Editorials / Opinion

The majority of emails and letters we received over the weekend concerned the dismissal of gay vice principal Mark Zmuda. Here are 3 reader submissions:

The real outrage at Eastside Catholic High School is not the firing of the vice principal, it is the lack of moral formation shown in the rallies [“Thanks to the Students of Eastside Catholic,” Opinion, Dec. 20, 2013].

This is a common problem. That is why the pope called for a new evangelism. The Ten Commandments are binding on all people. Christians are not to be conformed to the world. The idea that the church needs to change to conform to the world violates scripture.

Don’t discriminate based on sexuality or religion As a heterosexual Cub Scout who never quite made it to a Boy Scout, I congratulate the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) on its vote to allow gay boys to join this commendable organization [“Scouts’ vote on gays met with celebration, sadness,” page one, May 24]. As the proud…

Allow gay leaders At the young age of 12, I proudly earned my Eagle Scout medal [“Scouts’ vote on gays met with celebration, sadness,” page one, May 24]. Scouting taught me that even a skinny Asian kid from Moses Lake can reach the highest rank through hard work, public service and merit, and it inspired me…

The two should not be separated I truly believe Thanh Tan in her online blog is trying to be helpful [“Do not exploit gay rights issue to stop immigration reform,” seattletimes.com, May 22]. But this statement undermines her good intentions: “ … now is not the time for any special interest groups to exploit an emotional…

Lift the ban I became an Eagle Scout in 1976. The lessons I learned in scouting about leadership, citizenship and respect for others helped shaped who I am as an adult [“Boy Scout leaders to vote on lifting gay ban, seattletimes.com, May 22].It has been with great dismay that I have seen this contentious issue…

Leave behind those who are unsupportive and move on I live in Victoria now but I lived for years in Seattle. I legally married my same-sex sweetheart of 34 years 10 years ago in Vancouver, B. C. I have this thought about florists, churches, businesses, etc., that say they support the person but not the lifestyle: Thank…

Legislation goes against majority opinion Senate Bill 5927 is a blatant attempt by Republicans to circumvent the will of a majority of Washington state voters and pander to their right-wing base in an attempt to garner more extremist voters for the upcoming midterm elections [“Awful bill re-legalizes anti-gay bias,” NWSunday, April 28]. Having said that, Republicans have…

Leadership is behind the times The boy scouts are being criticized once again for their exclusion of gays, but they have come up with a compromise [“Boy Scouts might accept gay youth, but not adults,” News, April 20]. They have stated that they will accept gay youth, but not adults who are gay.We look at the…

Marriage shouldn’t change eligibility to buy flowers Barronelle Stutzman’s refusal to provide flowers to longtime gay customers for their wedding on the basis of her “relationship with Jesus” is somewhere between laughable and shocking [“How plan for a simple wedding is shaking up lives and the state,” NWFriday, April 19].Apparently, neither she nor Jesus minded…

Florist should not be required to apologize The American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) requirement that Barronelle Stutzman apologize or face a lawsuit for her refusal to sell flowers to a gay couple is precisely the wrong approach [“Case against florist fires up gay-marriage critics,” page one, April 18]. This dispute does not have to be about…