In response to the Maggie Malach's bigotry column from Issue 38 of Flyer News, I would like to call attention to the cruelty exhibited by the parents and students of the Itawamba County School District against homosexual student Constance McMillan and the passive-aggressive discussion of the matter.

"You should never hate that which you don't understand." Who would disagree with this? Not the Itawamba parents, I think. I imagine they would, instead, appeal to an ideology.

Perhaps it would be wise, Maggie, to not denounce that which you do not wish to understand. Your article disregards the Itawamba parents' side of the story. The cruelty of the students and parents is inexcusable, but this commonly held opinion will change nothing without dialogue.

It seems reasonable to create a caricature of a group as insensitive bigots when its hate, on the surface, seems so pointless. Popular culture says there are a few targets which are always evil and don't deserve our considerations.

Such movies as the recent "Inglourious Basterds" confirm that Nazis, for example, are always OK to hate. Yet, to make straw men of these parents ignores an important question. Why did they act so cruelly?

Acceptance has become, lately, the unquestionable virtue. However, it is important to recognize that we do not accept everybody. Certain actions are never OK. My extreme example of this is Nazis, though our jails are also filled via unacceptable behavior.

It seems that the real question is who or what makes a person's choices acceptable? What authority do we appeal to? Perhaps the Itawamba parents appealed to the Bible, or the Koran or the American judicial system for their understanding of homosexuality. If so, you must approach their misguided actions through their source of authority, rather than ignore ideology outright.

Straw men are easy, Maggie. In response to your question, "How do we ensure this doesn't happen again?", address the issue, not those who already agree with you. This is not a defense of the parents' prejudices, but rather a call for dialogue.