From: "Jay Moseley" Date: Wed, 28 Oct 1998 12:44:02 -0600 (CST) Subject: FWD: Columbia, SC Matt Shepard vigil (Courtesy of South Carolina Pride Movement -- www.scpride98.org) The Carolina Peace Resource Center, in affiliation with the Fellowship of Reconciliation and the Columbia Friends Meeting (Quakers) calls upon people of compassion of all faiths to attend this vigil in memory of Matt Shepard and the victims of all hate crimes. The vigil is scheduled for SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1998 at 7:00 PM, in front of the SC State Capitol building, Main Street/North Side. Please bring flashlights in place of candles (which are not allowed according to the Standard Fire Prevention Code) and join us in the spirit of non-violence, compassion and equality. America's oldest, largest interfaith peace and justice organization, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, is saddened by the recent brutal murder of Matthew Shepard in an anti-gay attack in Laramie, Wyoming, on October 12. "The most fundamental of all religious values is respect for the life and dignity of every human being," states Doug Hostetter, Interfaith Secretary of the Fellowship of Reconciliation. Immediately following Matthew Shepard's death, Hostetter emphasized that, "People of faith must join together to protest violence and the dehumanization of any person. We affirm that we are all a part of the great and wonderful human family -- all of us, children of God." We are deeply troubled that any group claiming religious affiliation could condone or encourage such hatred against other human beings. The homophobic views currently expressed by many religious and political groups have undoubtedly contributed to the present atmosphere in which the number of anti-gay hate crimes has increased significantly. In this regard we condemn recent advertising campaigns which advocate forcibly changing or "healing" homosexuals. If anything needs "healing," it is the damage caused in society by all forms of prejudice and violence -- religion and society cannot condone or encourage such hatred and violence, on any grounds. We join FOR in calling on the U.S. Congress and state legislatures to pass Hate Crime Prevention laws which specifically prohibit crimes that target people based on sexual orientation. This is not asking for "special rights," but for members of the Gay and Lesbian community to be afforded the same basic rights guaranteed to all under the United States Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We remain committed to the promotion and creation of a world of nonviolence, equality and justice for all. For more information, please contact the Carolina Peace Resource Center (803) 252-2221. Endorsed by: Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America * Buddhist Peace Fellowship * Episcopal Peace Fellowship * Lutheran Peace Fellowship * Presbyterian Peace Fellowship * United Church of Christ Fellowship of Reconciliation * UUC Coalition for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Concerns * UCC Open and Affirming Congregations Program * UCC Youth and Young Adult Program * Unitarian Universalist Peace Fellowship ____________________________________________________________________ The Charlotte Rainbow Newsletter is a free e-mail newsletter providing local, regional, and national news and events of interest to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community of the metro Charlotte, North Carolina area. The newsletter was established April 4, 1997 as a result of the Mecklenburg County "Gang of Five's" decision to cut funding to area arts organizations because of homosexual themes in their presentations. Since its establishment, the list of subscribers has grown to over 500. SUBSCRIPTION INFO: To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your email address, please send an email message to RainbowNews@mindspring.com with the action in the subject line. For change of addresses, please include both addresses in the body of the message. To view newletter archives, newsletter policies, a community calendar, links and more, check out our web page at: http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Village/7620 Thank you for your support. Please share this newsletter with your friends and others who may be interested.