Grigory Potemkin became famous for building fake villages. His purpose was to impress and fool Russian Empress Catharine as she traveled through the territory he administered on her behalf.

Had Catherine looked closely, she would have noticed that the villages and the villagers looked the same; for they were. They were false facades dismantled every night and re-erected further along the route and populated by the same workers ready the next day to welcome Catherine to their thriving village.

Is Fountain Hills a Potemkin Village? We claim to be a town of polite and tolerant people who strive for diversity. Consider, however:

*That one local church severed ties because its national organization recognizes gay, lesbian and other minority rights. Can’t tolerate that, said the local church.

*A proposal was offered to declare that Fountain Hills recognizes the rights of gay, lesbian and other minority members to be free from discrimination. We can’t support that, said a majority of the Town Council.

*A group invites the public to a screening of a movie that deals with the struggles of minorities. That’s too much for some, who heap insults, curses and other forms of displeasure on those who support the movie.

Is our town tolerant? Or do we hide behind a veneer of politeness, a Grigory Potemkin facade of tolerance that is reserved only for those who think like we do? Do we believe that anyone with a different opinion should, in the recent words of one citizen, “get out of town?”