Subject: IWG Bergen Record Matthew Shepard
From: Interfaith Working Group <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1998 23:35:00 -0500 (EST)

November 3, 1998

Bergen Record
150 River Street
Hackensack, NJ 07602

Dear Editors:

Leslie DeBlasio's October 23 letter regarding Matthew
Shepard's death missed the point entirely.  Anti-gay
violence and discrimination are very real problems;
Mr. Shepard's attack was a horrific and well-
publicized example.  Conservative Christians are not
routinely abused or oppressed in the United States. 
Discrimination on the basis of religion is both
illegal and generally socially unacceptable, and
violence against anyone on the basis of their
religion is widely condemned without reservation or
qualification.  

Conservative Christians do not routinely advocate
violence, but the most vociferous verbal attacks on
sexual minorities and most of the work to deny sexual
minorities the legal protections enjoyed by
conservative Christians comes from groups that 
identify themselves as conservative Christian
organizations and are supported by some conservative
Christian churches.  Following Mr. Shepard's death,
statements from those organizations condemned the
murder but also argued against hate-crime laws,
and/or reiterated a moral objection to same-gender
sexual activity.  

It is certainly not fair to place the blame for Mr.
Shepard's death on conservative Christians in
general.  Not all conservative Christians oppose
legal equity for sexual minorities. Indeed, some
conservative Christians are themselves gay.  But no
doubt relentless negative stereotyping and lobbying
by some groups, a focus on the "otherness" and
perceived sinfulness of sexual minorities, a refusal
to acknowledge their human and civil rights, and a
willingness by many people of faith to let these
actions and attitudes go unchallenged, coupled with
the frequent lack of incarceration for crimes against
sexual minorities, have contributed to an environment
in which violence and discrimination appear to be
socially acceptable.

Sincerely,
Barbara Purdom     Christopher Purdom
Interfaith Working Group Coordinators

The above letter went out on IWG letterhead listing 16 congregations and
organizations and 60 clergy from 15 religious traditions. 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.

-- 

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.