Date: Thu, 14 Dec 1995 18:36:03 -0500 (EST) From: Chris Purdom Subject: IWG Inquirer and Daily News Violence Letters We are happy to report that the Philadelphia Daily News published 6 letters today in defense of Victoria Brownworth, including ones from the IWG, Jessea Greenman (PERSON Project), and Brian Siano. The following went out on IWG letterhead listing 2 congregations, 4 religious organizations and 18 clergy from 9 denominations. If you are in the general Philadelphia area and represent a congregation or religious organization or are clergy, let us know if you want to be added - all faiths are welcome. We will also be happy to help start similar organizations in other areas. Visit the web page at http://www.qrd.org/qrd/www/religion/orgs/iwg/. December 14, 1995 The Philadelphia Inquirer PO Box 8263 Phila., PA 19101 Dear Editors: We are baffled by your lack of coverage of two major stories concerning anti-gay violence. Since these stories have received coverage in national and local newspapers and television news and talk shows even as the Supreme Court ponders the fate of Colorado's Amendment 2, it is all the more mystifying as to why the Inquirer should have neglected them. PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) has produced three 30-second television commercials featuring video excerpts from anti-gay hate speeches by Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and Jesse Helms, interspersed with dramatizations of anti- gay violence and teen suicide. Robertson's lawyers have threatened to sue any station that shows the ads, and so far the threats have worked. PFLAG purchased space for newspaper advertisements describing the television spots and Robertson's threats against the television stations. Robertson's lawyers then threatened the newspapers that ran the advertisements. Philadelphia Inquirer readers have missed this story completely, which is especially odd given the your anti-Robertson pro-free-speech editorial stance. On December 7 Michelle Abdill and Roxy Ellis, a lesbian couple who had moved to Oregon in order to escape Colorado's institutionalized homophobia, were found bound and shot in the back of their truck. The Inquirer published one paragraph from the extensive Associated Press story that appeared in other papers, their photographs, mention of their leadership in a local Methodist Church, their having received death threats, and the link to Colorado's Amendment 2. On December 14, you ran one paragraph in section B about the apprehension of a suspect by a SWAT team. Pat Robertson hasn't succeeded in nullifying the Bill of Rights yet by manipulating Republican politicians, so he is attempting through threatened lawsuits to eliminate free speech. He has also directly contributed to many Americans believing that anti-discrimination and anti-hate-crime statutes designed explicitly to protect sexual minorities are unnecessary; this seems like a logical conclusion to many people because they are unaware of the anti-gay discrimination and violence that plague this country. Only extensive reporting of these incidents can cure such misconceptions. Sincerely, Barbara Purdom Christopher Purdom Interfaith Working Group Coordinators December 12, 1995 Editors The Philadelphia Daily News PO Box 7788 Phila., PA 19101 Dear Editors: Thank you for your prominent coverage of the murder of Michelle Abdill and Roxy Ellis, the lesbian couple in Oregon who were found bound and shot in the back of their truck. By printing their picture, the fact that were leaders in their local United Methodist Church, and the kind words from their pastor, you have made them real people to your readers, and repudiated the Radical Religious Right's false dichotomy of homosexuality and Christianity, a message that all too often inspires such acts of violence. Sincerely, Barbara Purdom Christopher Purdom Interfaith Working Group Coordinators -- Chris Purdom phone:610-993-1134 Development Team Leader email: purdom@tesi.com Tangram Enterprise Solutions homepage: http://www.tesi.com/~cpurdom/ NARF. -Pinky