Pride Month declaration is a step forward for Shasta County
At a recent Board of Supervisors’ meeting, the board voted 3-2 to proclaim June as Pride Month in our community. I applaud these efforts to show support for our LGBTQ members. These types of community support are important to the health of a community. The No. 2 cause of death among those 10-24 is suicide, and LGBTQ youth are almost five times as likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual youth. One way that we can have a dramatic change to this statistic is to be one accepting adult. It costs nothing and has zero to do with politics. Our love and light could literally save someone’s life. Imagine what power an entire community could have. While I would have preferred this proclamation to be carried out with a unanimous vote, many voices were heard and show that there is much more than one accepting adult in Shasta County.
— Erin Salazar, Redding
Financial incentives to prevent COVID-19 is absurd
It’s been 15 months of the CDC and the scientists telling us to wear masks and social distance. You are either going to protect yourself and others or you’re not. I think we have said it enough times that we can assume everyone has made up their mind by now. It is absurd that we have to give financial incentives to get people to protect their own health.
— Miles Langley, Redding
Emotion uncalled for in Gay Pride Month debate
Regarding the remarks Lee Macey made after the Board of Supervisor’s meeting on declaring June to be Gay Pride Month in Redding: She felt “teary” and uncomfortable and thought that there were negative feelings during the discussion. From what I read on the comments by Supervisors Jones and Baugh, I don’t see anything negative about their positions as they explained the reasoning behind their votes. Also, I don’t follow Mr. Moty’s statement that the proclamation is “being fair to all people.” We have to realize that setting aside a month to proclaim one group’s existence versus any other group in town is perhaps not what the board’s job is. We may have a large LGBTQ community here in Redding. I think that’s great. We may also have a large NRA members’ group in Redding. That’s fine too. Shall we carve out a month for them? Remember, both groups have been attacked by people who are against them. At any rate, getting emotional at a board meeting is probably nothing new. However, when Don Yost and Macey brought this before the board they should have been prepared to hear some frank discussion on both sides of the issue, and that is just fine also.
— Marsha Collins, Redding
Science and religion need not be mutually exclusive
Recently, with COVID-19 vaccines in the news, people have begun to wonder about the validity of science. Many think religion and science cannot co-exist. Many think one cannot believe in science and still be a person of faith. But in Islam, there is no conflict. The Quran contains scientific knowledge. For example, that all life consists of water. And that the universe was formed by a “closed up mass that We opened out (21:31). In other words, the Big Bang. Science is knowledge based on a systematic study. The Bible talks about the importance of knowledge, as well, and states “When wisdom enters your heart and knowledge becomes pleasant to y our soul (Proverbs 2:10). God put in motion the forces, the science, that led to the foundation of our universe. Science occurs within divine providence. God led us to the science which has created medicines for diseases. God created the principles of science which led to the COVID-19 vaccine. We can see that religion and science don’t have to be at loggerheads. Getting the vaccine is like accepting a gift from God.
— Nusrat Kathleen Aziz, Redding
Pride Month declaration was right thing to do
I’m so grateful to the three members of our County Board of Supervisors — Chimenti, Moty, and Rickert — who stood up this week for the true embodiment of our Constitution through their action proclaiming Pride Month in Shasta County. While June is widely recognized as Pride Month in our country, it is especially important that we recognize it here: those who are considered “outside the norm” continue to experience exclusion and hate. I live close to the property where Gary Matson and Winfield Mowder were brutally murdered because of their sexuality. Every time I pass that house I think of that crime, and the loss of two precious lives. These lives were taken by two young people whose “Christian” identity taught them to hate. Confronting our past honestly through recognition of continued inequity is the first step toward healing. Big thanks also to VIVA Downtown, Redding Chamber, and Shasta County Arts Council for your help in getting the flag painted downtown: your partnership in our city/county looking forward is recognized and valued. Our three Supervisors and community partners are paving the way forward in creating a community that truly cares for one another, embraces the stranger, and –yes – grows economically.
— Elizabeth Betancourt, Anderson
