In culture wars, labels get lobbed like grenades: You’re ludicrously and dangerously “woke.” Or you’re a hopeless guardian of outmoded social mores. There’s a zero-sum feel: Gains for some must carry costs for others. 

A layer beneath, in affected communities, are people just trying to live with dignity. 

Last May, a Monitor reporter wrote and spoke about the weaponized politics around health care for transgender people. What he stressed: a Monitor obligation “to understand the nuance and bring it to readers.”

That’s a requirement that Jackie Valley fulfills today from Oklahoma. Her compassionate report on the perspectives of individuals within LGBTQ+ communities is a sober, agenda-free exploration – and a very Monitor story.