Are Fresno Unified’s LGBT students really powerless?
Fresno Unified School Board President Brooke Ashjan is a polarizing person (story, Aug. 25). This is always true of those people who take a stand for what they believe. Those who agree will applaud, while those who disagree will criticize anything they can.
This universal principle is true for religious leaders, politicians and apparently school board presidents and superintendents. A country where freedom of religion and speech are protected, and no laws have been broken, however, poses a problem for those not in power. They must resort to other means to accomplish their ends.
Ashjian compared the campaign to pressure him to resign with how the Ottoman regime dealt with the Armenian Christians. He was criticized by Rev. Ara Guekguezian for this because the LGBT movement does not have the power of a government. This is, of course, correct.
The comparison, however, was not with the power to take life, but with the attempt to silence a differing opinion and eliminate the competition by social pressure. That is how the Turks (and Germans) began their attacks.
One might also question Rev. Guekguezian's assumption that the LGBT has no power. That would be true if they were not supported by a national political party, Hollywood, the academy and most of the media. Are they really powerless?
Rodney J. Nidever, Fresno
This story was originally published August 25, 2017 at 12:39 PM with the headline "Are Fresno Unified’s LGBT students really powerless?."