I really love how Focus always says “we hope the protesters will come inside and hear our message” when every Love Won Out conference follows the exact same script in every city it goes to, presenting the same stale old rhetoric and junk science. I don’t need to come inside to hear the message, I podcast every Focus broadcast and read documents put out by Exodus on an almost daily basis. And just like the message, I know the schedule now and it’s always the same. It’s t-minus one month till Love Won Out Phoenix and that means it’s time for the billboard to go up.
The local CBS affiliate has text and video here.
Via Good As You
Many of the conference’s critics have attended Love Won Out. That’s why they are critics now.
I have received e-mails from parents who attended LWO and felt that the event was conducted like a police state — they were stopped from recording speeches, prevented from sharing fliers or business cards, and denied opportunities to question the speakers.
Steve Boese of A Tenable Belief blogged about his own experience in a four-part series of articles that begins here.
As someone who’s done event publicity, this follows a script:
1. Put up a billboard and issue press releases (day -30). Then XGW and others will post about the billboard and people who monitor XGW (but who are pro-ExGay) will post about the billboard, with a link to XGW and commentary on how those evil Homosexual Activists are trying to take over the world.
2. Get a newspaper to do a puff piece on the conference (day -7). Generates more publicity
3. Let Letters to the Editors publish letters pro and con on the conference. Generates more publicity.
4. Due to the increased publicity/visibility, more people sign up for the conference (and pay the money to attend).
It’s really all about #4 and its parenthetical phrase!
Phil —
SSShhhhh! XGW is really a publicity machine informally operated by Exodus. But nobody is supposed to know that.
Hey does anybody know if there is a political connection to the fact that Arizona was the state that voted down the anti-marriage amendment the last election and FOF coming to Phoenix? Maybe Jimmy Bob Dobson was upset and felt like it was time to get those Arizonians in line with the rest of those god fearin, gay hatin megga church lovin Christians.
One very good thing about this. They are helping us because the dialogue is continuing so that next time they bring up any kind of legislation like that 75 percent or higher will vote down an anti-marriage amendment and the majority of Arizona will be truly moral and vote for same sex marriage.
Trust me, in the long run Love In Action is definitely inadvertently helping us.
Hey does anybody know if there is a political connection to the fact that Arizona was the state that voted down the anti-marriage amendment the last election and FOF coming to Phoenix? Maybe Jimmy Bob Dobson was upset and felt like it was time to get those Arizonians in line with the rest of those god fearin, gay hatin megga church lovin Christians.
I thought the same thing. There is no doubt they want to make sure that doesn’t happen again. They will push their anti-gay rhetoric to make sure when the vote for an anti-gay marriage amendment comes up again it will pass. These people really need to focus their energy more on feeding and clothing the poor. I guess in their eyes defending traditional marriage against the gay boogyman is more important than filling a belly or offering a coat to someone that is cold. Talk about misplaced priorities!
Since my arrival here at Ex-Gay Watch several months ago and listening to those that have gone through ex-gay programs and listening to the rhetoric from the other side, I’ve come to the conclusion its all about two things: money and control. Its about conforming to their beliefs of self-hatred and denial of one’s own sexual orientation so they can be accepted by their families, friends, and Christian communities. Never mind what the person really feels inside. It has to be denied. Thankfully, I have accepted myself as a gay man and God, ever loving and understanding that he is, loves me as I am.
These anti-gay groups will do whatever they can to demonize the GLBT community. Their message is not one of hope but a message built on years of lies and broken minds and hearts.
This is very sad indeed.
Phil is right. These pro-exGays are no fools with PR stuff. They know there aren’t any rich XGWers who are willing and able to put up a billboard refuting the assertions. The message: “you can change” bell has rung and you cannot un-ring the bell. Perhaps we could ameliorate the damage done with equal amounts of publicity?
So, do we have an XGW convention coming up soon? No? Darn. It would be fun to speculate whose face would be on our billboard but I’m almost positive our caterers would be a whole lot better than those at the Love Wins Out convention.
Since XGW is simply a website featuring part-time volunteer analysts, I don’t foresee XGW launching $100,000 billboard campaigns anytime soon.
But Truth Wins Out is a non-profit organization that is equipped to receive donations and (in time) launch campaigns of that sort.
Wayne is happy to receive donations to help in his counter demonstration. Besides cash, you could contribute airline miles or hotel points to help out of town participants. You don’t have to be rich to make a difference.
So true 🙂
I was hoping the LWO convention would be in Phoenix the same time the Road Runner Regional Rodeo was taking place. We could have the best of bull riding as well as the best in bull sh-ting occurring in the same city. (I’m joking about the sh-ting, of course.) However, the RRRR would be a great place for those questioning their identities to maybe find their niche with like-minded gay & lesbians. Just maybe we can alter the message on the billboard to: “Change is moot”. At least that is what happened with me.
https://www.agra-phx.com/rodeo2007.html (Shameless plug)
GAK!!! I’m fallen prey to the heterosexual agenda by commenting on Ex-Gay stuff!!! AAAAAUGH!!! 😉
I live in Phoenix, and I will definitely be attending that protest!
Is that fence there to protect the billboard? Or is it just a part of the landscape?
Is that fence there to protect the billboard? Or is it just a part of the landscape?
Part of the landscape. I don’t believe LWO would pay to have the billboard protected.
I have an idea for a protest billboard/sign: “I Questioned Heterosupremecy”
I have an idea for a protest billboard/sign: “I Questioned Heterosupremecy”
Or better yet, “I Questioned Exodus”. This could be followed by images of former ex-gays that have gone through these programs and realized that “change was not possible”.
you might call them Ex-Gay Watch Watchers
That’s easy. We could just borrow Exodus’ slightly outdated promotional materials. A huge number of those who have been used as an example by the ex-gay media machine turned out not to be so ex-gay after all.
But it would be fun to design a billboard… I questioned homosexuality. It turns out homosexuality was right after all 😉
No, they’re actually praying it gets defaced. That will get coverage in the anti-gay Christian media for months.
No, they’re actually praying it gets defaced. That will get coverage in the anti-gay Christian media for months.
I thought the same thing after I posted my previous comment Timothy. 😉