Subject: IWG USA Today letter
From: Interfaith Working Group <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 3 Apr 1997 00:52:44 -0500 (EST)

The following went out on IWG letterhead listing 9 congregations and religious
organizations and 38 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.

April 2, 1997

USA Today
1000 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington,VA  22229

Dear Editors:

Eugene Delguadio, who claims to be a Public Advocate
of the United States, is obviously not interested in
being an advocate for all of the Public.  Quibbles
about the percentage of the population with a
particular sexual orientation, or even over what
constitutes a particular sexual orientation, are no
more useful than debating how many people belong to a
particular religion, or how members of various
religions are defined.  

All citizens of the United States are entitled to the
same rights.  In a society that still persecutes
sexual minorities who are open about their
orientation, it is a sign of progress that three
percent of those who voted in the last national
election felt comfortable identifying themselves as
gay.  Sexual and religious minorities are both purely
self-identified. We should not be surprised when
people choose to keep their religious beliefs or their
sexual orientation to themselves, nor discriminate
against them for making this information public.

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.