<p>&nbsp;<span class=Apple-style-span style=font-family: Verdana; line-height: 15px; >April 23 2003</span></p><p><span class=Apple-style-span style=font-family: Verdana; font-size: 16px; ><p style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin-right: 30px; >Senator Rick Santorum&nbsp;<br />United States Senate&nbsp;<br />511 Dirksen Senate Office Building&nbsp;<br />Washington D.C. 20510-3804</p><p style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin-right: 30px; >Dear Senator Santorum</p><p style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin-right: 30px; >I am writing on behalf of the entire membership of DignityUSA the nation's largest organization of gay lesbian bisexual and transgender Catholics our families friends and supporters. We are outraged by your recent remarks concerning the sodomy case before the Supreme Court and your labeling homosexuality a threat to families. It is totally inappropriate for you a legislative leader with national leadership responsibilities to make such discriminatory and inflammatory remarks.</p><p style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin-right: 30px; >We are further appalled by your characterization of the Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal as &quot;a basic homosexual relationship.&quot; The problems that scandal highlighted are child abuse and abuse of power not homosexuality. It is of particular concern to us as fellow Catholics that your comments echo the kind of antigay rhetoric we hear too often from some Church officials. Such disparaging language does nothing to create unity among the citizens you serve. Rather such language only alienates &mdash; even disenfranchises &mdash; a whole segment of the population.</p><p style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin-right: 30px; >We call on you to immediately retract your statements and to apologize to all lesbian gay bisexual and transgender people and our families for your insensitivity.</p><p style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin-right: 30px; >Sincerely</p><p style=font-family: Verdana Arial Helvetica sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin-right: 30px; >Marianne T. Duddy&nbsp;<br />Executive Director</p></span></p>