By: Ron Greene – Sept. 2022
Dani B. Langevin is a Methuen High School U.S. History teacher, an aspiring writer, and a member of the LGBTQ+ Community of the Merrimack Valley. As an aspiring writer and LGBTQ+ Community Member, she does a column in this periodical under the heading, “Ye Ol’e Gay Valley.” I first became acquainted with Miss Langevin’s writings in July 2022 when I picked up a copy of ‘The Valley Patriot’ off of the counter of my local convenience store. It contained her article entitled “The Big Lie.”
If you haven’t read this article, then I suggest that you do and decide for yourself. But as for me, WOW. Just, WOW. In my opinion, the most offensive thing put to print since “Mein Kampf.” But like I said, you decide.
Miss Langevin seems to have some very strong opinions about many things. Amongst these are her concerns about racism, social justice, abortion, women’s rights, slavery, eugenics, politics, the list goes on and all noble things to be concerned with to be sure. Problem is, she goes from concern to outright anger in a matter of whatever the smallest amount of measurable time is. Unfortunately, anger is something that I know a little bit about since I have had, and still have some issues with the nasty anger bug.
Because of that, the more that I thought about her article, the angrier it made me. Angry enough to write a rather scathing retort. Well, two actually. One lengthy, the other not so. As I re-read them, however, I realized that all I was doing was matching her anger with anger. Not the best of strategies I know but we work with what we are given. On the upside I am clearly making some progress with my own anger issues as I sent neither retort, opting instead for something a bit kinder. Either way I feel something needed to be said.
Why am I telling you this LQBTQ+ community? For background. A bit on me, and some on her. I know that you’re wondering what any of this has to do with you, but stick with me, please. I am getting there. I’m going to ask you to do something rather odd right now, though. I am going to ask you to stop reading this here and go and read one or two of her articles just to get an idea of what I am on about here. You can find them in the Valley Patriot website’s archives. Then I would like you to come back to this. Go ahead, please. I’ll wait.
See? That’s what I am talking about. And she seems to vent her anger at one particular group. Straight white men, whom she blames for all of the world’s ills. And this woman is a high school teacher. Frightening, right? Okay, but here’s my question LGBTQ+ Community, wouldn’t you expect that an article printed under the header Ye Ol’e Gay Valley would have at least something to do with promoting the LGBTQ+ Community by advertising events sponsored by the community? Wouldn’t you expect there to be interviews with prominent members of the LGBTQ+ Community like Businesspeople, Community leaders and Politicians? But I see none of that in her articles. Did you?
So, I guess the real question LGBTQ+ Community is this: Are Dani B. Langevin and her articles indicative of the LGBTQ+ Communities thoughts and feelings, or is she taking liberties in seemingly pretending to speak for a whole community writing under the header Ye Ol’e Gay Valley? It’s time for you to decide whether this woman speaks for you, or for herself because as far as I can see this is just a forum for her to gripe about anything and everything and offering absolutely nothing of any value to the LGBTQ+ Community. Nothing that I can see, at least. If you feel the same, then let her know. The comments are often off on her articles on the website and the email she says that she offers her readers to correspond with her is nowhere to be found.
But just call Tom at The Valley Patriot and tell him how you feel. I’m sure he won’t mind.
Ron Greene, Haverhill ◊