Subject: IWG Minneapolis Religious/Civil Hate Crimes
From: Interfaith Working Group <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1998 22:17:32 -0500 (EST)

November 10, 1998

Star Tribune
425 Portland Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55408

Dear Editors:

Katherine Kersten was really stretching a point when
she said that in holding his own denomination
accountable for contributing to anti-gay attitudes,
Jimmy Creech was suggesting that the denomination be
charged under civil hate-crime laws.  Like Rev. Creech,
many religious people who are working to change the
attitudes and policies of religious organizations
believe that anti-gay religious attitudes contribute to
an environment in which anti-gay violence is perceived
by some people to be acceptable.  There are also many
religious people who favor the inclusion of sexual
orientation in civil hate crime laws.  There is a large
overlap between these two groups of people, but they
are still two separate issues. Ms. Kersten does your
readers a disservice by confusing religious and civil
policy.

Sincerely,
Barbara Purdom     Christopher Purdom
Interfaith Working Group Coordinators

The above letter went out on IWG letterhead listing 16 congregations and
organizations and 60 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.