Subject: IWG USA Today Letter
From: Interfaith Working Group <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 14 Dec 1996 23:47:29 -0500 (EST)

The following went out on IWG letterhead listing 3 congregations, 5 religious
organizations and 36 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.

December 13, 1996

USA Today
1000 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington,VA  22229

Dear Editors:

Thank you very much for your editorial favoring legal
recognition of same-gender marriage.  Your remarks
about the licensing of other sacraments were right on
the mark.  Unfortunately, Lou Sheldon insists on
classifying people. He believes that the perceptions
held by the general public about a minority group
should bind everyone in that group to a given
stereotype, and that everyone in that group should be
treated accordingly.  After only recognizing some
people as members of groups himself, he then
paradoxically complains about judges recognizing these
groups by granting them so-called "special rights." He
completely ignores the possibility that some people
might belong to more than one group, such as gay and
Christian.  Rights are not bestowed on groups, they
are bestowed on individuals.  Rights are denied to
groups at the insistence of people like Lou Sheldon
who are unable to recognize other people as humans
unless they think and act just like him.

Sincerely,
Barbara Purdom     Christopher Purdom
Interfaith Working Group Coordinators

-- 

Interfaith Working Group                Religious organizations, congregations 
[email-masked]                      and clergy supporting gay rights,
http://www.libertynet.org/~iwg/         reproductive freedom, and the 
215-235-3050                            separation of church and state.