Pride Mural Opens Conversations

Dear Editor,

My two children were educated in Castro Valley schools from kindergarten through 12th grade. My daughter and her family also live in Castro Valley, and my six-year old granddaughter attends one of our excellent elementary schools. A few weeks ago my daughter was walking her daughter to school and came across the newly-completed Pride mural. She burst into tears. Her only sibling passed away in 2018. He was gay and we are all so proud that the Pride symbol of inclusivity is prominently displayed for young people to see and ask questions about. Seeing the mural gave my daughter the opportunity to talk about her brother, the uncle her daughter never knew. The subject of sex never came up, as it shouldn’t for one so young. As a grieving mother, reading Anne Van Tatenhove’s letter triggered tears and deep emotional pain in me. Why does the Pride flag make anyone think of sex? It doesn’t represent sex, it represents pride and inclusivity that has been elusive for the LGBTQI+ community for far too long. As far as Thomas Jefferson is concerned, he believed in God but he deviated from some of the major tenets of Christianity. He rejected the notion of the Trinity and Jesus’ divinity. He also rejected Biblical miracles, the resurrection, the atonement, and original sin. (See "Jefferson to William Short", October 31, 1819.) Jefferson wrote "The Jefferson Bible" in 1820, long after the Constitution was written and adopted. One had nothing to do with the other. The Pride mural signals to LGBTQI+ students and their families that they are seen and supported. Nothing more, nothing less. Van Tatenhove turns a symbol of pride and inclusivity into something dark and dirty. Strange how some people’s minds work.

–Jane Wolford, Castro Valley