The following is an email from Jim Nimmo
(Posted 2-12-02)

Dear Editor:
I attended the Homosexuality and Scriptures Conference sponsored by Church of the Open Arms March 1-2 which had a crowd of 150 people, despite very cold weather and an intimidating, harassing threat from the Klu Klux Klowns to stage a parade directly outside the church, which the Klowns cancelled on their own volition Saturday morning.  With a stellar panel of leading pro-gay ministers, the Conference was a bold and necessary event to educate citizens about the lies and delusions offered by religious fundamentalists, who I think are stuck in a biblical time capsule buried the day after the burning of Joan of Arc.

I can't help but ask this question:   Shouldn't the pro-gay movement be concentrating more pressure on our 50 state legislatures and Congress to prevent the further encroachment of fundamentalist dogma and its encoding in civil laws, such as the state and federal versions of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), laws preventing adoptions by gay parents, child custody rulings detrimental towards gay parents, and the continued stalled passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)?

The will of a god can't be proven conclusively by either side of this pro/anti-gay debate, but votes in a ballot box can be counted definitively.  The Christian Coalition members don't just pray--they motivate people to go vote and lobby elected officials to pass laws injurious to the equality of gays/lesbians.  Gays/lesbians and their supporters need to energize to the same extent.  This equality battle will not be won with prayers, but with votes and meaningful changes in the laws to the benefit of sexual minorities


James Nimmo
Oklahoma City, OK