Letter: Coverage of the Gatto family

There were about 12 of us in the meeting with the assemblyman and at the time he was a no vote. Once he was seated, Marina took the opportunity to open the discussion with a message she had prepared in writing, a message she has shared thousands of times, a message she still shares today.

I had not known of the Gatto family until that morning. I was blown away by the poise, grace, beauty and power of this young woman and her family. So was everyone in the room, including the assemblyman. He ended up changing his vote which helped the bill pass. I credit the influence of Marina, Ramona and Arzu — their presence and willingness to be the faces and voice of families in our community — with having helped to change his view.

The work of the Gatto family is vital to families like ours. Last July, three children of LGBT parents were kidnapped by their father from San Jose. The Santa Clara County DA's office refuses to press charges or take action against this criminal activity saying that it is their public policy not to pursue cases such as this. I have been told that the family court judge who has overseen the custody case has said publicly that the children's father should have kidnapped them sooner.

The abuse, discrimination, hatred, anger and ugliness that is directed toward our families is unimaginable unless you are intimately involved with people "like us."

It will only be through people like yourself, papers like the San Mateo Daily Journal and families like the Gattos who choose right over wrong, truth over lies, and justice over injustice that change will occur. I applaud and support the determination of strength you exhibit in continuing to tell our stories.

The manifestation of your collective courage will be to facilitate positive change which, in my opinion, is the noblest work of journalism.

Name witheld

Cupertino