical abuse if parents are unaccepting but can also lead to student homelessness and suicide.
The implicit goal of these new “parental rights” board policies is clear: alert parents who are disconnected from their own transgender child so they can intervene and try to change who they are. Educators and mental and physical health professionals recognize that these children deserve our support so they can thrive in school. Students can’t learn in constant fear; forcing school staff to break the trust built over time with students is a lose/lose proposition.
Michael R. Tapia, Ventura
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Letters: Embarrassed by CLU's actions; parental rights
