Interesting and fun column by Roger Gitlin about the Brother Jonathan shipwreck just off our shores.Closely approaching my seventh decade. I don’t remember ever hearing that story in school. And if I did I forgot. It certainly has historical value, especially for us here on the beautiful North Coast, and hopefully is a part of our local school’s curriculum.What disappointed me was Mr. Gitlin’s unnecessary comment against the LGBTQ community. Couldn’t he have left that part out for maybe another piece? Maybe a member of that community read Mr. Gitlin’s column, and rather than being interested in learning history, he or she was turned off immediately by being unfairly singled out.#placement_573654_0_i{width:100%;max-width:550px;margin:0 auto;}var rnd = window.rnd || Math.floor(Math.random()*10e6);var pid573654 = window.pid573654 || rnd;var plc573654 = window.plc573654 || 0;var abkw = window.abkw || '';var absrc = 'https://ads.empowerlocal.co/adserve/;ID=181918;size=0x0;setID=573654;type=js;sw='+screen.width+';sh='+screen.height+';spr='+window.devicePixelRatio+';kw='+abkw+';pid='+pid573654+';place='+(plc573654++)+';rnd='+rnd+';click=CLICK_MACRO_PLACEHOLDER';var _absrc = absrc.split("type=js"); absrc = _absrc[0] + 'type=js;referrer=' + encodeURIComponent(document.location.href) + _absrc[1];document.write('');I just felt in these times when we seem to be more divided ever, why throw in a political dig in an interesting story that can stand alone without it?However, Mr. Gitlin’s accusation that LGBTQ curriculum is being taught to seven-year-old second graders spurs me to do some research to see how accurate his claim is. And if it is, just how deep does LGBTQ education go.I’m not a member of that community but have many family members and friends who are. I love and support them. So thank you Mr. Gitlin for sharing the story about the Brother Jonathan. I just felt the LGBTQ reference wasn’t necessary. Rick McNamerSmith River googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('ad-1515727'); });