Subject: FOXFAMILY AGREES TO NEGOTIATE WITH SOULFORCE CLERGY
From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 14 Mar 2000 13:04:27 EST

Soulforce News Alert, Wednesday, March 14, 2000
FOXFAMILY EXECUTIVES AGREE TO NEGOTIATE
March 24 Protest and Civil Disobedience Postponed

     (Los Angeles)  On Friday, March 3, the Soulforce Committee to Bring 
Truth to Pat Robertson and to the Fox Family Channel received an email from 
Mel Woods, President and C.O.O. of FOXFAMILY Worldwide, parent company of Fox 
Family.   "I have visited your Internet site," Mr. Woods wrote,  "and would 
be very happy to meet with you and discuss your issues."

     "We were elated," admits Rabbi Denise Eger of Congregation Kol Ami.  "We 
had tried for eighteen months to get the Fox Family Channel to take seriously 
our concerns about the tragic effects of Mr. Robertson's anti-homosexual 
campaign.  To give negotiations a chance, we have postponed our direct action 
(and possible civil disobedience) scheduled for 12Noon, March 24, at 
FOXFAMILY'S headquarters."

     March 8, Rabbi Eger and the Revs. Ed Bacon and Mel White sat down with 
Mr. Woods and Ms. Donna Cunningham, FOXFAMILY'S Executive VP, for a 
discussion of the anti-homosexual campaign of Pat Robertson's 700 Club (seen 
three times daily on the Fox Family Channel.)

     "We have good news," reported the Rev. Ed Bacon, Rector, All Saints 
Episcopal in Pasadena.  "FOXFAMILY took us seriously. We met with management 
of the company. They listened attentively. They agreed to consider some of 
our requests and confirmed that the company does offer domestic partnership 
health benefits.  The dialogue is ongoing and we thank FOXFAMILY for that 
opportunity." 

      "Our next meeting is March 24, the day we had scheduled for the 
protest," added Mel White, Co-Chair of the Committee and a Founder of 
Soulforce, Inc.  "Instead of risking arrest on the outside, we'll be 
negotiating on the inside.  And though we oppose Mr. Robertson's 
anti-homosexual campaign, we aren't there to censor Mr. Robertson or to deny 
him his First Amendment rights.  

    "Our goal is to help Pat, his viewers, and our friends at FOXFAMILY to 
understand the truth about sexual minorities and to help end Robertson's 
tragic misinformation campaign against us.  This has proven to be a long 
process but we're willing to take it one step at a time.  However, if 
negotiations stall, we will be forced to take direct action and even civil 
disobedience to jump-start them once again. Stay tuned!"
 
CONTACT: 
Rabbi Eger (310) 248-6320, Ed Bacon (626) 796-1172, Mel White (949) 455-0999
Information at "Beware the Fox": www.soulforce.org or [email-masked]

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