Release Date:   March 8, 1995
Contact:        Dawn Rankin-Phelps
                (804)543-2460

"It's about stopping the violence against God's gay and lesbian children"

Today, Mel White announced from jail that he was taking his fast one step
further and would cut out all liquids except water.  Up until this point
White had been consuming one glass of skim of milk in the mornings and one
glass of orange drink in the afternoons along with the water.  This decision 
reflects White's sincerity and deep commitment in his mission to stop rhetoric 
that causes the suffering of God's gay and lesbian children.

Over 30 people continued to show their solidarity to this same mission by
lining the sidewalk in front of CBN today.  A Bearing Witness delegation
attempted to set up an appointment between White and Robertson to discuss how
anti-gay rhetoric incites some people to violence against the gay community.
 
According to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, there were at least 59
anti-gay homicides in 1994, including 8 in Texas.

White, Minister of Justice for the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan
Community Churches, now on day 23 of a fast, said one of the Texas victims
was a young man from is home town, Paul Quintanillo.  "His genitals were
slashed, his throat was slashed and he was stabbed 10 times in the heart."

 It is such vicious acts of violence that White, currently incarcerated in
Virginia Beach City Jail, and Bearing Witness are committed to stamping out.
Through mediation with Pat Robertson, it is believed that some of the
rhetoric could be stopped which in turn could help initiate a drop in
anti-gay crime.  

"Words are the strongest weapons known to man and Robertson and CBN have used
strong words to hurt us," said Dawn Rankin-Phelps, spokesperson for Bearing
Witness.  Robertson's spokesman repeatedly denies that Robertson is out
to hurt anyone ("There is nothing in our policy - there is no action that he,
White, can point to - that we are out to hurt anyone," said Mike Russell, CBN
spokesperson).  His words speak loudly to the contrary.

"When lawlessness is abroad in the land, the same thing will happen here that
happened in Nazi Germany.  Many of those people involved in Adolf Hitler were
Satanists, many of them were homosexuals - the two seem to go together." Pat
Robertson on the 700 Club.  People for the American Way document September
14, 1994, page 14.

It is this type of inflammatory rhetoric that incites people to violence in
the guise of protecting their families from what Robertson calls the
"anti-family train of destruction".  

Bearing Witness will continue to return to CBN daily and will attempt to set
up a meeting to discuss these sensitive issues with Robertson.  "It's not
about media events...It's not about validating homosexuality...It's about 
stopping the violence against God's gay and lesbian children."  

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