USA TODAY

Letters to the editor:

The hate that killed Matthew Shepard in 1998 is the same hate that has contributed to the deaths of at least four transgender people so far this year. Bullies at school aren’t just harassing lesbian, gay or bisexual kids, they’re also harassing transgender kids. The parents who could provide loving homes for the over 400,000 children in foster care aren’t only LGB parents, they’re transgender parents, too. Interwoven throughout the diversity of our community is a common struggle for justice and equality.

The transgender community is not trying to “co-opt” the success of marriage equality, as commentary writer Joseph Murray claims (“Gay, transgender movements need a divorce”). Since the 1960s and beyond, transgender people have been fighting alongside lesbians, gays and bisexuals in pursuit of the same promise of equality.

And so Murray’s assertion that we are “no longer working toward the same goals” could not be more untrue; the extreme rhetoric he uses could not be more dangerous. We are stronger in our unity, and Murray’s attempt to splinter our movement at a time when our biggest obstacles — and victories — still lie ahead of us is a slap in the face to all of the progress lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have made together, working hand in hand.

Chad Griffin, president, Human Rights Campaign; Washington, D.C.

POLICING THE USA: A look at race, justice, media

Gay, transgender movements need a divorce: Column

How very civilized we are — or are we? Certainly, if civilization is defined by a quest for equality, we shine as a beacon to a blinding degree.

But where to draw the line? Should everyone’s differing tendencies and inclinations be accommodated? If so, the future promises to be a busy one. Alas, this is untenable. Who will determine the parameters of sense and reason?

On the issue of transgender bathroom preferences, it seems to me that if individuals are allowed, as some wish, to choose a facility opposite their biological sex, the discomfort is merely transferred to heterosexuals with conventional leanings. Is that fair?

The only true solution then, is to mandate a third facility dedicated to the transgender community, to be available in every business and public place in the United States.

Michael E. White; Oxford, Mass.

We asked what’s next for LGBT rights and whether the gay and transgender communities should work separately or together. Comments from Twitter are edited for clarity and grammar:

Yes, work together. You face a common enemy, and there is strength in numbers.

— @tyre64

Next steps: implementing science-based policies, not ones rooted in fear.

— @JayFranzone

Solidarity has seen the #LGBT community to many victories — and together, the community will achieve even more.

— @JimmyCLewis

Together, always. We have a common cause (fighting prejudice) and strength in numbers.

— @CHobbes1985

For more discussions, follow @USATOpinion or #tellusatoday.