Subject: IWG Centre Daily Times STRAIGHT response
From: Interfaith Working Group <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 10 Jan 1998 22:38:44 -0500 (EST)

The following went out on IWG letterhead listing 12 congregations and
organizations and 53 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.

January 9, 1998

Centre Daily Times
Box 89
State College, PA  16801

Dear Editor:

In his January 3 letter, Steven D. Markle (of
STRAIGHT) wrote, "it is ridiculous to suggest in a
free democracy that a small segment of citizens who
tolerate immorality will dictate to the majority what
morality should be."  We would suggest that in a
religiously diverse country ruled by civil law, with a
constitution which mandates church/state separation,
it is inappropriate for any group to dictate what
morality is.  Mr. Markle apparently fails to recognize
that there is no official moral system, that sexual
orientation is not a moral issue to many moral people,
and that general legalized discrimination against any
individual on the basis of a single trait is both
morally offensive to many people and inconsistent with
constitutional guarantees of equal protection under
the law.

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.