Letters to the Editor: What's wrong with kids celebrating Pride? LGBTQ+ people aren't a threat

To the editor: Thank you for your excellent coverage of the anti-Pride protest at Saticoy Elementary School in North Hollywood on June 2. Columnist Sandy Banks gives us a very balanced view of this controversy. ("Why are we still freaking out about families with two mommies or daddies in L.A.?" June 4)

I do not understand why parents are so upset about celebrating diversity.

I've lived through all of the events that Banks mentioned, including the passing of Proposition 8 and gay marriage later being recognized as legal. I never thought that I would be living in a world where people I love are considered the enemy.

LGBTQTIA+ people want what all people want: home, love, equality and family. We are not people to be afraid of.

When our right to exist is threatened, everyone is threatened. Who is next?

Denise Stehle, Lakewood

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To the editor: Banks gets right to the point. The movement to reverse years of growth and acceptance in our country is alive and well.

Consider what's happening now: Parents protesting at a school because of a Pride Day assembly, the pushback against the Dodgers for honoring the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the violence and threats against Target and laws passed that target women and LGBTQ+ people.

I had hoped our society was evolving and becoming more inclusive. Based on recent events, I guess I was wrong.

Tom Iannucci, Los Angeles

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To the editor: The protesters at Saticoy Elementary show us why there is a need for a Pride Day assembly. The reason? To stop bullying before it begins.

It's likely that there are LGBTQ+ children attending the school. It’s likely that there are kids from homes with two mommies and with two daddies.

And based on the behavior of the protesting parents, you can bet that there are children who are already learning to bully their minority classmates.

Christi Engel, Topanga

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.