‘Teach kindness’

Dear Editor:

RE: Rainbow criticism, June 9.

I was deeply saddened at reading this letter last week in the Wellington Advertiser. The contrast for me is rather striking, having recently attended a concert presented by the Rainbow Chorus of Waterloo/Wellington at Harcourt United Church in Guelph.

It has been my privilege to be connected with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community as an ally for many years. They are a group whose music and lives seem to reflect love, support, acceptance and harmony. They honour similarities and differences, as I believe Jesus did. 

To be confronted with a belief system that suggests children need to be protected from these honourable values seems to me an affront. I would suggest that rainbow symbols in our community unite. They do not divide. Children know. 

It is adults who seed dissension and mistrust. Allowing children to engage in compassionate inquiry can go a long way towards increasing their understanding and empathy towards other people and their own developmental wonderings. 

As adults we have the opportunity to teach kindness. That is what children need.

Jean Brown,
Guelph/Eramosa