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NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, March 27, 2002

CONTACT: Diane Gramley 1.814.437.5355 or 1.814.271.9078
President R. Thomas Williamson 1.724.946.7130
Dean of Student Affairs Neal Edman 1.724.946.7110

PRO-FAMILY GROUP ASKS IF WESTMINSTER COLLEGE IS NO LONGER CONCERNED WITH THE
WELL-BEING OF ITS STUDENTS

(New Wilmington) -- On February 7 Westminster College invited Judy Shepard,
outspoken "hate crimes" activist and mother of slain homosexual Matthew
Shepard to speak in Orr Auditorium. Today a traditional values and
anti-violence organization sent an e-mail to President R. Thomas Williamson
and Dean Neal Edman expressing dismay in their apparent endorsement of the
"hate crimes express" and the homosexual lifestyle in general. Diane
Gramley of the American Family Association of Northwestern PA (AFANWPA)
said, "Last year the author of 'Heather Has Two Mommies'was an invited guest
of Westminster College, supposedly to speak about the First Amendment right
of freedom of speech. There are many more qualified speakers out there, why
choose Leslea Newman? This most recent invitation is just another step down
the wrong path for Westminster College."

AFANWPA recognizes the need for safer environments, not only on college
campuses, but elsewhere around the nation. Some in the homosexual lifestyle
are using this mantra to get hate crimes legislation passed that offers them
special protection. "Unfortunately, for those living in the homosexual
lifestyle the stats speak for themselves. The question again is whether
Westminster College is endorsing a lifestyle which is shown to be very
destructive and violent?" Gramley asked.

Homosexual activists David Island and Patrick Letellier -- both of San
Francisco and co-editors of the National Gay and Lesbian Domestic Violence
Network Newsletter -- write in their book, Men Who Beat the Men Who Love
Them, that domestic violence is a primary health problem for individuals
involved in homosexual behavior ranking behind only AIDS for males, cancer
for females, and drug abuse for both.

Island and Letellier write: "The probability of violence occurring in a gay
couple is mathematically double the probability of that in a heterosexual
couple...we believe as many as 650,000 gay men may be victims of domestic
violence each year in the United States." (Page 14)

(Note: 650,000 estimated incidents of homosexual domestic violence per year
among males alone in the U.S. is 494 times greater -- posing a 49,400
percent higher risk of actual violence -- than the 1,317 "hate crime"
incidents reported for one year in the U.S. by the FBI. The increased risk
is actually much higher, however, since the 650,000 figure includes men only
and does not include however many thousands of women in the U.S. involved in
homosexual behavior are victims each year of domestic violence at the hands
of their own sex partners.)

"Thus, compared to the rare but always highly publicized attacks by outside
assailants against individuals who engage in homosexual behavior, the far
greater threat -- 50,000 percent more likely -- is the rarely-reported
violence such individuals face at the hands of their own homosexual sex
partners, Gramley said.

The New York Times reported just that in a Nov. 6, 2000 article, in which
Times reporter John Leland wrote:

"While crimes against gay men and lesbians like the 1998 murder of Matthew
Shepard in Wyoming attract more attention in the news, domestic abuse in
same-sex relationships is both widespread and severe..., according to a
recent report by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Projects, a network
of 24 nonprofit gay and lesbian organizations...The study by the
antiviolence projects found that cases of domestic violence among gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgender people that were reported to member groups
rose 23 percent in 1999."

Below is the text of the e-mail to Dean Edman:

Dean Edman:

I must express my concern over the school's choice of speakers for February
7. Since the death of her son, Matthew, Judy Shepard has become outspoken
about hate crimes legislation. This is a tactic of homosexual activists who
seek to try to determine ones thoughts during the commission of a crime so a
stiffer punishment can be meted out -- thought police? As we already know,
there are laws on the books against murder, assault and battery, etc., etc.

It was our hopes that last year's invitation of the author of "Heather Has
Two Mommies" was an oversight on your part, but it appears that you did not
view it as a mistake. It appears that Westminster College may be openly
endorsing and condoning the homosexual lifestyle. I would hope that this
would not be the case.

One of a college's main concerns should be the health and well-being of
their students. By inviting speakers who openly endorse homosexuality,
Westminster College is, in fact, encouraging a very dangerous lifestyle.
According to the Oxford University International Journal of Epidemiology,
college-aged men who engage in homosexual behavior are at risk of dying up
to 20 years younger than other men. It reported: "Life expectancy at age
20 years for gay and bisexual men is 8 to 20 years less than for all men.
Nearly half of gay and bisexual men currently aged 20 years will not reach
their 65th birthday."

http://ije.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/3/657?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&
hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&searchid=QID_NOT_SET&FIRSTINDEX=&volume
=26&firstpage=657&journalcode=intjepid

How many 20-year-old males are currently enrolled at Westminster?

The Medical Institute for Sexual Health reports that women who have sex with
women are at significantly increased risk of bacterial vaginosis, breast
cancer and ovarian cancer than are heterosexual women." (Executive Summary,
"Health Implications Associated with Homosexuality," 1999,
www.medinstitute.org )

This names only a few health risks involved in the homosexual lifestyle.
But specifically referring to hate crimes and its advocate, Judy Shepherd,
according to the PA Human Relations Commission there were 382 bias-related
incidents reported from July 1, 2000 to June 30, 2001. There were 162
against blacks, 67 against whites and 19 against gays and lesbians.
(www.stopbias.org)

The FBI's 2000 Uniform Crime Report shows that the incident rate of hate
crimes against homosexuals has remained virtually unchanged in the past
year. The category that increased by the largest percentage:
"anti-heterosexual" hate crimes. Also according to the FBI, the largest
single category of hate crimes (52 percent) continues to be that of
"intimidation," which includes verbal threats that do not include physical
violence.

May I remind you that the continued push for acceptance of homosexuality in
the Presbyterian Church (USA) has seriously challenged unity within the 2.5
million member church and even led to the birth of the Confessing Church
Movement which advocates a reaffirmation of historic Christian values.
Earlier this month the latest attempt by homosexual activists to eliminate
the "fidelity and chastity" provision in the Presbyterian Church (USA) Book
of Order failed, with a majority of presbyteries rejecting the
pro-homosexual measure.

Our hope is that Westminster College, as a Presbyterian institution, would
not encourage pro-homosexual activists' push for acceptance within the
church. In so doing Westminster is also contributing to the disunity within
the church.

Awaiting your reply.

Sincerely,

Diane Gramley
President,
American Family Association of NW PA

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