To the editor:

The information I’d like to share comes from the CDC’s website on LGBT health. I recommend some of the people who wrote letters lately to check that out. The people who are expressing negative attitudes towards the LGBT community puts that community at further risk, this includes our LGBT youth. From the CDC’s site, according to data collected from the 2015 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey, LGB students:

10% were threatened or injured with a weapon on school property.

34% were bullied on school property.

28% were bullied electronically.

23% had experienced sexual dating violence the prior year.

18% had experienced physical dating violence.

18% were forced to have sexual intercourse at some point in their lives.

Negative attitudes towards the LGBT community puts our youth at higher risk for experiencing bullying, harassment, and physical violence. The risk increases as well when those students are not white and it’s important to understand that intersectionality. You say let’s respect each other but then go on to share ignorant nonsense that does harm to the community. That’s not what respect looks like. Try having enough respect to inform yourselves better before writing your next letter.

Sonya Steinbeisser

New Ulm