Justice and Respect
Press Release
Tom Cole and Sonia Balcer
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Justice and Respect
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The Justice and Respect website is officially launched with the issuing of an OpEd piece by Tom Cole!
EXGAY MINISTER JOINS GAY ACTIVISTS TO OPPOSE ANTI-GAY VIOLENCE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WEDNESDAY NOV. 24, 1999Contact:
Tom Cole: 810-739-5114 <reconcil@aol.com>
Sonia Balcer 818-248-0499 <sonia@pacificnet.net>
EXGAY MINISTER JOINS GAY ACTIVISTS TO OPPOSE ANTI-GAY VIOLENCE
The Reverend Tom Cole, director of Reconciliation Ministries of Michigan, today released an oped piece and has repeated an offer he made in March, 1998 to the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) that he would help GLSEN lobby for the adoption of their anti-harassment policies.
In his statement, Cole said, "The conservative Christian Church which is strident in its condemnation of homosexual behavior seems to be in denial about targeted attacks on gay and lesbian youth.
Cole's announcement coincides with the release of "Just the Facts", a booklet, initiated by GLSEN, to inform educators about sexual orientation and to help stop anti-gay harassment in the schools. Cole's support of the enactment of anti-harrassment policies specific to youth who are gay or perceived to be gay is the first overture by a ministry director toward a collaborative effort to solve a mutually recognized problem.
Cole's opinion piece: "Gays and Exgays: Sharing the Pain of the Past was distributed Tuesday as an oped through the Knight Ridder news service. It is also available to all media outlets through a new conservative Christian website which calls for a "just and respectful response to those who experience same-sex attraction.
The website, Justice and Respect, was established by a group of conservative Christians to promote a respectful response to people who experience same-gender attraction. The organization believes that the harsh words being exchanged in the public debate hurt both sides and work against resolving the real dangers of violence and isolation faced by gays and lesbians. It seeks to inspire an alternative response among conservative Christians, enabling them to remain true to their religious convictions while speaking out strongly on behalf of the safety and dignity of all persons. www.justice-respect.org
Agreeing with Cole, Sonia Balcer, webmaster for the new site said, "It is essential that we find a way for people who disagree about the morality of homosexual relationships to work together in protecting gay and lesbian youth from the isolation and harassment they experience on a daily basis."
Tom Cole and his family appear in a television commercial in support of Exodus International. His statement is at www.justice-respect.org/letters/shared.htm
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