Subject: IWG Milwaukee Reggie White Letter
From: Interfaith Working Group <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1998 00:02:28 -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 5, 1998

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Box 371
Milwaukee,WI  53201-0371

Dear Editors:

	We have been reading with great interest all of
the articles, editorials, and letters in your paper
regarding Reggie White's unfortunate comments. 
Certainly Rev. White is entitled to hold and express
his opinion.  But we hope he eventually comes to
realize the great harm that stereotyping does to
individuals who do not conform to the stereotypes of
their subculture or ethnic group, especially if they
have been told that the stereotypes were preordained by
God.  This is also true of sexual minority youth who
are told that God wants everyone to be heterosexual. 

Certainly Rev. White is not unusual for thinking that
homosexuality is a sin, but he is on less firm ground
in saying that it is the worst sin in the Bible, or
that it is running rampant (failing to recognize that
openness and honesty about this is what is "running
rampant").   It was good that Rev. White recognized
that there are gay people of all races, but he failed
to recognize that there are gay people in all faiths as
well, and that there are many religious people, gay and
straight, who believe homosexuality is not a sin, many
of whom would object strongly to the notion that
openness about homosexuality reflects a national move
away from God.  

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.