Transgender client may not get choice
The writer of the “Rant” posing the question last week, “Why would a gay or transgender individual with issues want to go to a counselor who didn’t want to treat their issues?” really does not get it at all.
Suppose said individual is in therapy because they need help in “finding themselves, finding their identity.” Perhaps they are gay, but are still in the closet, unable to “out” themselves. As they gain more trust from their therapist, they then admit to the therapist that they are gay, transgender, etc.
At that time, the therapist then rejects them! So the person they have trusted with their most intimate details, an adult medical professional, has cast them out. An authority figure, a person who is trained in psychotherapy, has now said, “You are not worthy of my time, my empathy, my compassion.”
No wonder suicide is the leading cause of death among gay and lesbian youth.
Lastly, perhaps they have no choice in choosing a therapist. Perhaps the therapist they are referred to is based on their particular health plan or that of their parents’.
Tommy Hewitt, Sewanee, Tenn.
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Trump’s demigod status imperiling
It was not a nightmare. The Republican Party woke up and realized Trump will be its nominee for president. Perhaps the fans of Mr. Trump, and his adopted party, should see a 1957 movie, “A Face in the Crowd.”
The plot involved an unsavory man plucked from a county jail when a local radio producer discovered he was a talented singer. The story depicts the phenomenal success of the man in the entertainment industry. He reaches the pinnacle when he becomes the star of a national television variety show.
He sings and dispenses philosophy and political commentary.
He became a national icon and celebrity, wielding great influence among his fans and the political animals. His support and favor were sought by many. He used his show to destroy his – and his perceived – enemies. His Achilles’ heel was an open microphone left by the producer who discovered him.
The nation heard the rants and rages of a demigod, and what he truly thought of his fans.
Archie Thurman
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Planners slammed for tiny home denial
Shame on the Hamilton County Planning Commission for their blatant bigotry. There was no reason to deny Mustard Tree Ministries the opportunity to build small houses for the homeless on land it owns. Most of these people need a place to get on their feet and become self-sufficient.
All of the excuses about there being better options in an urban setting are groundless. Being out of the vice-infested urban environment may be what some of these people need. Do you not think that the highly educated people who are developing this program have not made plans to get these people to services? Have you asked them?
Property values? In the South, blacks used to be kept from buying houses in some neighborhoods with this excuse. Like racial fears, once these people have been here a few years nobody will care.
For the good of the community and for themselves, planning commission members should reverse their decision. Jesus said, “As you have done it to the least of these my brothers, you have done it to me.”
Someday you will give an answer to Him.
Leslie Conway Coomer, Athens, Tenn.