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News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyJuly 15th, 2011
Exodus International, the nation’s largest ex-gay umbrella group, has announced that they will hold their annual conference in St. Paul next year:
Plans are underway already for the 37th Annual Exodus Freedom Conference being held June 27-30 in the Twin Cities of Minnesota at Northwestern College. Please consider giving now towards our scholarship fund so that we can make sure everyone who wants to be there can be there. And, please consider being there yourself. It is a transforming experience!
They will be holding their conference in the Bachmann’s home turf. Now that will be interesting.
Update: Others are reporting that this is the same ex-gay conference in which, in 2004, Michele Bachmann gave her welcoming remarks. That’s not accurate. Bachmann gave her opening remarks at a Love Won Out conference, which is a one-day roadshow put on about six times each year marketing ex-gay therapy to gay people and — much more often, according to the typical attendance — to their parents.
On the other hand, the so-called “Freedom” conference is Exodus’s annual five-day conference, and is their signature flagship event. It is not a marketing event. It is the real deal, where ex-gay people from all over the country — and even around the world — come together for five days of conferences, worskshops, lectures, and worship. Think of it this way: where LWO is the infomercial, the Freedom Conference is the actual Clapper. What Bachmann spoke at was the theater poster; this is the second act. The third act, too often, ends badly.
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TampaZeke
July 15th, 2011
Well it’s good to know that Marcus Bachmann won’t have to travel too far to the conference. We wouldn’t want him to be away from his “pray away the gay” practice too long. You know the one where he MOST CERTAINLY DOES NOT do “ex-gay” reparative therapy because it’s against his beliefs and his code, EXCEPT for when he actually DOES do it, because people request it of course.
TomTallis
July 15th, 2011
How convenient. Now they can “demonstrate” that pray away the gay works and that Minnesotans should vote for their vile anti-marriage amendment.
JohnAGJ
July 15th, 2011
So is Marcus Bachmann the keynote speaker?
g_whiz
July 15th, 2011
You know, its not very polite to suggest, but all those conservative bloggers that crashed Netroots last month? Maybe turnabout is fair play.
Another thought, how much do you want to bet craigslist m4m solicits spike in St Paul the week of the convention. Ah repression, always a good time.
Timothy Kincaid
July 15th, 2011
g whiz,
Why would you need to look to craigslist, when you’re already right there on the campus at an ex-gay conference?
Richard Rush
July 15th, 2011
There’s surely a lot more homoerotic sexual tension at an Exodus Conference than at one of those International Mr.Leather Fests that Peter LaBarbera loves to attend.
MEP
July 17th, 2011
Oh, I will so be there holding a big assed SIGN with my brother’s picture on it, to boot!
PLAINTOM
July 17th, 2011
That’s going to be a real slow weekend for call girls.
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