{"id":5853,"date":"2020-10-21T11:05:21","date_gmt":"2020-10-21T05:35:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mymedicplus.com\/news\/?p=5853"},"modified":"2022-03-12T14:57:11","modified_gmt":"2022-03-12T09:27:11","slug":"aides-complained-about-pompeo-event-with-florida-group-that-backs-gay-conversion-therapy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mymedicplus.com\/blog\/aides-complained-about-pompeo-event-with-florida-group-that-backs-gay-conversion-therapy\/","title":{"rendered":"Aides complained about Pompeo event with Florida group that backs gay conversion therapy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

Source – https:\/\/www.kansas.com\/<\/p>\n

State Department employees complained this month after members of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo\u2019s advance team discovered overtly anti-gay flyers when scoping out the site of a Florida event with a conservative Christian group that promotes conversion therapy for LGBTQ individuals.<\/p>\n

Pompeo\u2019s decision to address the Florida Family Policy Council was initially flagged by members of his advance team to their supervisors, and other State Department employees also complained after finding the group offers LGBTQ individuals \u201chelp leaving the gay lifestyle\u201d on its website, according to two sources familiar with the internal protest.<\/p>\n

Lisa Kenna, executive secretary at the State Department, was alerted to the concerns and attempted to mitigate fallout from the event.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/div>\n

Pompeo ultimately addressed the Florida group\u2019s Oct. 3 event virtually. The gathering \u2014 which filled a ballroom in Orlando with roughly 700 guests \u2014 coincided with an outbreak of COVID-19 at the White House that infected President Donald Trump and some of his closest aides.<\/p>\n

The State Department frequently condemns conversion therapy programs abroad in its human rights reports as among \u201cacts of violence, discrimination, and other abuses based on sexual orientation and gender identity.\u201d Conversion therapy is a discredited practice that aims to change the sexual orientation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.<\/p>\n

One source described several aides as \u201cappalled\u201d the event still took place despite the concerns, and that afterward, the secretary highlighted his appearance in his latest \u201cMiles with Mike\u201d message to department employees.<\/p>\n

The event was opened by Jannique Stewart of Missouri, a speaker who described her work as training others in opposing abortion and in \u201ccountering some of the agenda when it comes to LGBTQ.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before joining the Trump administration, first as CIA director and then as secretary of State, Pompeo made his views on LGBTQ rights\u00a0explicit, opposing same-sex marriage and once alluding to homosexuality as a \u201cperversion.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Florida Family Policy Council says on its website the phrase \u201cconversion therapy\u201d is an ideological term used to discredit therapeutic practices, but it also explicitly opposes efforts to restrict conversion therapy.<\/p>\n

\u201cConversion therapy bans disguise themselves as bans on \u2018abuse.\u2019 Rather, such bans place unconstitutional limits on freedom of speech because they do not consider the patient\u2019s (or minor patient\u2019s parents) right to pursue avenues of therapy consistent with their beliefs and choices,\u201d the website states.<\/p>\n

The group\u2019s website also includes links to multiple religious-based organizations that offer help \u201cLeaving Gay Lifestyle\u201d and a YouTube video titled \u201cIf Conversion Therapy Is Bad, Why Is Sex Reassignment Good?\u201d<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the State Department downplayed internal dissension over\u00a0<\/b>Pompeo\u2019s appearance at the event, but did not address the group\u2019s views or answer questions on whether the secretary supports conversion therapy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Secretary was asked to speak to this group about the mission of the State Department and he did. The Secretary believes that organizations like Florida Family Policy Council are entitled to hear from him on important national security policy matters,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Secretary was not made aware of any concerns with respect to speaking before this group given that other major leaders have addressed this event,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n

John Stemberger, president of the Florida Family Policy Council, in an emailed statement said there had been nothing on conversion therapy related to the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were no flyers about anything, let alone conversion therapy at our dinner, either from us or other organizations,\u201d Stemberger said. \u201cWe did not talk with the State Department about conversion therapy. We did meet with members of the Diplomatic Security and advance team to do a walk through before the event. The State Department never asked about conversion therapy,\u00a0<\/b>and we as an organization, do not [do] any therapy or counseling at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Table of Contents<\/p>\nToggle<\/span><\/path><\/svg><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n