Gays clash on school leaflets

TWO Catholic groups have clashed in their response to the leafleting of a church school by the gay rights organisation OutRage! last week.
Members of OutRage! the gay rights campaign headed by Peter Tatchell last week handed out pamphlets, in which the
church's teaching on homosexuality was attacked, to teenagers attending a south London Catholic school.
Quest, the group for lesbian and gay Catholics, this week hit back at OutRage!, saying their action "seems more aimed at gaining media coverage than at providing support for young Catholics working out what it means to be both Catholic and lesbian and gay".
Echoing senior church sources who had claimed that OutRage! were misrepresenting the church's stance, Quest charged Mr Tatchell's organisation with exaggerated accustions of homophobia and incorrect facts. "It is important that Catholic schools should teach about homosexuality in a socially responsible way. That must not Include making the church appear more conservative than it really is," said Quest.
But the Catholic Caucus of the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement which has fewer links with the bishops' conference than Quest defended the controversial leafleting campaign. "Although we do not endorse OutRagers methods, we do recognise the need to draw attention to the damage done to many young lives by Catholic teaching on homosexuality," said Dr Elizabeth Stuart, convenor of the caucus.