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To me, this story boils down to the comments: “Port Townsend is a welcoming community, and hate and discrimination have no place in this community,” the mayor said. “LGBTQ people, trans people in particular in this case, are entitled to basic respect, and they have not been receiving that in much of the commentary tonight, calling them ‘pedophiles’ and ‘rapists’ and ‘predators'."

“Our staff, our team, is comprised of a variety of individuals, some who identify as trans [and] LGBTQ community members, and it’s our duty to not just respect diversity, but to actually embrace that as part of what builds a strong city team,” Mauro added.

Port Townsend has been my town since 1929 and I want it to proceed with the times as a welcoming community and one enriched by diversity. Life is too short to spend looking for someone to whom to feel superior—and has been created for other purposes.