The Pine Whispers    R.J. Reynolds High School, Winston-Salem, NC

November 9, 2001

 

Letter to the Editors

 

Dear Editors,

 

This is in response to the editorial written by Lucy Moore (Religious groups are not needed on campus; Oct. 4, 2001).

 

As the founder of the Gay/Straight Alliance, I am well aware of the strict policies, pains and struggles that go hand-n-hand with being a non-school sponsored organization. I do not feel as if any of our non-school sponsored groups, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Young Life, or the Gay/Straight Alliance, are pushing our beliefs on any person here at Reynolds.

 

I am perfectly aware that some people [m]ay be offended by our presence, but the school, by law (the Equal Access Act), must allow us to meet. The non-schools sponsored organizations have our rights and so do the people who may be offended by us. We must all be respectful of each other’s rights, beliefs, and opinions. But for those people in our school who would try to take away our basic freedoms such as freedom of religion and speech, you are wrong and you are not actins as an American.

 

The question is not whether we should allow religious groups to meet here, but rather how are we going to unite and learn how to get along in a time when being united is so important?

 

MATT HILL

 

 

Transcribed to computer file December 9, 2005.