By CAROL A. CLARK
Publisher
Los Alamos Daily Post

A barrage of passionate opinions have flooded the Los Alamos Daily Post over the recent Drag Queen Story Hour for children, hosted by the County Library System at Mesa Public Library.

The Post has received letters, phone calls, texts and Facebook messages from readers expressing support for and against the story hour. Some wanted their opinion published, others simply wanted us to know they agreed or disagreed with the Post initially publishing the press release announcing the event, or for publishing reader opinions afterward.

This issue has become one of the most divisive we have experienced. The Post published a letter Tuesday submitted by local resident Dave Thomson in response to a letter by local resident David Daniel. Thomson referenced a male name in his letter. A reader brought to our attention that the name belonged to a 13-year-old boy tortured and killed in 1999 by a pair of gay men in Arkansas. We removed the letter.

Thomson’s letter and the fact that the Post published it greatly offended David Daniel. The Post encourages thoughtful and courteous expressions of opinion from our readers. We did not realize that the Thomson letter held such a hurtful message and apologize to David Daniel and others offended by that letter. We also have closed the thread on the divisive story hour topic on the Post Facebook page.

Communities have become increasingly divided on this and other issues. Some newspapers find it difficult to monitor and manage all the hurtful speech and vile and threatening comments and have opted to do away with their opinion page.

The Post believes it is important for readers to express their opinions. But we encourage our readers to do so in a thoughtful and courteous manner – keeping in mind that insults and threats benefit no one.