COLORADO SPRINGS, June 5, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – While gay-affirming organizations in the Portland area make plans to celebrate Gay Pride Month, Focus on the Family is preparing its own celebration – of the message that homosexuality is preventable and treatable. That’s the central message of the Love Won Out conference, to be held June 21 at Portland’s New Hope Community Church. Mike Haley, a former homosexual and Love Won Out conference host, knows all too well that the messages found at events like Portland’s Pride 2003 can be misguided and dangerous. At 16, a school counselor told him he was born gay and should embrace homosexuality. He followed the advice and spent more than a decade in empty relationships, hopelessness and isolation. Gay-affirming events like Pride 2003 only serve to perpetuate misconceptions about the origins of homosexuality, Haley said, while offering little hope that change is possible. “Hundreds of thousands of people, including many at-risk youth who wrestle with their sexuality, are being encouraged to ‘come out’ as a cure for their problems,” Haley said. “People need truthful information in order to make healthy life decisions, and these so-called ‘Pride’ events fall woefully short in that area. The truth is that for those struggling with unwanted homosexuality, there is a way out.” The Love Won Out conference explores such truth by showing that change is possible and offering practical help for those wanting out of homosexuality. Conference speakers include experts in the field of homosexuality and gender identity. Since its inception in 1998, Focus on the Family’s Love Won Out conference has reached more than 17,000 people in 21 cities and has seen nearly a 25 percent increase in attendance over the past year.
The next Love Won Out conference is set for September 20, 2003 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. More information is available at: www.lovewonout.com.