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LGBT supporters to protest against annual conference of Australian Christian Lobby

CB Condez April 07, 2016 07:52 AM EST

Advocates of LGBT rights in the Land Down Under are planning to lodge protests against the annual conference of the organization Australian Christian Lobby.

"The Australian Christian Lobby successfully tore shreds off the Safe Schools program through a campaign of bigotry and fear mongering," Cat Rose, a co-convener of Community Action Against Homophobia, is quoted by Gay News Network as saying. "They may like to pose as moderate Christians but this conference shows exactly who's in bed with who. We want to give the ACL and Scott Morrison the protest they deserve."

Performers dressed in their costumes prepare to participate in the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade in Sydney, Australia, March 5, 2016. | REUTERS/DAVID GRAY

Morrison, an evangelical Christian and the incumbent treasurer of Australia, will be a speaker during the event, along with: New York Times best-selling author Eric Metaxas; Dr. Megan Best, a Bioethicist and Palliative Care Specialist; Dr Stephen Chavura of the Macquarie University; among others. Dr. Jeffrey J. Ventrella of the American Christian legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom will also be there.

"Speaking alongside Scott Morrison are some of the chief leaders of the American homophobic far right including a representative of the Alliance Defending Freedom whose organisation has promoted and defended anti-sodomy laws that criminalise gay sex internationally and who have hatched a large scale campaign to roll back the rights of trans people in America," said Patrick Wright, also a co-convener of CAAH.

ACL is staunchly opposed to the Safe Schools program, an anti-bullying initiative run by the Safe Schools Coalition that aims to get rid of homophobia and transphobia among the schools in Australia. The government-funded program creates supportive school environements for LGBT students.

Called Cultivating Courage, this year's ACL conference intends to tackle the increasing difficulty of being a Christian in Australia. The description emphasizes on courage and hope amid mockery and attempts to silence Christians. Participants "will hear from Christians in theology, history, law, politics, journalism, medicine and more, about how we can together be a voice for values and shape our nation's future."

The conference will take place on April 23 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Wesley Conference Centre.

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