Subject: IWG Hickory NC letter
From: Interfaith Working Group <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1998 22:56:18 -0400 (EDT)

The following went out on IWG letterhead listing 12 congregations and
organizations and 56 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.

April 6, 1998

Mr. Larry D. Clark
Editor
Hickory Daily Record
1100 Park Place & 11th Avenue SE
Hickory, NC 28602

Dear Mr. Clark:

We read your March 22nd editorial with interest, and
felt that some of the points you made required a
response.  You said that the "great majority of
Americans avoid the homosexual lifestyle."  First, what
do you mean by "homosexual lifestyle?"   Gays and
lesbians are found across all economic, ethnic,
geographic, educational, professional, and religious
divisions in society, and lead a number of very
different "lifestyles."  Second, the great majority of
Americans do not have overwhelming same-gender
attractions, and therefore have nothing to "avoid."

We are also growing weary of people complaining that
sexual orientation is not a race.  Pointing out that
sexual minorities have suffered many of the same types
of persecution as racial minorities is not the same as
claiming that they are a race.  The similarity between
the acts of persecution is a fact; the reason for the
persecution is obviously different, but the outcome for
those affected is the same.  We believe that everyone
is entitled to equal treatment under the law without
respect to race, religion, or gender (since religion is
included, the list is clearly not restricted to genetic
characteristics).  Sexual orientation discrimination is
gender discrimination: unequal treatment on the basis
on the gender of perceived sexual partners.  It is also
akin to religious discrimination: unequal treatment on
the basis of belief, association, and affection.

Even if your statistics were correct (look closely at
your sources; you will find some serious flaws), we
object strongly to judging individuals on the basis of
statistical norms of a single characteristic.  If
someone is female, African American, Christian, and
homosexual, what set of statistics would you use to
judge her?

People of faith have disagreed over many issues in the
last few millennia.  The argument over sexual
orientation is no less contentious and no more
important than disagreements over slavery, women's
ordination, temperance, governance, the baptism, papal
infallibility, the role of Mary, communion, the
divinity of Christ, or the Sabbath.

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.