Posted: April 20, 2003

KY Town Flooded With Anti-gay Letters

Covington, KY-- Letters condemning homosexuality and accusing some local council members of trying to "normalize'' gay behavior have been sent to 20,000 Covington households.

The mass mailing was sent by a group calling itself Citizens for Community Values and comes less than two weeks before the Covington City Commission is scheduled vote on an expanded human rights ordinance that would protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people from discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations.

The anti-gay group is funded by the conservative Christian group Family Research Council based in Washington, D.C.

"[Gays] are about forcing all of us to accept homosexual behavior as normal, healthy and natural," the letter says. " They are about capturing the minds of the next generation-our children! And they are intended to be one important step toward legalizing same-sex marriages in Kentucky and across the nation."

The letter includes a 24-page booklet published by FRC that maintains homosexual behavior "has serious emotional and physical dangers associated with it."

A separate letter from CCV was sent to members of the City Commission, most of whom are Catholic, saying the Vatican maintains that " anti-discrimination laws that includes sexual orientation are damaging to families, so the Church discourages such legislation."

The letter reminds them that Catholic politicians must follow the tenants of the faith.

An angry Covington Mayor Butch Callery said: "I thought we had separation of church and state." A spokesperson for the Diocese of Covington, declined to comment on letter except to say that it had not been requested, sent or paid for by the Catholic church.

At recent public hearings in Covington, representatives of the parish councils at Mother of God Church and the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, along with representatives of several Protestant churches, expressed support for the proposed ordinance.