Is time up for Exodus International’s Love Won Out? The conference, aimed at family and friends of “those struggling with same-sex attractions,” takes place several times a year in locations all over the United States — but details of upcoming events are conspicuously absent after the conference scheduled for Harrisburg, PA, this weekend.
Love Won Out began as a ministry of James Dobson’s Focus on the Family, with the support of Exodus International, in 1998 — the heyday of the ex-gay message that “change is possible.” In 2009, Focus on the Family backed out, and Exodus took over.
Since the takeover, the conference’s fortunes have been in decline. In September 2011, Love Won Out experienced its lowest attendance yet. In May this year, an Albuquerque, NM, conference was cancelled due to lack of interest.
It’s well-known that Exodus is struggling for cash, but it’s also struggling to find a coherent message now it’s distanced itself from the promises of reparative therapy. Love Won Out may well be the next casualty of changes at the organization.