Subject: IWG Salon Camile Paglia response
From: Interfaith Working Group <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 6 Jul 1998 23:42:54 -0400 (EDT)

July 4, 1998

Salon
706 Mission St.
Second Floor
San Francisco,  CA 94103

Dear Editors:

Camille Paglia first complains about gay rights
activists not respecting the free speech rights of
religious people, and then goes on to complain about
the free exercise of religion by those who believe that
same-gender sexual activity is morally equivalent to
mixed-gender sexual activity.  

When she discussed the good things religion has done in
this country, she cited the Quakers' abolition work and
Martin Luther King's and Jesse Jackson's civil rights
work.  It is especially ironic that she chose these
examples after complaining about gay-friendly religious
people.  Many Quaker congregations now perform same-sex
marriages, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s widow, Coretta
Scott King, has been extremely supportive of equal
rights for sexual minorities, as has the Rev. Jesse
Jackson.  

Ms. Paglia is correct in her assertion that Southern
Baptists are entitled to the expression of their
religious opinion, and she is also correct that there
are gay activists who have an understandable historical
aversion to organized religion. However, she is wrong
to imply that all gay-rights activists are themselves
gay, or that there is a need for anyone to make a
choice between "gay activism" and religion.

Sincerely,
Barbara Purdom     Christopher Purdom
Interfaith Working Group Coordinators

The above letter went out on IWG letterhead listing 15 congregations and
organizations and 58 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.

-- 

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.

Celebrating Religious Liberty and Defending Democracy
Rev. Barry Lynn, Americans United for Separation of Church and State
Jerry Mondesire, NAACP * Larry Frankel, ACLU * Rabbi Sue Levi Elwell
Thursday, July 9, 7:30 pm, First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia, 2125 Chestnut
http://www.libertynet.org/iwg/special.html