Subject: IWG ketter ti KGMI Date: Thu, 25 Jul 1996 23:20:21 -0400 (EDT) From: Chris Purdom The following went out on IWG letterhead listing 2 congregations, 5 religious organizations and 35 clergy from 12 faiths and 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.libertynet.org/~iwg/ or http://www.qrd.org/qrd/www/religion/orgs/iwg/ If anybody would like to see the email that prompted this letter, please send me email: purdom@rabbit.com. July 25, 1996 Mr. Rick Staeb Station Manager KGMI Radio 2219 Yew Street Road Bellingham, WA 98226 Dear Mr. Staeb: A group calling itself "Youth Action Coaliton" has bought commercial time on your radio station in order to air spots making general negative claims about the behavior and attitudes of sexual minorities. We ask that you apply the same standard to these advertisements that you would to advertisements slandering religious or ethnic minorities. Having read transcripts from three of these broadcasts we can only conclude that they are designed solely to incite violence against a particular group of people. The individual featured in the spots is obviously a very confused person who is attempting to confuse other people by reducing a complex set of social, biological, historical and religious issues to badly stereotyped generalities. We see no difference between the propaganda techniques employed by the "Youth Action Coalition" and other organized hate groups. Airing these ads can at best be described as socially irresponsible; at worst it is creating a highly charged atmosphere of hate and suspicion. We urge you to publicly divorce your station from the content of these ads, and give air time to Parents, Friends, and Families of Lesbians and Gays (360-733- 1500) so that they may produce public service announcements that are truthful and truly helpful. Sincerely, Barbara Purdom Christopher Purdom Interfaith Working Group Coordinators