To the editor:

There’s been a lot of talk lately about people who “stand up for what they believe in.” But somewhere along the way, that phrase seems to have lost its meaning.

Standing up for your beliefs used to mean standing for something: for compassion, for justice, for truth. Now it too often means standing against someone, against their existence, their identity, their rights, or their humanity.

The truth is, some people don’t stand up for what they believe in; they punch down with what they believe in. They use faith or politics as a shield to justify cruelty, exclusion, and hate, and then call that conviction. But real conviction doesn’t demand someone else’s suffering to feel righteous. Real strength doesn’t require making yourself bigger by making others smaller.

Before we keep applauding those who “speak their truth,” maybe we should ask what that truth costs and who’s paying the price for it. Because if your beliefs demand that another person live in fear, hide who they are, or feel unworthy of love, maybe it’s not faith or courage you’re standing in. Maybe it’s cowardice.

Jamie Stuckey

Marshall