Eau Claire Journal Based on Facts and Opinions

Written By: Travis Buhler  |  Posted: Tuesday, March 22nd, 2016

Eau Claire Area School District Board member Joe Luginbill was referred to an article in this paper referencing him and his opening up of discussions concerning school policies towards transgender students. This was during WUEC's Westside program on March 14th. His reply was that he preferred to read articles based on facts. I would assume he considered this article not to be so. As the author of this article, allow me to respond.

First, I endeavor to represent and reference the facts behind an issue in my articles. I give my opinion(s), but they are based on the facts of the issue at hand. We, therefore, work hard at not misrepresenting anyone in our opinions and editorial sections.

Second, it is the opinion of many that editorial or opinion articles are not to be valued at the same level as purely factual articles. The problem with this idea is that there can no one can write a factually pure article. There will always be more details to the story that the author missed or intentionally left out for whatever reason. By nature, the writing down of the facts is merely the conclusion of an inquiry and can be based on faulty assumptions oftentimes based on the author's preconceived opinions of the issue prior to the research. This is why I say we endeavor at being factual rather than assuming we are.

This paper states candidly that many issues are worthy of an opinion. We are not ashamed of this. Opinions have much value, especially if they are based on the authority of God and His word. It is such opinions that formulate the answers to real problems. This is as true for motorcycle helmet laws as it is for transgender student policies. There cannot be purely factual-based answers to any problem, no matter how clear the facts are. Normally two people with different answers can agree to disagree, but when someone's opinion-based answer becomes law and is forced upon someone else, then there is a conflict.

Third, this issue is almost wholly an opinion-based issue. As I wrote in the article, there is no empirical evidence, facts if you will, behind a person deciding to be a gender other than what they were born as. Plus, this issue is currently in the discussion stage in the school district. I can only write my opinion based on the broad summaries of what some probable policy changes may look like. At the very least, I am using this newspaper as a means to enter into the discussion.

Mr. Luginbill misunderstands the conscience of many on the moral side of things. He disagreed with my conclusion that those who do not agree with such policies, like using pronouns based on choice rather than gender, will be forced to accept them. But he qualified his reply saying that all will have to comply with anti-bullying and anti-discrimination policies. If these policies include the above and other situations, teachers and students with a conscience based on God's Word will be bothered at the least. It forces them to adopt an answer, an opinion-based conclusion, that goes against their conscience. A conscience, in my opinion, that is built on the word of God. Mr. Luginbill either fails to see this, or does not view the conscience as mattering in this case. The result is him, purposely or inadvertently, trying to make his opinion worth more than theirs.