Date: Mon, 11 Dec 1995 16:12:09 -0800
From: Bruce_Amsbary@bendnet.com (Bruce Amsbary)

>From the Rev. Dr. Mel White, UFMCC Minister of Justice

       We are all saddened and horrified by the murder this week of two
lesbian activists, Michelle Abdill and her partner, Roxanne Ellis.  We can't
be sure yet that this is a hate-crime related to the women's courageous stand
against the anti-gay ballot measures in Oregon.  But the police in Medford,
Oregon, report that "the two women had received threats in the past" and that
they are "investigating the murders as hate crimes."

        Loving partners for twelve years, Michelle and Roxanne, often risked
their lives in the cause of justice.  Besides their front-line battles to
defeat  Oregon's two anti-gay initiatives, the women were active members of
P-FLAG and of Ashland's United Methodist Church, "a reconciling
congregation."  We will miss our friends terribly.  But missing them is not
enough.  Michelle and Roxanne committed their lives to the liberation of
God's gay, lesbian, and bisexual children.  Let their tragic and untimely
deaths also count for the advancement of their just cause. 

        To this end, P-FLAG (Parents, Friends, and Families of Lesbians and
Gays) has created the Abdill-Ellis Memorial Fund to help build "a gathering
place in the Medford-Ashland area where lesbians and gays, their friends and
families, can meet safely for reconciliation and renewal."  Individuals,
churches, and other supportive organizations are invited to make a (tax-
deductible) contribution to that urgent and worthwhile cause by sending a
check made out to P-FLAG directly to the Abdill-Ellis Memorial Fund, % Bank
of America, 2305 Ashland St., Suite B, Ashland, Oregon, 97520. 

       Whether or not this murder is a 'hate crime' related directly to the
love Michelle and Roxanne felt for each other or to the courage they
demonstrated in defending that love, we must not forget:  Lesbian and gay
Americans are the number one victims of hate crimes across the nation.   The
hostile climate in which we suffer and die flows directly from the false and
inflammatory anti-gay and anti-lesbian rhetoric.  We must take our stand
against the flood of misinformation by demonstrating the truth with our
lives.   Michelle and Roxanne have fallen.  Who will take their place?  Each
of us must decide:  What can I do to help bring about tolerance and
understanding during these dangerous and deadly times?



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