Gay ‘cure’ conference to be staged in London

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Two Christian groups which supports the ‘ex-gay movement’ are due to hold a conference in London next month advocating gay-to-straight conversion therapy.

Andrea Minichiello Williams, the chief executive of Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre, will be on the panel along with Dr Michael Davidson, the founder of Core Issues Trust.

The conference by the Christian Legal Centre and Core Issues Trust asks the question: “Homosexual orientation and practice – what did Jesus say? Straight, gay, bisexual – what about ex-gay and post-gay? ‘Don’t want to be gay anymore? Sorry we’re not allowed to help you!’ Is that ethical?”

The first conference is taking place at Ballynahinch Baptist Church County Down, Northern Ireland on 4 January. However the location of the London conference on 9 January has so far only been listed as Westminster.

In April 2012, Core Issues Trust tried unsuccessfully to advertise posters advocating gay-to-straight conversion therapy on 25 buses in a direct response to Stonewall’s pro-gay equality posters.

The Trust’s slogan read: “Not Gay. Ex-Gay, Post-Gay and Proud. Get over it!”

Stonewall’s say: “Some people are gay. Get over it!”

The High Court ruled in favour of TfL in March this year, stating that running the Trust’s adverts could cause “great offence. The Trust has now taken the case to the Court of Appeal.

Speaking to PinkNews.co.uk last month, Andrea Minichiello Williams said in the interest of a “level playing field”, Stonewall should be helping Core Issues Trust place their adverts on London’s buses as part of a “level playing field”.

Christian Concern was founded by Ms Williams in 2008 to protect “Britain’s Judeo-Christian values”.

Last month, the UK Government resisted calls by MPs to introduce statutory regulation of psychotherapists in order to prevent them from being able to carry out gay-to-straight conversion therapy.

Health Minister Norman Lamb said the therapy was “utterly abhorrent” but that the Department of Health was not aware of cases of it being prescribed on the NHS.

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