Open letter to a Stag Party

To the men of the stag party last night,

Last evening the three of us checked into the hostel for a nice visit in your community. It's our first time in Wales, even though we only live just a couple of hours away in London.

As we sat in the pub enjoying our pints, a few of you invited us to games of pool and darts, along with some nice conversation. Some of you were very nice gentlemen during the evening, and you brightened our stay in your town.

I'm saddened to say that a few others weren’t so kind. During the evening a number of unkind remarks were made, some of them quite hurtful. And after we left, those remarks got worse and went on into the night. You see, the walls of this hostel are quite thin…

This is a great big world. There are differences inside all of us. When you think of the people that you know in your life, perhaps one of your very own friends, one of your cousins, maybe even one of your children, is different in some special and unique way. How would you feel if they were a long way from home and treated unkindly by strangers? How would you feel if your loved-ones were hurt, saddened, or worse by people who chose not to be compassionate to strangers.

The only thing that I ask of you is that you think about what I have said. Please don't apologise to my friends or I. Please don't feel compelled to say anything. Especially, please don't come to us with anger. It would only dredge up more sad feelings, and personally I don't have the strength to deal with them at the moment. Plus, I really would prefer to protect my daughter from further discomfort. She was the youngest of our group last night…

Thank you for considering my words. May the groom go forth to a very joyful life with his new bride!

Sincerely, Jessica