Tragedy and Truth

A letter was written to the Royal Examiner recently recounting a tragic story and, in no uncertain terms laying at least part of the blame for a death of a young woman  on “ the toxic culture of the Front Royal Catholic home-school/St John’s church community, and the bullying and abuse she was subjected to by that community.” The author did not mince words.

I am a part of the Catholic homeschool/St. John’s community. Our children used to play with the Randolph children, and I attended Rose Randolph’s funeral.  We were at the Randolph home for many gatherings, and they were at ours.  As the letter indirectly reveals,  they are a family gifted with intelligence and remarkable artistic talents.

After the funeral, I stood outside with several women who knew the Randolphs. Whatever understanding we had of Rose’s death, I have no reason to think any of us thought Rose was struggling with her sexual identity.   Our prayers and thoughts were with the terrible grief the Randolph family was enduring and that Rose’s soul would rest in peace, and that is still our prayer.

Two letters since Briget Randolph’s letter, and written as responses to it,  have addressed the content of the books in the Library to which people are objecting.   One letter, written by Mr. Michael Randolph, made the obvious but salient point that those who are crying foul over “book banning” and “censorship” have (or hopefully have) their limits: limits that would preclude children’s books from promoting such things as cannibalism, breaking drug laws, and the like.  Mr. Randolph also makes the point (more subtly) that it is a real stretch to claim that these books’ availability in the Library is helping kids not to commit suicide, as Ms. Randolph’s letter suggests their inclusion does.

Towards the end of Ms. Randolph’s letter, after informing us that “some of your children are already gay. They are non-binary and trans. They are queer. They are questioning. They are doubting. They are seeking truth. . . . ” Ms. Randolph makes another terrible charge against those who sincerely disagree with her: she states that they are part of a  “culture war that wants them  [people like her sister] dead.”    Is that statement true?  Is that really the truth?  I am a lifelong conservative, cradle Catholic. I don’t live under a rock. I know many, many people who are like me, and I talk often to many who are not. I know of no person who wants “these . . . books” gone from the Library who also wants any person “dead.”

In fact, we are well aware that our children are human and subject to social contagions and manipulation, and confusion:  many of us have people we love profoundly who are struggling with precisely the things Ms. Randolph thinks we are so shocked by.   We are past the point of complacency or naivete.  Ms. Randolph has piercingly revealed the polarity of this struggle, this “culture war,” as she correctly terms it.

Laura M. Clark
Warren County

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