We were dismayed to read about the Hatfield family being harassed for their political views [“‘We do not want your kind here,’” Gazette, Oct. 14]. We moved to Hatfield in 2020 and wondered how we’d be accepted as a lesbian couple. We love living here because of how warmly we have been welcomed by the community. In our minds, the harassment that the Menz family has experienced is the work of a small number of people — perhaps only one individual.

People can feel threatened when they think that the values of their town are changing. We decided to use election results as a proxy for measuring change. We started in 1972, and found that the Democrat received more votes than the Republican in Hatfield in every presidential election since then. The only close elections were in 1972, with 49% for McGovern and 48% for Nixon; and in 1984, with 50% for Mondale and 48% for Reagan.

In the presidential elections from 2004 to 2020, the Democratic candidate won by a landslide in town. That speaks to stability, not change.

Our conclusion is that the person who is harassing the Menz family doesn’t know Hatfield. To us, this town embodies what is best about a small town — people who are truly friendly and welcoming to their neighbors, who help out when someone is in need, greet everyone they meet on the street, and wave hello to people in passing cars.

Does the harasser think that what Hatfield is about is anonymously threatening people, scaring them and their children? That’s not the town we live in.

Julie Pokela and Elizabeth Denny

Hatfield