A group of LGBT+ rights campaigners protested outside a Christian conference offering support for people experiencing “same sex temptations” in Belfast.
Run by the True Freedom Trust, which describes itself as a Christian Ministry that “holds to the orthodox biblical view of sex, gender and relationships”, protesters branded the event a form of gay conversion therapy
Around 30 people led by members of the LGBT+ health advocacy group the Rainbow Project rallied outside the day-long event at the Windsor Baptist Church.
They held placards with slogans such as “Love needs no cure”, “Homophobia has a cure: Education” and “Self hatred is not therapy”.
The demonstration was largely silent, with no songs, chants or speeches, and was monitored at a distance by nearby police.
John O'Doherty, the director of the Rainbow Project, said the conference was engaging in "quackery".
He said: "The True Freedom Trust is a reparative therapy organisation that believe that there is something wrong with being gay and people should move away from being gay."
He added: "We don't believe that's the case, we believe that sharing that message is homophobic, we believe that the sharing of that message - particularly within faith groups - has caused huge harm to our community, including substantial loss of life [through suicide]. We will always stand opposed to it because this message is harmful to our community and LGBT+ people deserve to know that they are equal to anybody else within society and their identity is something to be celebrated, not something to be shameful of."
But the True Freedom Trust said the protestors had misunderstood its message and denied that the event was promoting gay conversion therapy.
Stuart Parker, the director of True Freedom Trust, said: "It's very clear in our policies and on our website that we don't point people towards conversion therapy, we are not a therapeutic organisation. We are a pastoral ministry, so we look to point people to what the Bible says, to encourage people in their Christian walk.”
He added: "Our interpretation of the Bible, which is the mainstream orthodox position of the church in the UK, is that sexual behaviour, God has made it for the marriage for a man and a woman."
The Belfast event is one of a series of “Pressing On” conferences being held by the True Freedom Trust across the UK.
On its website the trust said the event was "aimed at Christians who experience same-sex temptations". The schedule for the day includes a series of talks with titles including “Pressing on… in a world of temptation” with a focus on Hebrews 12 chapter in the bible.
Speaking after the protest, Micky Murray, the chair of the Alliance Party’s LGBTQ wing, said: “The reason I was there today is because reparative therapy is dangerous, it takes isolated, vulnerable people and teaches them how to repress their sexuality, causing harm to themselves mentally, and in a lot of cases, physically.
"This ‘therapy’ is killing people, it’s barbaric and it needs to end.”
He added that the protest “went well” and said the demonstrators were “peaceful and respectful to anyone going in or out of the church”.
“We had lots of beeps from passing cars supporting us,” he added.
Additional reporting by PA
