In 1985 my thesis project at Stanford was Out in Suburbia, a video about 10 Peninsula lesbians who were willing to talk openly about their lives. Some of the Stanford faculty were uncomfortable with the subject, and each woman in the film had to agree to come out, a difficult decision in the Bay Area suburbs in 1985. In 1990 when Out in Suburbia was simulcast on KQED and WNET, one of the gay panel members in NYC gave the video a thumbs down because it didnt include lesbians into leather and motorcycles.Aprominent Bay Area lesbian feminist refused to endorse it because it was white washed. On the other hand, when we showed Out in Suburbia at San Jose State, students were shocked to see lesbians who looked so normal. Thirty-two years later we dont have to live or dress or be a certain way. Were everywhere! Celebrate!

Pam Walton Pam Walton Productions/New Day Films Mountain View

If we are adding more tax for upgrade/electrification to Caltrain, why not do it right? Extending electrification of trains down to Los Angeles on the existing Star Light route would be far quicker than building a new high-speed rail, through more densely populated areas and at a tiny fraction of the cost.

John Mitchell San Jose

As a long-time follower of Rep. Ro Khannas progress (Khanna focuses on changing economy, Page 1A, June 25), his plan to spread the Silicon Valleys influence is not new to me. Like him, I believe someday coding will be similar to basic literacy, but that is the problem. If coding is truly so basic, wont those people in Middle America just get out-competed by regions that are more highly skilled, or the average pay is lower?

The solution must be to create jobs in that area that cant be done anywhere else, or at least abruptly outsourced. Sustainable biotechnology is a rising industry, and requires trained workers to operate brand new facilities and manufacturing plants. Creating incubator programs for sustainable innovation and subsidies for implementing manufacturing and training programs in economically distressed regions of America could grow their economies, as well as the U.S. economy as a whole.

Julie Kring Sunnyvale

Article after article in The Mercury News cites how any kind of tax reform (like the Republican bill to overhaul Obamacare) creates big tax breaks for the wealthy. Given our very progressive tax policies, where a small percentage of the population pays the majority of income taxes, of course people who pay the most are going to benefit the most from any rate reductions. Between federal tax rates (42.9 percent) and California tax rates (13.3 percent), top income earners in the state pay well over 50 percent tax on some portion of their income. One would think that would more than meet the definition of their fair share.

Gary Heidenreich San Jose

After attending the last Alum Rock Union School District board meeting, I must concur with your editorialrecommending that ARUSD be fiscally taken over by the Santa Clara County Office of Education. The hostile attitudethat the board majority took with the attendees and later threatening SCCOE Superintendent Jon Gundry, the arrogance, and the lack of taking any responsibility for the problems led meto conclude that this board is, at best, incompetent and, at worst, in the pocket ofthe Del Terra Group.

Jeffrey Markham San Jose

Our public schools are among the worst in the country; our streets and roads are crumbling; the pension plans are severely under funded; a third of our population is on Medi-Cal; we have raised the sales tax and gasoline tax on those who can least afford to pay; traffic is a nightmare, our income tax is the highest in the nation and college tuition is at an all-time high. Yet the Democrats believe that regardless of all these problems it is more important to enact a meaningless travel ban for political purposes. The affected states are obviously very concerned about losing a few pennies from California, and those that commit crimes here can flee to these states without fear of extradition. Brilliant!

Frank Nicoletti San Jose

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June 27 Letters: Video shows progress of attitude toward lesbians - The Mercury News