Dear Sir,

Bahamians are accustomed to journalists expressing their opinions, (whether implicit or explicit) in the reporting of the news and national issues.

In fact many Bahamians turn to The Guardian for perspective and/or guidance on contemporary and traditional political, social and religious matters.

It was no surprise when The Guardian offered an editorial on the historic meeting of the Anglican Covenant Design Committee headed by our own Archbishop Drexel Gomez being conducted in The Bahamas.

What did come as a shock was the message of discrimination and exclusion voiced in its editorial of Thursday, 18th January, 2007 entitled 'Follow the Law'.

While gay Bahamians are accustomed to these supposedly prevalent attitudes towards homosexuality being reflected in the pages of The Guardian, many Christian Bahamians were not prepared for the suggestion that gays should be removed from the church as an eye that offends should be plucked out or a hand that offends should be cut-off.

And many Anglicans are left wondering why The Guardian, in the face of the Archbishop's statements emphasizing the importance of the principle of 'unity within diversity' in the committee's work, would use the editorial page to promote spiritual violence against the gay community in the Anglican church, The Bahamas and the world.

In fact many Anglicans wonder why the statement is necessary at all when the Archbishop has clearly stated that no gay person will be barred from worshipping in the Anglican Church, and many other churches have made their position clear, by allowing entry to all worshippers regardless of sexual orientation.

And we all wonder why someone with such obvious lack of understanding of the development of Anglican theology and canon law would presume to offer an opinion on this issue.

It could not be possible that this editorial reflects or represents The Nassau Guardian's position on sexual orientation or homosexuality in The Bahamas.

And The Guardian for the sake of its readers, all forward-thinking and progressive Bahamians and citizens of the world, both gay and straight, must proclaim that it does not support or perpetuate attitudes of discrimination and divisiveness, and will never allow its pages to be used as a vehicle for the expression of hate or violence (of any kind) towards any one person or groups of persons.

The media in The Bahamas must be acknowledged and held accountable for its statements and its actions when in its work it promotes or perpetuates violence of any kind, because 'Freedom of the Press' is a social right complemented with awesome responsibility.

To paraphrase Martin Luther King Jr, we must always remember peace is not the absence of violence, peace is the presence of justice.

Yours etc.,

Erin Greene

The Rainbow Alliance of the Bahamas