Love
Won
Out,
a
controversial
religious
conference
that
espouses
reparative
therapy
and
encourages
gays
to
change
their
sexual
orientation,
is
coming
to
Maryland
next
month.
Sponsored
by
Focus
on
the
Family,
a
conservative
group
founded
by
psychologist
James
Dobson,
the
June
10
event
at
Immanuel’s
Church
in
Silver
Spring
offers
what
promotional
materials
describe
as
“help
for
those
struggling
…
with
unwanted
same-sex
attractions.”
Mike
Haley,
Focus
on
the
Family’s
gender
issues
director,
said
the
conference
gives
hope
to
gays,
their
families
and
friends.
“We
agree
with
the
gay
activists
that
nobody
would
choose
these
feelings,”
he
said.
“Where
choice
is
concerned
is
once
you
have
these
feelings,
you
can
act
on
them,
or
you
can
walk
away
from
them.”
But
local
gay
advocates
said
the
conference’s
main
theme
—
that
“change
is
possible”
—
is
countered
by
mainstream
psychologists
and
psychiatrists.
They
pledged
to
counter
the
conference
with
two
vigils.
Dan
Furmansky,
executive
director
of
Equality
Maryland,
said
the
morning
and
afternoon
vigils
June
10
will
occur
across
the
street
from
Immanuel’s
Church.
“The
goal
is
to
provide
concise
and
intelligent
arguments
in
response
to
any
media
attention
this
gets,”
he
said,
“and
to
be
there
for
any
individuals
who
are
going
into
the
conference
who
would
benefit
from
seeing
a
friendly
face
that
accepts
them
for
whoever
they
are.”
The
conference
series,
which
began
eight
years
ago
and
last
came
to
the
area
in
2002,
frequently
draws
protests
from
gay
rights
advocates.
Furmansky
said
Equality
Maryland
worked
with
other
groups
to
develop
a
measured
response.
“It’s
very
important
to
us
as
a
coalition
that
this
event
bring
no
more
publicity
to
Focus
on
the
Family
and
their
negative
messages
than
they
would
otherwise
receive,”
he
said.
“Our
response
should
be
proportionate
to
the
level
of
attention
the
actual
event
receives.”
David
S.
Fishback,
a
board
member
of
Metro
D.C.
PFLAG
who
has
two
gay
sons,
said
the
counter-message
will
focus
on
acceptance.
“It
is
sad
that
there
are
some
people
that
are
so
caught
up
in
their
own
theology
that
they
feel
the
need
to
tell
people,
particularly
young
people,
that
they
must
choose
between
their
religious
faith
and
being
true
to
how
God
made
them,”
he
said.
“That’s
very
sad.”
Furmansky
said
his
group
would
also
emphasize
that
all
major
medical
professional
associations
have
“condemned
the
conversion
therapy
that
Love
Won
Out
suggests.”
The
American
Medical
Association
officially
“opposes,
the
use
of
‘reparative’
or
‘conversion’
therapy
that
is
based
upon
the
assumption
that
homosexuality
per
se
is
a
mental
disorder
or
based
upon
a
prior
assumption
that
the
patient
should
change
his
or
her
homosexual
orientation.”
That
policy
—
designated
H-160.991
—
has
been
challenged
by
Focus
on
the
Family.
Haley
said
policies
by
the
AMA
and
the
American
Psychological
Association
are
“not
based
on
fact,
or
empirical
data.”
“Both
the
AMA
and
the
APA
have
high
regard
for
what’s
called
self-determination,”
he
said,
“and
support
that
for
men
and
women
who
want
to
take
it.”
The
APA
Code
of
Conduct
considers
self-determination,
the
idea
that
people
can
create
the
lives
they
want,
as
important
as
patient
privacy.
Haley,
who
identified
as
gay
for
12
years
but
now
considers
himself
a
heterosexual,
said
Love
Won
Out
is
an
opportunity
for
people
to
hear
about
self-determination,
and
its
relevancy
to
same-sex
attractions.
“We
have
to
look
at
the
fact
that,
for
those
who
are
highly
motivated,
change
is
possible,”
he
said.
“It’s
not
an
option
that
everyone
wants
to
take.”
Furmansky,
however,
said
Love
Won
Out
is
a
thinly
veiled
attempt
to
convert
gays.
“I
think
that
this
conference
is
a
perpetuation
of
Focus
on
the
Family’s
noxious
anti-gay
message,”
Furmansky
said.
“There’s
no
such
thing
as
preventing
homosexuality
—
just
obstructing
people’s
souls.”
Fishback
said
the
conference’s
strong
religious
overtones
are
improper.
“They
say
that
they
are
just
following
the
word
of
God
as
written
in
scripture,”
he
said.
“In
reality,
there
are
no
biblical
literalists
in
our
society
—
or
very,
very
few.”
Fishback
said
he
and
other
gay
advocates
also
oppose
Love
Won
Out
because
parents
often
bring
their
gay
children
in
an
attempt
to
convert
them.
“I
think
it’s
sad
because
it’s
not
going
to
help
anyone,”
Fishback
said,
“and
it
may
hurt
people.”
Love
Won
Out
will
hold
its
June
10
conference
in
Montgomery
County,
where
school
officials
are
debating
how
to
update
its
health
curriculum.
Liberty
Counsel,
along
with
Parents
&
Friends
of
Ex-Gays
&
Gays,
last
year
sued
the
school
district
for
excluding
information
about
ex-gays
in
the
revised
curriculum.
The
organizations
also
complained
the
new
curriculum
for
students
in
grades
eight
and
10
“normalized
homosexuality.”
Furmansky
said
it’s
no
coincidence
that
Focus
on
the
Family
chose
to
hold
the
conference
in
Montgomery
County.
“Clearly,
a
primary
goal
of
Focus
on
the
Family
is
ensuring
the
facts
about
sexual
orientation
are
not
taught
in
schools,”
he
said.
“Given
the
high
profile
debate
about
Montgomery
County’s
health
curriculum,
the
transparency
is
obvious.”
Haley,
however,
said
the
conference
wasn’t
organized
in
response
to
the
curriculum
debate.
He
noted
it
takes
about
two
years
to
plan
an
event
after
the
invitation
to
speak
is
accepted.
“Inevitably,
it
seems
like
something
comes
up,”
Haley
said.
“This
just
was
...
