This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

On Jan. 8, we saw two letters denouncing Jan Chamberlin's gut-wrenching decision to walk away from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in response to the choir singing at Donald Trump's inauguration.

One letter named the calling a "Christlike endeavor." I hardly see where Christ could or would stand next to a misogynistic, racist, contractor-cheating, thin-skinned bully who thinks it's okay to call his followers to violence.

The other letter-writer said she would "take her place" because singing in the choir is an "honor, privilege and an opportunity to sing for the country."

Clearly neither letter-writer understands Chamberlin's position. It just flew right over their heads. Both would rather put a smiley face on the church's activities and positions than look in the maw of a beast who wants to discriminate against the children of the LGBT community — to highlight just one issue. That these two see nothing out of the ordinary here strikes me as much more wrong-headed than one who chose to leave the choir.

Neither letter-writer will stand with their sister, that's their choice. But know this, there are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of women across the country and the world who gladly stand beside Chamberlin, and are proud to call her our sister, whether we are members of the faith or not.

Mary M. Balgaroo

Salt Lake City