(AgapePress) - According to one pro-family spokesman, the homosexual movement in America can thank the national media for many of its successes during the 1990s.

Peter LaBarbera of the Culture and Family Institute believes the homosexual movement has made enormous progress over the past decade. He insists it is due to a willing accomplice.

Peter LaBarbera

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"There's a media stranglehold on this issue which is worse than I've ever seen it," LaBarbera says. "The good news is that it can be overcome -- but it's gotten worse and worse to the point now where we're actually seeing media stories that are totally bereft [of the pro-family perspective and] have no pro-family person quoted at all."

The pro-family spokesman says it is time for Christians to stand up and take on the media. "You need to challenge the media on balanced coverage," he says, "because as bad as the media is, in the back of their mind somewhere they have sort of a conscience that says there still are two sides to this issue. But they're behaving like there's not two sides."

LaBarbera says the media harbors a little known secret: very few reporters are ever called and challenged about their stories. He believes if that happened more often, it would have an impact on many reporters and their writing.

Getting Message Out
One of the messages that appears to be being stifled by the pro-homosexual media is that there is a way out of the harmful lifestyle. To counter that, one high-profile, pro-family group has sponsored a series of conferences that feature former homosexuals who present their stories and struggles.

Early next month, Focus on the Family hosts, for the nineteenth time, its national "Love Won Out" conference. The November 2 gathering in Springfield, Virginia, comes at a time when there appears to be increasing confusion over the issue of homosexuality, the ministry says.

"In the midst of high-pitched political rhetoric, celebrity endorsements, and media bias, people are more confused than ever about the facts surrounding this issue," says John Paulk, a former homosexual and creator of the "Love Won Out" conference. He notes that according to a recent poll, most Americans believe that one out of every five people are homosexual -- but in reality, homosexuals constitute only 2-3% of the population.

"Millions of people who are troubled with a variety of issues are being encouraged to 'come out' as a solution to their problems," Paulk says. "But for some it is only the beginning -- and we want them to know there is a way out of the emptiness, isolation, and confusion many experience in gay life."

The conference will address such topics as the clinical development of homosexuality, the relationship between homosexuality and genetics, homosexual recovery, and the responsibility of Christians to offer an appropriate, compassionate response to homosexual friends and relatives.

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