‘Common sense’ is meaningless rhetoric

Gov. Kim Reynolds, it's time to reach out to the LGBTQ+ community and bravely set aside your "common sense" (Sept. 19, Campaign Almanac, Page 7A). "Common" paired with "sense" is a catchy phrase but it's meaningless rhetoric.

The governor's catchy phrase means: My supporters and I are right, and people who identify as transgender or are allies are wrong.

Swimmer Riley Gaines and Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer from the University of Pennsylvania, "tied … for fifth place in the 200 freestyle at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships in March 2022.“ Fifth place looks a lot like both swimmers need improvement. And for Gaines to blame "the radical Left's gender ideology" rather than her own training and competing methods is to shift responsibility for her own success to someone else. Is that what the NCAA teaches its athletes?

Reynolds marches on, leading a radical right gender ideology. A catchy phrase I use to label and demean the governor. If I repeat it, it becomes meaningless, does not build bridges, understanding, or friendships. Kim Reynolds, you are a difficult person to like. I choose respect over common sense.

Gretchen Reeh-Robinson

Mount Vernon