From: Interfaith Working Group Subject: IWG Raleigh Alveda Celeste King comments Date: Sat, 21 Feb 1998 22:37:22 -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. February 21, 1998 News and Observer Box 191 Raleigh, NC 27602 Dear Editors: One might think from reading Alveda Celeste King's comments in your January 19 edition that sexual minorities have never suffered systematic discrimination or enjoyed religious support. She is right that gay men and lesbians as a group were not targeted for slavery or segregation. However, (thanks in part to Ms. King's own efforts) gay people can still legally be denied housing and employment in most states purely on the basis of the perception of their orientation, cannot legally serve in the military, cannot get legal recognition for their marriages in any state, and cannot legally engage in consensual sex in quite a few states. In many school districts around the country, gay students cannot form clubs or talk to counselors or teachers about relationships. And while they are denied ordination and even membership in many religious institutions, there is growing support for the gay rights movement among people of all faiths, races, and orientations, as anyone reading about recent debates in the Episcopal, Methodist, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Mennonite, and even Southern Baptist denominations can attest. Lastly, it is important to note that Alveda's aunt, Coretta Scott King, has signed a resolution supporting civil marriage for same-sex couples. We appreciate her recognition of the lack of civil rights enjoyed by sexual minorities and her support for the community of activists working to rectify that situation. Sincerely, Barbara Purdom Christopher Purdom Interfaith Working Group Coordinators -- 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.