Letter: Sensitivity and compassion would be good to see on trans subject

Also, the group who delivered said training are incredible people and community workers.

You have also published what is, in my opinion, a deliberately provocative and misleading piece on transgenderism and trans education.

That is odd and potentially dangerous for these vulnerable groups. I work with trans people and a close family member identifies as trans and many often feel unsafe and unprotected on the streets because of transphobia - this article is not helpful or kind.

I believe that our media holds great power and with that comes great responsibility. If you must vilify or target a section of the community for drama, I always believe in punching up.

Go for those who cause harm in NI and in my experience the trans community is not causing harm, they are largely peaceful, lovely and private.

Paramilitaries, drug gangs and loan sharks are pretty much running the country and terrorising communities and this is what the News Letter considers a front-page headline - the week leading to Belfast Pride. I am disappointed.

The truth is that many aren't being medicated or having these operations or transitionary surgeries so flippantly and casually - that is a misrepresentation and fallacy.

Most just want to be accepted and to live freely as they choose.

Gender is largely performative and is a social and arguably political construct, like race, class, and unionism.

I would like to see the News Letter and other publications exercise more due care and diligence when writing pieces that may provoke ill feelings and thoughts to marginalised groups in the community.

Let people be who they want to be.

The PSNI deserve a break too - they often can't do right for doing wrong.

I have put in several FOI requests with public bodies over the years and while the PSNI are often slow, in my experience they are the best public body at responding to these requests.

I also suspect that the PSNI may have had to consider refusing your request as they may have had concerns about how that information would be used and disseminated.

I don't think about or understand many concerns facing unionists, such as the protocol or the sea border. If I wanted to learn more about these issues I would speak to someone knowledgeable and informed, the same for trans education and trans rights.

It is in everyone's best interests that organisations like Cara Friend deliver training to officers who work in the community and with these people.

There is nothing sinister or worrying about that, it is both logical and sensible. The police want to keep people safe and they want to protect the public.

Sensitivity and compassion would be good to see and this article and front page is insensitive.

Dr Louise Taylor, political ecologist