For a few days
next week, Charlotte, N.C., will play host to two
fundamentally opposed conferences, both concerning LGBT
people.
First, the 2009
Leadership Retreat, cosponsored by Unity Fellowship and
the Metropolitan Community Church, will be held February
18-21. The Leadership Retreat is focused on the idea
that "God is love and love is for
everyone," and the two Christian groups sponsoring
the retreat are known for their inclusiveness of LGBT
people within their communities and their ministries.
Ironically, the
day that retreat ends, a second group will be setting up
camp for a few days in Charlotte. Focus on the Family will
be holding its "ex-gay" Love Won Out
Conference beginning February 21. Love Won Out
preaches the idea that those struggling with same-sex
attractions are facing a challenge to convert to
heterosexuality, and that through prayer, gay desires
can be overcome. Not only will the conference have an
audience in Charlotte, Focus on the Family has paid for the
event to be aired on GOD TV, giving the message a
national audience, according to a press release from
the opposing group Truth Wins Out.
LGBT people as
well as many allies are outraged at the "ex-gay" group
's conference and the national television attention it will
garner.
Citizens of
Charlotte in particular have chosen to take action at the
grassroots level to express their disapproval of the Love
Won Out message. The Charlotte Rainbow Action Network
for Equality as planned a full week of events,
beginning February 14, leading up to the Focus on the
Family conference. The concern of CRANE, as well as other
gay rights groups and activists, is that the presence
of an "ex-gay" conference sends a potentially damaging
message to children and LGBT people in Charlotte and
across the country. (Shannon Connolly, Advocate.com)
