Hi Shamontiel,

Thank you for writing this very heartfelt and thought out response — Not that I was expecting any kind of defense against the comments I received, but I do appreciate you voicing your understanding of where I’m coming from and that’s exactly the point I was trying to make when writing this (and keep in mind, I was still pretty heated when I wrote this).

It’s not a matter of “just accepting” that these things happen because they shouldn’t be happening anywhere to anyone.

I’m sorry that your friend from Japan had to experience that when she was here and I hope her view of America hasn’t drastically changed from that one incident.

We, as Americans, as people, need to do better in acknowledging that ANY type of harassment against race, gender, sexual orientation, is not acceptable. It shouldn’t be happening, but still, it does.

-Lindsey