Exodus: Live Out Loud

Fanatical Swedish Feminists

http://www.nationalreview.com/script/printpage.p?ref=/kurtz/kurtz200602220826.asp

"With Congress about to take up the Federal Marriage Amendment, let’s travel a little and take a look at how marriage is faring in Scandinavia — specifically Sweden, famous as a bellwether of family change. In 1987, Sweden offered same-sex couples the first domestic partnership package in Europe. This led Denmark in 1989, then Norway in 1993, to set up a more elaborate system of “registered partnerships” (with nearly all the rights of marriage), which Sweden adopted in 1994. I discussed some of these changes in The End of Marriage in ScandinaviaFebruary 2004 piece. yet much has happened since then."- Stanley Kurtz, National Review Online, Feb. 22, 2006

Gay rights groups protest outside of 'Love Won Out' conference

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/stlouiscitycounty/story/AB09483033E3209A862571210001B3F3?OpenDocument

"There’s not one set model of, ‘If you do this, someone will go straight tomorrow,’" said Alan Chambers, president of Exodus, who said he left homosexuality in 1991. "It’s a long process."...A few young women chanted at cars, "Two-Four-Six-Eight, how do you know your wife is straight?"...
"It’s ridiculous the church thinks we need therapy," said Warren Lacey, 65, of St. Louis. He carried a sign, "God Made Me Gay." Lacey said he’s known since about age 5 that he was attracted to males. "It’s part of your nature. It’s not a decision to be made. It’s part of you."...At least four of the conference’s main speakers said they previously were gay but were now living heterosexual lifestyles."-Kim Bell, ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 02/25/2006

The Lure of Lesbianism

http://www.christianitytoday.com/tcw/2003/005/13.16.html

"The biggest obstacle to my healing was dealing with the sexual abuse I'd suffered. The two men who abused me made me fear and distrust all other men. It wasn't until I turned 31 that I began accepting that the abuse wasn't my fault. I was an innocent child who had no control over what happened to me. I did what I had to do to survive at the time.

My desires for women began to change when I attended my first ex-gay support group and met David. David also had struggled with homosexuality, and two years earlier had learned he had HIV. From the very first meeting, we connected.

David showed me all men aren't bad. We had fun together. We went for long walks and talked about the future. He listened when I needed to talk and held me when I needed to cry. Most importantly, David was a man of God. His faith was like none I'd known before. He was a leader in his church and his community. He taught me about grace, forgiveness, and healing. "- Misty Thigpen Grimes, Christianity Today, Today's Christian Woman, Sept/Oct 2003

Lesbian Teacher, Suspected Sex Offender, Uses Post to Indoctrinate Students, Parent Says

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/242006b.asp

"A lesbian teacher who helped lead a controversial pro-homosexual seminar at the North Carolina Governor's School last year is being investigated for alleged sexual misconduct with a student.

Social studies teacher Susan Wiseman was suspended from East Forsyth High School without pay recently after allegations arose of her having had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student. A local district judge recently revoked a gag order that had prevented Forsyth County officials from notifying parents of the identity of the suspected sex offender."- Jim Brown and Jenni Parker, Agape Press, Feb. 24, 2006

Ex-Gay Organization’s Billboards Defaced in St. Louis

Ministry Plans to Take Part in Conference Despite Vandalism & Protests

One of four billboard signs sponsored by an international network of former homosexuals was recently defaced in St. Louis. The ad, located at I-44 at Kingshighway, is part of a larger billboard campaign featuring pictures of former homosexuals with the words “I Questioned Homosexuality. Change is Possible. Discover How.” Exodus International sponsored the ads in anticipation of Focus on the Family’s Love Won Out conference — a public seminar about homosexuality to be held at the First Evangelical Free Church on February 25.

The one-day conference will focus on the hope and help available for those struggling with unwanted homosexuality through the personal testimonies of those who have left homosexuality themselves. Exodus International will take part in the conference and offer long-term guidance and support to those wanting to leave homosexuality through their local member ministries in the St. Louis and surrounding areas. Local gay activists have already announced plans to protest the conference.

Alan Chambers, a featured speaker at the Love Won Out conference and president of Exodus International, responded saying, “Anonymous defamation from any party is offensive, but the public protests planned by the gay community is particularly disturbing. Contempt for those of us who have chosen to leave homosexuality behind is not an action consistent with the call for tolerance and diversity.

“While there are some who may not agree with our message, we ask for their consideration and welcome their presence at this event,” said Chambers. “We continue to share our message of hope knowing that there are hundreds of thousands of lives who have been changed by this truth and there are many more who are longing to hear it.”

Exodus International is a resource and referral organization with over 125 member ministries across North America. The organization has been in existence for 30 years and offers help to the over 400,000 people who contact the ministry each year.

The four billboards will be up all this month and are located at 170 and St. Charles Rock Road, I-40 East at Kingshighway, I-44 at Kingshighway and I-55 at South Lindberg.

Founded in 1976, Exodus International is the largest resource and referral organization dealing with homosexual issues in the U.S. and throughout the world. With over 125 ministries across North America, Exodus is a growing network of former homosexuals dedicated to sharing the transforming power of Jesus Christ.

The Truth About the Homosexual Rights Movement

http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3650

"There was a "gay" bookstore called Lobo's in Austin, Texas, when I was living there as a grad student. The layout was interesting. Looking inside from the street all you saw were books. It looked like any other bookstore. There was a section devoted to classic "gay" fiction by writers such as Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, and W.H. Auden. There were biographies of prominent "gay" icons, some of whom, like Walt Whitman, would probably have accepted the homosexual label, but many of whom, like Whitman's idol, President Lincoln, had been commandeered for the cause on the basis of evidence no stronger than a bad marriage or an intense same-sex friendship. There were impassioned modern "gay" memoirs, and historical accounts of the origins and development of the "gay rights" movement. It all looked so innocuous and disarmingly bourgeois. But if you went inside to browse, before long you noticed another section, behind the books, a section not visible from the street.

The pornography section. "- Ronald G. Lee, New Oxford Review, Feb. 2006

Conference on Homosexuality Met with Vandalism, Protests; Despite Controversy, Record Attendance Anticipated at Saturday Event

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=61302

2/21/2006 6:07:00 PM

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To: National Desk

Contact: Christopher Norfleet of Focus on the Family, 719-548-4570 or [email protected]

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Feb. 21 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Focus on the Family's international Love Won Out conference on homosexuality comes to St. Louis this Saturday, Feb. 25, and organizers are anticipating record-breaking attendance numbers.

"We could not be more pleased with the response," said Mike Haley, host of Love Won Out and a former homosexual. "We will have people coming from at least 23 different states on Saturday, and we're set to break our all-time record with more than 1,300 attendees. All despite the controversy stirred up by opposition groups in St. Louis."

Local gay activists have promised a protest the day of the event, and the host church, First Evangelical Free Church in Manchester, was vandalized last week. Just today, one of several promotional billboards, which feature the conference message that "Change is Possible" for homosexuals, was defaced with paint.

Haley said that, despite these incidents, the conference will take place as planned.

"We are here to share a message of hope and healing," he said. "Men and women who are unsatisfied living homosexually have the ability and the right to change. Love Won Out exists to encourage them, and to call on those who have gay friends and loved ones to reach out with truth and love.

"Offering people the freedom to change is not something that should be derided or attacked. While we often hear the homosexual community calling for 'tolerance,' there seems to be little tolerance left over for us."

Speaking of the planned protest, Haley said that opposition is common in cities Love Won Out visits. "As a former homosexual I can attest that I have faced much more intolerance since leaving homosexuality than before," he said. "But I and thousands of others know that change is possible -- we have the right to share that message and the love of Christ with those who want to hear it."

Interviews are available by phone, or via Focus' in-house satellite uplink studio, prior to the conference. A press conference will be held at noon, Saturday, at the conference: First Evangelical Free Church, 1375 Carman Rd., Manchester. Media credentials are available by request.

Media wishing to cover the event or arrange an interview should contact: Christopher Norfleet: 719-548-4570, [email protected].

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2006-02-22-gay-episcopal_x.htm

"Two openly gay priests are candidates to become bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California, and the election of either could worsen the rift over homosexuality in the bitterly divided church.

The Rev. Bonnie Perry of Chicago and the Very Rev. Robert Taylor of Seattle are among the five candidates. Both have longtime same-sex partners."-USA Today, Feb. 22, 2006

http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10130/CFI/resources/index.htm

"Josh is 13 and, like many kids his age, he's often unhappy. Everything about his life is uncertain. He's only 5 feet 4 inches tall, and many of the girls in his middle-school class are taller. He has no idea how his body will end up. Will he be tall, short, plain, handsome? He's slightly overweight and hasn't found a sport he excels in. He only has two or three close friends. Sometimes his voice changes an entire octave, up or down, at a moment's notice. He's an average student, and he sometimes dreads going to school because it doesn't interest him much.

On top of all this, Josh has troubles at home. His parents don't get along. His father works long hours, and his mother yells a lot. She's stressed out over unpaid bills, problems with his older sister, who sometimes uses drugs, and her own ongoing treatment for depression. They don't have family dinners except around holidays, and they haven't been on a family vacation in two years. Josh can't remember the last time he had a conversation with either parent involving more than two sentences.

In other words, Josh is a lot like many American adolescents. His family has only casual ties to a church, and his parents consider themselves moderate politically, when they have time or interest to think about it.

Josh's standards are being formed largely not by parents of high character, but by the American culture, including television, his public school and the Internet. That's where he developed a keen curiosity about sex, and it's also where he gets his information and values. And his values right now are leaning toward believing he might be a homosexual. "- Linda Harvey, Concerned Women for America, Feb. 13, 2006

http://www.nysun.com/article/28042

"Calling Senator Clinton "a complete disappointment" because of her opposition to same sex marriage, the director of an influential gay rights organization told associates he will not participate in a fund-raiser hosted by several of her gay supporters."- Beth Fouhy, Associated Press, Feb. 23, 2006

Gay Episcopal priests up for bishop in California

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2006-02-22-gay-episcopal_x.htm

"Two openly gay priests are candidates to become bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California, and the election of either could worsen the rift over homosexuality in the bitterly divided church.

The Rev. Bonnie Perry of Chicago and the Very Rev. Robert Taylor of Seattle are among the five candidates. Both have longtime same-sex partners."-USA Today, Feb. 22, 2006

Fairy Tales Don't Come True

http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10130/CFI/resources/index.htm

"Josh is 13 and, like many kids his age, he's often unhappy. Everything about his life is uncertain. He's only 5 feet 4 inches tall, and many of the girls in his middle-school class are taller. He has no idea how his body will end up. Will he be tall, short, plain, handsome? He's slightly overweight and hasn't found a sport he excels in. He only has two or three close friends. Sometimes his voice changes an entire octave, up or down, at a moment's notice. He's an average student, and he sometimes dreads going to school because it doesn't interest him much.

On top of all this, Josh has troubles at home. His parents don't get along. His father works long hours, and his mother yells a lot. She's stressed out over unpaid bills, problems with his older sister, who sometimes uses drugs, and her own ongoing treatment for depression. They don't have family dinners except around holidays, and they haven't been on a family vacation in two years. Josh can't remember the last time he had a conversation with either parent involving more than two sentences.

In other words, Josh is a lot like many American adolescents. His family has only casual ties to a church, and his parents consider themselves moderate politically, when they have time or interest to think about it.

Josh's standards are being formed largely not by parents of high character, but by the American culture, including television, his public school and the Internet. That's where he developed a keen curiosity about sex, and it's also where he gets his information and values. And his values right now are leaning toward believing he might be a homosexual. "- Linda Harvey, Concerned Women for America, Feb. 13, 2006

Gay Rights Leader Chides Clinton Over Same-Sex Marriage

http://www.nysun.com/article/28042

"Calling Senator Clinton "a complete disappointment" because of her opposition to same sex marriage, the director of an influential gay rights organization told associates he will not participate in a fund-raiser hosted by several of her gay supporters."- Beth Fouhy, Associated Press, Feb. 23, 2006