by Rex Wockner
International News Briefs
Twenty people staged a protest outside a "gay conversion" conference in suburban Melbourne, Australia, on Sept. 19.
They carried signs reading "Hands off queer kids" and "You can't straighten me out," and had a heated debate with conference organizers.
"Teaching young people to suppress their sexuality and pretend to be straight is detrimental to their well-being," said protester Tim Wright. "If their church won't accept them for who they are, they should find a church that does."
"The idea that you can convert gays to heterosexuality … has been completely discredited by science, yet a small handful of fanatics continue to advance it," Wright said. "It's not likely that the conversion movement will ever gain traction in Australia as it has in the United States, but this event is a reminder that we must remain vigilant."
