© 2007 Philadelphia Gay News
Allison
Burch
barrista
Society Hill
““I’m not religious at all, so I’m probably biased. But I think the [nondiscrimination] law should be strictly enforced across the board. Haven’t the churches already lost enough members? Wouldn’t you want to welcome all walks of life?”
Candice Cheesman
front-desk clerk
Washington Square West
““Realistically, it’s too much to force a Catholic school to employ an openly gay teacher. Things like that can’t be expected at this point in time. I went to Catholic school for two years. It was like [being in] a different world. They have their own way of doing things.”
Laura Palickar
computer programmer
Washington Square West
““There are probably many gray areas to this question. My gut feeling tells me no employer should be exempt from nondiscrimination laws, period. Freedom of religion doesn’t mean freedom to discriminate. I don’t believe discrimination should be part of any religion.””
Harry Watkins
server
Queen Village
““I see both sides, being homosexual but still believing deeply
in the church. I can see why the church is exempt from those laws. By
virtue of obedience, we must abide by what Pope Benedict XVI says. We
can’t force our opinions onto the church. But, there should be mutual
respect on both sides.”