By Maria Hickey, KWMU
St. Louis, MO. – As the Christian group Focus on the Family prepares to hold a conference on homosexuality in St. Louis Saturday others are planning a protest.
Focus on the Family views homosexuality as something that is preventable and treatable.
Their one-day conference, called Love Won Out, is expected to draw more than 1,000 people to the First Evangelical Free Church in Manchester.
But health care officials, as well as civil rights and religious leaders plan to hold a vigil across from the church called Love Needs No Cure.
Julie Brueggemann is executive director of the advocacy group PROMO.
"We believe the conference is harmful and destructive and they're sending false messages," she said.
But Focus on the Family spokesman Gary Schneeberger says the conference is about giving people who want to change hope, not attacking homosexuality.
"There are thousands of people who have walked away from it," Schneeberger said. "Maybe that's not for everybody, it's certainly not easy, but our message is that it is possible because with God, all things are possible."
Schneeberger says most of the people who attend have a friend or family member who is gay and are looking for ways to reach out.