"Ex-Gay" Convention Set For Minnesota

Exodus International will hold its 2012 annual "ex-gay" convention in St. Paul, Minnesota. Did the Bachmanns have something to do with that?

Amid news that Rep. Michele Bachmann’s Christian counseling clinic performs therapy aimed at “curing” gays and lesbians of homosexuality, the nation’s largest “ex-gay” organization, Exodus International, announced it will hold its annual conference, “Exodus Freedom,” in St. Paul next year. The last time an Exodus conference came to Minnesota, Bachmann gave it a glowing endorsement. According to Exodus International, the conference will be held the last weekend of July 2012 at Northwestern College. Northwestern is a private Christian college with deep connections to Minnesota’s most conservative Christians. Minnesota Family Council CEO John Helmberger was a member of the college’s board of trustees until 2008, and current MFC associate Megan Doyle sits on the board. Bachmann’s been a speaker at the college, and the school has placed interns with her office.

When Exodus last held its convention in Minnesota, Crazy Eyes welcomed them: "I know that Love Won Out will present the truth about homosexuality and present it in a compassionate and loving manner. Those of us working to safeguard marriage from redefinition by radical judges must inform our efforts with an understanding of the deep emotional wounds that many in the homosexual community carry. I look forward to welcoming Minnesotans and residents of surrounding states to hear the message of healing that is possible."