Protests At "Love Won Out" Conference

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA - A Christian conference aimed at those who are "impacted by homosexuality" drew more than 1,400 people to a church in the Coachella Valley, home to one of the country's most vibrant gay communities.
The Love Won Out conference, organized by the influential evangelical Christian political group Focus on the Family, included an appearance by the mother of actress Anne Heche and sessions with titles such as "Straight Thinking on Gay Marriage."
The event was held at Southwest Community Church in Indian Wells, and organizers say it was among the top three of 40 conferences it has held nationwide since 1998 in terms of attendance.
Indian Wells is by far the smallest city to host a Love Won Out conference this year, with Atlanta next, on Nov. 4. The largest was in February in St. Louis, drawing 1,800 people.
"It is such a big issue in the culture these days," said Bob Thune, pastor at Southwest. "It certainly is an issue in this area."
Billboards advertising the event along the valley's major roads sparked a controversy in this area that is home to two cities - Palm Springs and Cathedral City - that have majority gay city councils.
Palm Springs in particular is known as a gay-friendly vacation, retirement and residential area. It is host to two major gay events each year: the White Party and the Dinah Shore Weekend.
Troy Willis of Indio said he likes the Love Won Out soft-sell approach to urging people not to be gay.
"It is not hate," Willis said of the methods touted at the event. "We do need to reach out, that is a fault of ours, where the church has dropped the ball."
Willis said he respected the protesters' right to speak their minds outside the conference. And he said Christian protesters of gay-themed events have drawn undue scorn from the gay community.
People who attended paid $50 to $60 to register. Speakers referred audience members to books and Christian groups for more information. And the production included multimedia presentations and large video screens displaying images of the speakers in the church's main auditorium.
Protests question intent
Outside the church, Coachella Valley-based protesters carried pro-gay signs and waved at people en route to the event. Men embraced each other in an effort to show conference attendees a positive image of gay relationships.
"I don't object to having a religious belief," said Timothy Kincaid of Los Angeles, who protested the event. "What I object to is when you come in and you don't tell the truth."
Kincaid said the message of love at the conference is undermined by the Focus on the Family suggestion that people cannot simultaneously be gay and effective Christians.
Inside, people who said they were struggling with their sexual identity sought advice from speakers and consoled one another.
"This is a struggle I've had to struggle with since I was 13," said James Uvence, 21, of Fontana.
Uvence said he hoped the conference would help him overcome an attraction toward men.
"I want to be with church. I want to be with God," Uvence said. "I didn't choose to become gay. I don't know where these thoughts came (from)."
The event included speakers who told the audience they had lived more rewarding and healthy lives after giving up gay lifestyles.
When Heche spoke, she described finding out in separate instances that her late husband, a Christian minister, and her daughter, a popular movie actress, were gay. Her husband subsequently died of complications from AIDS, she said. Her daughter, Anne, former girlfriend of talk-show host Ellen Degeneres, eventually married a man.
"These two events changed my life," said Heche. "I wish I had something like this a few years ago," she said.
The gist of her talk centered on overcoming anger toward the gay community. "God was saying, 'Stop holding that sin against them,'" Heche said.
The conference opened with a video address from Focus on the Family founder James Dobson and went on to include testimonials from people who said they were no longer gay.
Organizers said the aim of the event was to help families and people struggling to understand gay lifestyles.
Love Won Out media director Gary Schneeberger said the event was not aimed at influencing political decisions on gay marriage, domestic partner benefits or gay adoption.
But in at least one of the conference sessions, the speaker highlighted gay-marriage ballot initiatives and told the audience arguments they could use against gay-marriage advocates.
"National same-sex marriage could also mean a very real threat to our religious freedom," Bill Maier, a Focus on the Family vice president, told the group.
People who attended said they welcomed the opportunity to learn information that could help them deal with gay friends and family members. Many of the sessions covered balancing thoughts about gay feelings, gay friends or gay relatives with living a Christian lifestyle.
"That is what I am here about," said Becky West of Orange County, who said she has a close relative who is gay. "I am here about the love for that person."
from The Desert Sun

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