Date: Fri, 24 Dec 1999 12:03:21 -0500 From: Interfaith Working Group Subject: IWG Philadelphia Inquirer Vermont Letter December 23, 1999 The Philadelphia Inquirer PO Box 8263 Philadelphia, PA 19101 Dear Editors: The December 22 cartoon and editorial reacting to the Vermont Supreme Court marriage decision were both fundamentally flawed. There are legal, social, moral, and ethical questions that cannot be boiled down to whether justice is blind to orientation (the cartoon), or whether those who favor discrimination are homophobic (the editorial). Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people are discriminated against in marriage, but federal and state civil marriage laws explicitly discriminate on the basis of gender, not orientation. Civil marriage creates a legal relationship between two otherwise unrelated consenting adults of different genders, regardless of their races or religions, and regardless of the society's racial and religious sensibilities and prejudices. Majority religious beliefs never justify unequal treatment of minorities. Your proposal for creating massive new legal categories for relationships in every state (but not at the Federal level) rather than just removing gender from the marriage laws may not be "homophobic," but it seems to be based on the extremely flawed idea that government has a responsibility to reinforce the belief that mixed-gender relationships are inherently superior, at the expense of the rights of those who are not heterosexual. Sincerely, Barbara Lamond Purdom Christopher Purdom Interfaith Working Group Coordinators The above letter was sent on IWG letterhead listing 17 congregations and religious organizations and 62 clergy from 16 religious traditions. Read our introduction to religious liberty: http://www.iwgonline.org/liberty/ -- Interfaith Working Group PO Box 11706 Philadelphia, PA 19101 http://www.iwgonline.org/ iwg@iwgonline.org voice: 215-235-3050 fax: 215-232-0829