Around six hundred people attended the seminars and break out sessions of the "Love Won Out" conference at Metropolitan Church of God in Birmingham, according to Melissa Fryrear. She is the Director of Gender Issues at Focus on the Family which put it together.
"We're trying to help those parents with how to better love their son or daughter without condoning homosexual behavior," said Melissa Fryrear.
"For a number of us who speak at the conference it’s a personal issue because a number of us have overcome a struggle with homosexuality in our own lives. So we're helping parents understand why their son or daughter may struggle with homosexuality and then we're also offering hope to people who are dissatisfied living homosexually, that this is a struggle that can be overcome,” said Melissa Fryrear.
Outside there were several protestors along the main entrance road to the church. Many of them claim that nothing can change a person's sexuality. Some of them say that programs like this do more harm than good.
"I know first hand that this doesn't work, but second of all this not only damages the people who are taking part, but also the spouses. They end up getting these marriages to people who they are not attracted to," said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out.
Organizers contend that the conference is about finding common ground. "One of our main messages today is where we may disagree about the issue, but we can still be loving and compassionate as we talk about it,” said Melissa Fryrear.
"We're here to say that love did win out, God already loves gays and they don't need to be changed and that these reparative therapies and all these things only damage kids and families and it needs to stop," said Pastor J.R. Finney, Covenant Community Church.
