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Adam Hood - Meeting Venues Denied

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forestgrey
Chapter Leader
Joined in 2008
April 2, 2011, 19:32

Congratulations to Anthony and all others concerned for lobbying venue operators/owners to have this person’s meetings cancelled.


Well, assume that is what has happened – although the sponsoring church still has them listed on their website.


It is good that local media (as well as gay media) have picked up the matter in some areas. Some interesting (and mixed) on-line comments on the media sites.


For more details, google “Adam Hood site:.au”


The church, Miracle Christian Center (sic), has a page on homosexuality including (obviously) the ‘clobber’ verses, etc. – all in King James English! But they start the page with this disclaimer:

The following has been constructed in love and service towards anyone who may be struggling with same sex attractions or homosexuality. It is not intended to offend, insult, malign, vilify or anything otherwise contrary to International, National or Local Laws.


Whilst not denying free speech in a calm and reasoned manner, the obvious vilification and threatening language in his material certainly justifies the action taken here. May he have a safe but speedy return to the USA.



Anthony Venn-Brown
 
Joined in 2005
April 3, 2011, 00:13

‘Ex-gay’ guy not welcome here


http://www.samesame.com.au/news/local/6619/Ex-gay-guy-not-welcome-here.htm

Local News, By kozi_kozi_kozi, 1st April, 2011


All three venues which would’ve hosted Adam “I’m straight now, you can be too” Hood this weekend have now canceled their bookings.


Melbourne’s Grattan Gardens Community Centre and Jan Wilson Community Centre today joined St. Columban’s College in rejecting Hood’s ‘ex-gay’ message.


Councillor Melina Sehr JP, the Mayor of the City of Stonnington which includes Melbourne’s Prahran district, says she represents “a supportive, inclusive and vibrant municipality that embraces diversity.”


She explains that Adam Hood’s event was not a council-sponsored one, so Council was not aware of it taking place until it was brought to council’s attention by concerned people in the community.


“Given the nature of the event and the safety concerns that have been raised, Council has requested that New Hope Foundation [who manage the Community Centre] cancel the event.”


It has now been officially cancelled, and Roz Blades, the Mayor of Dandenong, has taken similar action to block Hood’s crew from appearing at the Jan Wilson Community Centre.


Concerned Same Same 25ers Paul Martin and Anthony Venn-Brown led the charge against Hood’s events, which many saw as dangerous, and are delighted that they have been cancelled.


“Although I advocate freedom of expression, I don’t think it is appropriate when it is used to jeopardise the health and well-being of young people,” summed up Andrew Creagh, the editor of DNA magazine, who also wrote to the meeting venues.


“I receive many emails every year from young people who feel conflicted about their sexuality,” he adds. “Overwhelmingly, it’s the people who have been exposed to religious dogma who suffer the most. Adam Hood will claim that homosexuality is a condition that is curable through religion. This is, clearly, nonsense, a fact which you and I as informed adults are able to discern.


“However, young people do not necessarily have the same skills as us and this idea can be extraordinarily damaging to them. Any attempt to ‘cure’ a person’s sexual orientation will, ultimately, fail. This is a biological certainty. The experience of ‘failing’ can, in turn, lead to acts of self-harm and worse in young gay people.”



Anthony Venn-Brown
 
Joined in 2005
April 3, 2011, 00:17

‘Ex-gay’ lectures canned


http://www.mcv.gaynewsnetwork.com.au/news/ex-gay-lectures-canned-008632.html

Written by Ron Hughes | 01 April 2011


A visiting ‘ex-gay’ speaker has had three lectures in Australia cancelled in the space of two days following pressure from LGBTI rights activists.


A Brisbane Catholic school and two Melbourne councils have cancelled planned events at which Adam Hood – an American who claims he was “cured” of homosexuality – had intended to speak.


Hood has come under fire because of videos posted to YouTube in which he calls homosexuality “an abomination” and said homosexuals deserved to be damned to Hell.


St Columban’s College in Caboolture said they had immediately cancelled the group’s booking when activists brought the theme of the lectures to their attention.


“Immediately the college became aware of this, I withdrew permission for the meeting to be held on college property,” college principal Ann Rebgetz told the Sunshine Coast Daily.


“St Columban’s College is a caring, inclusive community, and we will not allow our facilities to be used by those seeking to promote views which are not in line with the Catholic Christian ethos of our community.”


A lecture in Prahran in Melbourne’s Stonnington council area and one in the Greater Dandenong district were also nixed after their mayors were contacted by activists.


Mayor of Stonnington Melina Sehr, told LGBT activist Anthony Venn-Brown, Stonnington is “a supportive, inclusive and vibrant municipality that embraces diversity.”


“Given the nature of the event and the safety concerns that have been raised, Council has requested that New Hope Foundation cancel the event.”


Venn-Brown told MCV councils and their staff needed to be educated on in LGBTI issues.


“Most of all, they need to learn about the impact outdated and negative views have on LGBTI youth,” Venn-Brown said. “Not just that, but these views also encourage other young people into bullying those they perceive as LGBTI.”


The third lecture in Noble Park was also cancelled.


Brisbane psychologist Paul Martin – once an ‘ex-gay’ leader himself – told MCV he had spoken to Greater Dandenong mayor Roz Blades. At first the council intended to uphold the hiring agreement but then realised the exact nature of the event.


“I told her about the psychological damage these ‘ex-gay’ programs can do to people. I’ve been working in this field for 15 years,” Martin said.


“After considering the arguments and having received a number of emails and phone calls, the mayor told me the council would cancel the meeting.”


“If you rally enough support together, people do listen,” Martin said. “It’s a very good result.”



Ann Maree
 
Joined in 2008
April 3, 2011, 13:30

Hi avb


Thank God for informed people like you, Paul Martin and Andrew Creagh each playing your parts to educate and influence leaders and others in our community. Thank God also that common sense has prevailed with the cancellation of Adam Hood’s events. I mean freedom of speech is one thing but people and communities have the right and responsibility to uphold certain values that underpin the health of the population, such as inclusivity, support, sharing factual information, protecting vulnerable young people etc rather than promoting ignorance, fear and hate. Allowing that guy to speak would have gone against the good work in the communities concerned and caused untold harm.


Thanks very much for yours and others’ work around this issue. And thanks for posting these articles. It’s really encouraging to see the power of the people bringing about such a positive outcome. 🙂


Blessings,


Ann Maree



iplantolive
 
Joined in 2008
April 3, 2011, 13:55

Glad to hear these lectures were cancelled.


Regardless of where we are on the LGBT spectrum, we all have the right to freely express our sexual identity 🙂


Thanks to everyone involved in this!



Guest

April 3, 2011, 19:51

Awesome 🙂



forestgrey
Chapter Leader
Joined in 2008
April 5, 2011, 17:15

” … people threatened Adam, the Church and the councils with death and bomb threats. All venues were changed for the protection of Adam and the buildings.”


I for one DO NOT, and I’m sure Freedom2ers collectively, and almost certainly Freedom2 organizationally, DO NOT support or endorse any such threats.


The heat engendered by all this is syptomatic of the hurt, distress and damage caused to many gay people via the sort of message and language used by people like Adam Hood.


He and the sponsoring church might be totally sincere in what they espouse. But our experience shows that their message, and particularly the ungracious and threatening way it is delivered, is based on a misguided interpretation of scripture, psychology and experience.




Anthony Venn-Brown
 
Joined in 2005
April 6, 2011, 01:14

Is it appropriate in Australia that free speech includes…..”Homosexuality is an abomination. It’s a sin God will dam. If they stay in that sin they will be dammed to hell and rightly so because they need to be quarantined. Homosexuals are straight up lost. Lost because they didn’t have fathers or were sexually abused by some man. Homosexuality is one of the worst forms of depravity.” Adam Hood ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sTNVcRpixI ).


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