From: Interfaith Working Group Subject: IWG Cincinnati discrimination letter Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1998 23:27:00 -0400 (EDT) August 9, 1998 Cincinnati Enquirer 312 Elm Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 Dear Editors: We are writing to point out some problems with Tim Davish's July 26 letter. The national ad campaign to which Mr. Davish refers has done much more than offer an alternative to sexual minorities. The ads promote political organizations that work against equal rights for gay people, strongly imply that we need a single national religion (rather than our religiously pluralistic society), attack the notion that criticism is a protected form of free speech, allege that gay rights activists have only negative goals and motivations, and stereotype gays and lesbians as promiscuous substance-abusers. Not everyone who is alarmed by those ads or the medically-confused remarks from Senator Lott are themselves gay. Some of us object on purely religious grounds. And while we are glad that Mr. Davish objects to mistreatment of people on the basis of skin color and religion, and recognizes the connection with mistreatment on the basis of sexual orientation, we are surprised that he does not realize that such mistreatment is frequently motivated by religious belief, and that to the person being mistreated, the question of whether the motivation is fear, faith, or some combination of the two is largely irrelevant, since the effect is the same. Sincerely, Barbara Purdom Christopher Purdom Interfaith Working Group Coordinators The above letter went out on IWG letterhead listing 16 congregations and organizations and 59 clergy from 16 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 iwg@libertynet.org and clergy supporting gay rights, http://www.libertynet.org/iwg/ reproductive freedom, and the 215-235-3050 separation of church and state.