arise technologies: Protesters at 'gay cure' event

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Protesters at 'gay cure' event

About 50 people protest outside the conference

About 50 members of Northern Ireland's gay community are picketing a conference which focuses on helping people turn away from homosexuality.

The protest is being held outside the event organised by the Core Issues Trust group at a Church of Ireland venue in Belfast.

Inside, about 15 people listened to Amercian speaker David Pickup who promotes "reparative therapy".

He claims he can encourage homosexual people to practise hetereosexuality.

The protestors object to his message. They claim the therapy can be harmful to people who go through it.

Core Issues is a Northern Ireland based group which, according to its website is a non-profit Christian initiative "seeking to support men and women with homosexual issues who voluntarily seek change in sexual preference and expression."

Topics up for discussion at Belvoir Church of Ireland in Belfast on Wednesday include how parents can help their children "avoid homosexuality" and a Christian and psycological perspecitve on overcoming obstacles to freedom from homosexuality.

In a statement, the rector of Belvoir parish, Canon Tom Keightley, said the church premises were used, from time to time, by a range of groups, not all linked to the parish.

He said a decision on events was taken on a case to case basis.

"In agreeing to the request by this organisation for its event, I did so on the understanding that the organisation seeks only to work with those who want its help and that it is acceptable to allow the opportunity for open debate in this area of life in all its complexity," he said.

"The church itself is not involved with the running of the event or with the organisation, nor with the event's promotion."

This article is from the BBC News website. ? British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.