Subject: IWG Salon letter
From: Interfaith Working Group <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 9 Jun 1997 22:54:55 -0400 (EDT)

The following went out on IWG letterhead listing 10 congregations and religious
organizations and 41 clergy from 13 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.

June 10, 1997

Salon
185 Berry St.
Suite 4811
San Francisco CA 94107

Dear Editors:

In our mission to make the general public aware of the
diversity of opinion in the religious community
concerning a variety of social issues, we try to read
every opinion piece and article written anywhere on the
subject of religion and sexual orientation.  We have
read a fair number that could be classified as outright
insulting, but none have been quite so annoying as
David Horowitz's June 9 commentary.

Mr. Horowitz's conclusions are  based on the notion
that there are natural conflicts between individuals
who have been grouped on the basis of a single
characteristic.   We object both to his contrasting
heterosexuals with homosexuals and Christians with
Jews.  As heterosexual, legally-married gay rights
activists who coordinate an organization with Christian
and Jewish members, we are proof that any such conflicts
are merely artificial constructs.  

We are glad that Mr. Horowitz recognizes the value of
diversity, but it is especially important in a diverse
society that everyone, regardless of sexual orientation
or religion, is treated equally under the law.  Within
the last few centuries, civil marriage rights have been
extended to include heterosexuals who are also 
religious minorities, and for some racial minorities it
was only within the last forty years, but that
extension has not yet been applied to sexual
minorities.  Until it is, we cannot claim to have
achieved either equal protection under the law or a
truly moral society.

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.