Letters to the editor: Diversity, Gov. Little, transgender athletes, Californians, mayor’s report

Listen to new voices

A recent letter printed in The Idaho Statesman asked the question, where are the Martin Luther King Jr. voices of today? There are many articulate black pastors and leaders, men and women in the United States. However, whether or not we hear them depends on our news sources. Look and listen for new voices. They are available to us when we change our news feed or our TV stations.

Beth Landis, Eagle

Gov. Little

There is a petition circulating for the purpose of removing Governor Little from office for his response to the coronavirus. I am confident that the majority of Idahoans support his actions to protect us from the massive number of deaths which would have resulted had he not taken decisive action at the outset. There is no doubt that Governor Little responded courageously and effectively to stem the devastation of the coronavirus. I urge Idahoans to reject the petition and express support for Governor Little by calling his office or sending an email.

Cay Marquart, Boise

Transgender athletes

Female athlete Madison Kenyon is a victim. Title IX was designed to protect female athletes like Kenyon from discrimination. But that apparently doesn’t matter anymore as the science-deniers are removing the boundary markers to make it impossible for hard-working female athletes to compete on a level playing field. This outright discrimination, fostered by the LGBTQ community, wants to remove all gender barriers. As Kenyon says herself, “Scientifically, the differences between male and female aren’t a matter of personal opinion or features that can be changed.” This is not about equality for transgender people; this is about inequality for athletes like Kenyon. Idaho is too great to fall for this kind of discrimination against women.

Don S. Otis, Sandpoint

Californians

A recent university study by Boise State revealed that most Californians moving to this area have conservative views and are moving here for that reason. Also in a related study it was revealed that the people spreading false information on social media are those over the age of 65 and conservatives. With these facts in mind maybe these Californians would be happier sticking with Nampa or Middleton, which are staunchly conservative. Boise is a progressive city and has been for some time. Unfortunately these Californians did not do their homework and are upset with our new mayor and her progressive policies. As a Boise native and liberal, I would like to use a conservative phrase and say, “Build a wall. These people coming are taking our jobs and causing congestion.”

Michael C. Young, Boise

Mayor’s report

The much-maligned report by Mayor McLean’s Transition Committee on A More Equitable City for Everyone is an attempt to make Boise a better place to live for everyone, focusing especially on disadvantaged and minority groups. Yet most of the commentary has ignored the five other reports and focused on the final page of this one simply because it advocates free birth control and abortion and (heaven forbid!) sex education.

I would love to live in a city where birth control and abortion were free. I also understand the difficulty of implementing these recommendations. But just because they are currently controversial doesn’t mean they always will be. Remember that many of the rights that women now enjoy, such as voting, using birth control, getting an education equal to men’s, getting a loan, or serving in the military were once forbidden. Now they are commonplace.

This report is valuable for the vision it presents of the city as a friendlier place for women, minority men and disadvantaged groups. As the mayor said, “ . . . each committee aimed high and dreamed big.” Boiseans should be proud to live in a city with such big dreams.

Mary Mosley, Meridian