Letter to the Editor: Troy High Senior Responds to Mayor's Anti-Gay Post

This Letter to the Editor is in response to Troy Mayor Janice Daniel's , which received widespread criticism Friday after it went viral on the social networking site.

Dear Mayor Daniels,

My name is Xinxin Zhou and I am currently a senior at Troy High School.

I know you must be incredibly busy with your duties, so I shall write with brevity.

I am sure you are aware your post on Facebook has caused quite the controversy, and you have received your fair share of emails. I am not here to lecture you in anyway or some other trivial nonsense.

I am here to speak from my heart.

I have always been proud to live in a great city like Troy. We were different. We were above the rest.

We were accepting.

So when our high school set up a Gay Straight Alliance, I believed it was the beginning of the end. It was the end of ignorance and hatred. Yet you, personally, have ended that ideal.

Your words were brought to my attention this afternoon, and it hit me. Some people would never change, just as their tormenting words could never be unspoken.

So I am here today to say, I will not stop. I will never stop fighting, never stop supporting until all people are treated equally. You may have your opinion, well, so do I.

Sincerely,

Xinxin Zhou

Troy Patch welcomes opinions from readers. Please send your Letter to the Editor to Jen Anesi at jen.anesi@patch.com.