Dear Editor:

It is difficult to reach for the moral high ground when you are standing up in a cesspool of bigotry. Yet try as they might, the anonymous fanatics who have been advertising their bigotry in these pages have amply demonstrated that they have no grasp of the meaning of virtue or vice when it comes to Gay Pride, or even the meaning of pride in general.

The bigots, who understandably wish to remain anonymous, do not seem to know the difference between “false pride” and “true pride.” They seem to believe that any pride is a terrible thing. If this were the case maybe we should start wearing sackcloth and live like monks.

But we all enjoy our lovely homes, our pretty clothes, the prestige that comes with our accomplishments, and our beautiful children. This is true pride. There is nothing wrong with that. We earned these things. The people in the LGBTQ community, who are our neighbors, and fellow Americans, have also earned the right to be proud of what they have accomplished.

From the dark days of the violent police action against the patrons of the Stonewall Inn in 1969, the LGBTQ community has made significant strides to be recognized in equal rights and standing as citizens of our great nation. This is the same fight that women fought for that led to the passage of the 19^th Amendment. It is the same fight that people of color fought to overcome the Jim Crow laws that kept them disenfranchised. It is the same fight that was the American revolution. It is the fight against tyranny and oppression. It is the fight to be free to peacefully enjoy one’s life and lifestyle unharassed.

But, as we can plainly see, the fight for justice is never over. Fear and hatred still erupts from the cesspools of ignorance to pollute our otherwise civil discourse. I wish I could offer some solution, but we are trapped by human nature and the best we can do is arm ourselves with knowledge and recognize bigotry when we see it.

Fred Nehring

Boothbay