NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  June 3, 2008

CONTACT:  Diane Gramley         1.814.271.9078 or 1.814.437.5355

Philadelphia Mayor Nutter is Wrong in Appointing a Homosexual Activist as New Human Relations Chair

(Philadelphia) – Following in the footsteps of his two predecessors Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter is promoting the lifestyle which has placed Philadelphia in the top 10 cities with the highest number of HIV/AIDS cases in America.  On Thursday Mayor Nutter named Rue Landau, the co-chair of Liberty City, a political group that promotes homosexuality, bisexuality and transgenderism, as the new executive director of Philadelphia’s Commission on Human Relations.  On Monday the traditional values group, American Family Association of Pennsylvania (AFA of PA), faxed Mayor Nutter with concerns over his appointment.

In recent months the most controversial issue the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations got involved in was trying to force Geno’s Philly Cheese Steaks to take down their ‘When ordering, please speak English’ sign.  But Diane Gramley, president of the AFA of PA, predicted that with the new executive director at the helm that would change as there would be a greater push for all Philadelphians to ‘celebrate’ the homosexual lifestyle. 

What will happen to those who continue to believe that engaging in homosexual acts are wrong?  Will their religious freedoms be infringed upon?

“Why would the Mayor appoint a homosexual activist as the new executive director of the Commission, unless he has the intention of further promoting this dangerous lifestyle?” asked Gramley.  “In our fax we asked him to reconsider his appointment and to appoint someone who was impartial and did not have a political agenda.”

The fax also let the Mayor know that according to Ray Murphy, co-chair of Liberty City, his appointment of Landau “is a real victory for Liberty City” and they now have “a powerful new ally in city government.”  Again the question: “Why appoint someone who will promote the normalization of a lifestyle that even the majority of Philadelphians know is wrong?”

Some of the health risks listed in the fax included:

q    The Centers for Disease Control reports that men who have sex with men account for 71% of all HIV infections among male adults and adolescents in 2005. 

q    A recent study found that HIV prevalence among black MSM (46%) was more than twice that among white MSM (21%).

q    The Oxford University International Journal of Epidemiology found that men who have sex with men shorten their lives by up to 20 years.

q     In February Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force -- in an address to the National Conference on Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender Equality in Detroit -- shocked attendees by calling HIV "a gay disease.” 

q    Other health risks include a greater risk of domestic violence, eating and psychological disorders. 

q    HIV positive homosexual men are 9000% more likely to develop anal cancer according to the February 2007 issue of the International Journal of STD and AIDS.   

“Mayor Michael Nutter needs to take a close look at the statistics and how those stats are affecting his city.  If he is honest, he will know his choice of new executive director of the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations is wrong.  Will he take an honest look at the harm done to his city or continue down his politically correct path?” Gramley asked in conclusion.

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