The following was drafted by Willow Grove resident Greg Layton for The Politically Engaged Patriots for Delaware.
An impassioned moral conflict now underway reflects upon us all and affects countless lives.
The Delaware Republican Party invited Congresswoman Nancy Mace, R-S.C., to the First State after she led a campaign to bar Delaware’s newly elected Democratic Congresswoman Sarah McBride from the women’s bathrooms at the U.S. Capitol because of McBride’s gender identity alone.
We, the undersigned, find this assault upon our congresswoman’s personhood and dignity contemptible but believe the bathroom controversy represents a more consequential debate: How do Americans think about freedom? And how do we guarantee freedom for everyone?
As cognitive scientist George Lakoff explained in his 2007 book, “Whose Freedom? The Battle Over America’s Most Important Idea,” Americans conceive of freedom in two competing ways.
To some, “freedom” only means living without obligation to anyone else and having the right to do whatever they want (regardless of how their actions affect others).
But, to most Delawareans, it means something greater. Drawing upon traditions that trace back to the Proto-Germanic origin of the word “free (frijaz),” meaning “beloved,” and the ancient Sumerian origin of the concept “freedom (amargi),” meaning “return to mother” Delawareans understand freedom as related to care and connection.
In other words, loving freedom requires embracing and nurturing everyone who calls our nation home.
To understand this profoundly American idea, contemplate the motto chosen by our nation’s founders: “E Pluribus Unum (Out of many, one).”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. expressed this conception of freedom in his 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech, which punctuated his vision of brotherhood with the words, “Thank God almighty, we are free at last.”
Dr. King wasn’t talking about the “freedom” to discriminate against and harm others — as many are now doing to transgender Americans. Instead, Dr. King spoke of the freedom to belong to the American family as a cherished equal.
Throughout history, people have understood this deeper meaning of the word, and we urge Delawareans to pursue freedom more conscientiously in their personal lives and public policy.
We also call upon the Delaware Democratic Party to include more substantial calls for LGBTQIA+ protections in its platform — and for lawmakers to stop treating trans rights as a distraction best ignored. We call upon them to enact laws to guard trans Delawareans before the 2025 legislative session ends.
Make no mistake: We denounce the Delaware GOP’s trolling and Nancy Mace’s bullying, but the conversation about freedom and who we want to be as a nation is much more essential than the Republicans’ fundraising spectacle.
If you wish to act immediately, please donate to the Pink Haven Coalition, which creates safety and support networks for trans loved ones and their families.
You can find it at pinkhaven.org.
Kathryn M. Jakabcin
Peter Pizzolongo
Kristin Froehlich
Maggie Rowe
Gemma Lowery
Rebecca Ferguson
Dionne Williford
Stephanie Turner
Alan Muller
Guy A. VanderLek
Sandra Derr
Julia McBroom
Mikie McGinnes
Regina Lynn Pepper
Nick Mandalakas
Linda Odenthal Apgar
Suzanne Farris
Carol Townsend
Tom Littleton
Donna Feliceangeli
Kendra Bober
Aletia Morgan
Bill Herron
Leanne Callaway
Kathy Reuhl Stetson
The Rev. Cynthia E. Robinson
Candace Roseo
Carla Davis
Kerry Kristine McElrone
Lynn Gillespie
Anne McWalter
Kathleen Robertson Kent
Carla Davis
Rose Akerman
Leslie Johnson
Deb Chickadel
The Rev. Amy Shipley Yarnall
Scott R. Godin
Cathy Anderson Snyder
Meredith Moffett-Hurst
Sarah Chen
Becky Evaristo
Nadia Zychal
Brian Horne
Lisa Pate Fersch
Dianne L. Kapral
Catherine Wherry
David Nordheimer
Bonni McClane
Paul Hayes
Loretta Benson
Jackie Kook
Jenn Dalgarn
Venus Kook
Brian McGlinchey
Julie Rassias
Allegra DiNetta
The Rev. Timothy Rodden
Maynard Gregory
Dianne Rogers
Sharon Jones
Rosemary Connelly
Diane Gail
JoAnn Callazzo
Krista King
Yolande Jackson
Ed Pollard
Karen Adkins
Christine Lim
Cara Cordrey
Natasha Poppe
Tracy Bell Harder
Mike Johnson
Steve Fackenthall
Bonni Jones
Victoria Callahan
Arlene Michelle
Christine Ross Smith
Mike Matthews
Penny Kessler
Jacque Williamson
Tyeisha Grier
David Mangler
Jeannette Wilt
Eric Howlett
Karla A. Bell
Jeff Quiggle
Lorraine Logothetis
Janet Caruccio
Sarah T. Price
Tom Ducham
Barbara Sheffler
Maria Vandegrift
Grace Genie McClellan Hobson
Dian O’Leary
Jennifer Caldwell
Joanne Shields Reilly
Shannon Troncoso
Judi Stein O’Brien
Stephanie Lobsiger
Nancy Hall
Richard L. Shehorn Jr.
Dennis Westman
Cindy Zdrojewski
John W. Martin
Nicole Abbate
Jerilynn Hinrichs
Charles C. Stephenson
Arlene Reichbach
Carolyn Fidgeon
Kevin Fidgeon
Maggie Kettlewood
Peggy Schmidt
Sheryl Winsby
Nikole Arnold
Dr. Rosemary A. Castelli
Susan Poe-Whalley
Catherine Ciferni
Christabel Gorman
Matthew Lyons
Karolyn Hayes
Valarie Osterhout
Bill Fuchs
Julie Jackson
Cindy Johnson
Linda Kotalik
Roberta Fucci
Beth Kopicki
Mikie McGinnes
Angela Parana
Loren J. Evans
Jennifer Cipolla
Jared Christopher
Dr. Merle McCann
Tracey Crook
Maureen McGurk
Denise McClung
Margaret A. Branigan
Kelly Green
Laura Danowsky
Bridget Everman
Stefani Todd Vinkemeier
Meri Weiss
JoAnn Carmean Matthias
Brian Williamson
Kim Court
Jodie Carpenter Sleva
Kristina Stroh
Steve Newton
Vienna Cavazos
Tracey Miller
Tom Brett
Bill Fuchs
Michelle Lazansky Wilson
Bob Fitch
Lisa Gensel
Deborah E. Allen
Jessica Tyre
Jenna Menge
Kevin K.C. VanBuskirk
Roger Reinicker
Sandie Reinicker
Heather Kruzienski
Deja Kruzienski
Peter Rassias
Danette Cordone
Sharon Legg Marvel
Beth Randall Nicholson
Nick Johnson
Dawn Marie Crowley
Debra Yoder Manning
Jessica Pierce Ventura
John Gross
Barbara Colbert
Tyler Mock
Marguerite Cain
Joan Zampini
Jonathan Tate
Amy K. Zeman
Maria LaClair
Mike Musgrove
Kelley Kalbach Zugger
Craig R. Anderson
Bonni Jones
Jax Salasky
David Redlawsk
Suzanne Brandt
Catherine Walls
Betty Thornton Dunn
Aaron Enzor
Joyce Enzor Maust
Zackary Enzor
Keegan Enzor
Brian Williamson
Calvin Sparks
Lisette Gilbert Mees
Nancy Willing
Benjamin Black
Patrik Williams
Kelly Brown
Gina Castelli
Lisa Loescher
Christopher Wright
Susan Miller
Jack Thompson
Jane W. Luke
Pamela Huxtable
Ricardo Bruinton Jr.
Michelle Classeen
Kate Layton
Greg Layton
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
