How to Write Letters to the Editor for National Coming Out Day
The letters to the editor section of your local paper presents an ideal forum for getting your message to its readers, be they local citizens, members of congress or university administrators. More people read the letters to the editor section than almost any other part of the paper. It is one of the first pages to which many elected officials turn. Letters to the editor show that an issue is of concern to the community and are excellent tools for education. Here are a few guidelines for getting your letter to the editor printed:
- Keep your letter short and to the point — 250 words maximum.
- Think about what your objective is when writing a letter to the editor. Writing on behalf of a state, local or campus organization will give your letter more weight. Writing as an individual citizen will show impression of citizen support for or opposition to an issue.
- Your letter should carry its most important message in the first paragraph.
- Include your name, address and daytime phone number. Editors like to call to confirm that the letter was actually written by the person whose name appears on the letter.
- Avoid rambling sentences and big words.
- Type the letter — double spaced, one page maximum.
- Limit the number of points you make, and stay on the same subject.
- Be as factual as possible without being dull.
- Localize your letter — explain how the issue will affect your area or personalize the letter by mentioning people in your own life or community who will be affected.
- Accentuate the positive. When you criticize, also propose a solution to the problem or a better alternative, if possible.
- Don't be disappointed if your letter does not get printed. Newspapers get many letters every day and can't print all of them. Most papers won't print the same writers over and over again. Therefore, if you have had a letter published recently, try to get a friend or member of your group to sign the next one. Have a number of activists submit a letter on the same topic at the same time. Editors are more likely to print letters on 'popular' issues.
- Make the letter timely. Your letter stands the best chance of getting printed when it responds to something recently printed in that newspaper — such as a news story, column, editorial, advertisement, or another letter. You can use the reference to that item as a springboard for stating your case.
Your letter can support and expand on something already in the news, make a point that was omitted, or disagree with and correct misinformation in whatever form it appeared. You can also use events like Pride or National Coming Out Day as a hook.
Don't be afraid to ask for action — tell readers what you want them to do. This includes your elected representatives; you can be sure they read the letters to the editor. By putting their names in the letter and asking for action, such as a vote, co-sponsorship of a bill or an explanation, you get their attention fast.
Sample Letters to the Editor
(These do not necessarily reflect the views of HRC — only provided as examples)
The Public Pulse
May 7, 2010
Prejudices give way to service
Jeff Hurt’s April 30 letter, “We serve our nation proudly,” could not be more on point.
He writes that military members’ service should be measured by the work they do, not their sexual orientation. Those of us who have been in the military know that this is absolutely true: One’s sexual orientation does not affect how one does his or her job.
This is why the U.S. military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy must be repealed this year. This discriminatory law results in the discharge of gay and lesbian service members if their sexual orientation is found out.
I served from August 1973 to June 1979, and was one of the first women to work as a crew chief on the flight line at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and at Lakenheath AFB in England. Many people said at the time that women in the military would diminish the fighting force and endanger morale.
The prejudices against women serving our country were proven false. The prejudices regarding gays and lesbians serving openly in the military also will be proven false when we repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
Rebecca Gonzales, Wilber, Neb.
________________________________________
Inforum: The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead
7/25/2010
It’s time to end injustice in military
After 16 years of this failed law, “don’t ask, don’t tell” may be in its final hours.
A few short years after the first Gulf War came to a close, our nation’s leaders reached what they said was a compromise between allowing gay, lesbian and bisexual Americans to serve openly, and an opposition that wanted to deny these individuals the honor of serving at all. The result was “don’t ask, don’t tell,” a failed law that has discharged more than 14,000 able-bodied service members and cost taxpayers millions of dollars.
Our nation is waking up to the fact that we cannot continue to pick apart our military’s ranks for the sake of outdated prejudices and obsolete myths about damaged cohesion or esprit de corps.
The truth is that gay, lesbian and bisexual service members have been serving beside their heterosexual brothers - and sisters-in-arms for a long time. Asking them to continue to serve in silence is an insult to the sacrifices that these Americans have made on and off the battlefield.
When this law is repealed, our military’s leaders will no longer be forced to remove able-bodied and highly trained young Americans from the ranks of their teams in a time when they are needed the most. They will no longer be forced to weaken the strength of their units for no other reason than an outdated, discriminatory law demands it. By repealing this law, our government will tell many service members they are important to our nation, and that they will no longer be forced to lie about who they are in order to serve the country they love.
Here in Minot, N.D., we host the brave men and women of Minot Air Force Base. Many of the base’s 7,500 service members and their families call our town home. They live and relax here. By repealing this law, our government will be able to do what many of us here in our city have done for years: Honor the service of all of our nation’s service members, regardless of their background.
During my 11 years, I served beside people from all walks of life. As you can see in any military town, the armed forces bring together folks from around the country – young men and women of different races, religions and upbringings. From the moment service members enter the military, they are told to set aside their differences and focus on the mission at hand. At last, our laws will truly be in keeping with this tradition.
In the coming weeks, as the U.S. Senate votes on the bill that will repeal the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law and as the military’s leaders begin to take apart this discriminatory practice, let’s take a moment to pause. Let’s pause to remember that gay, lesbian and bisexual service members have a long history of military service. These brave warriors have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, in Korea and Vietnam, in the Pacific and the Atlantic. Open service honors the sacrifice of all of the brave men and women who have dedicated their lives to service of their country.
Steve McWilliams, Minot, N.D.
McWilliams is a former technical sergeant with the U.S. Air Force.
If you send a letter to the editor, please be sure to let us know! Contact us at comingout@hrc.org