N.O.P.E. on Initiative 677
No Official Preferential Employment--The Committee to Defeat I-677

CONTACT: Cathy Mickles                FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
       (360) 354-6035                        October 31, 1997

Steve Largent Catches Last-Minute Touchdown in Opposing I-677
and "Special Rights"

Steve Largent has come off the sidelines and is taking a lead in opposition to Initiative 677. The former Seattle Seahawk, Hall of Famer and now Republican member of Congress has written an open letter to the citizens of Washington which will appear this coming Monday in a newspaper ad across the state.

In the full page ad urging Washingtonians to vote NO on I-677, Largent states, "During the 14 years I played with the Seattle Seahawks, I tried to use the platform I had been given as a role model. Now as a U.S. Congressman from Oklahoma, I feel compelled to speak out to the employers and employees of the great state of Washington about an initiative I believe is misleading."

Stating the initiative goes too far, Largent says "I know the people of Washington want to be fair...but I-677 isn't about fairness, it's about special rights."

Largent's open letter also addresses the right of employers to"consider a person's behavior when making employment decisions," and states that "when we deny employers that right based on someone's sexual preference it puts us all on a slippery slope."

For a copy of the ad or for more information, contact Cathy Mickels at (360) 354-6035.

-30-

Paid for by N.O.P.E. on 677, P.O. Box 1464, Mead, WA 99201

Initiative 677 Page