***Please note that the charity involved is the Christian charity CARE (Christian Action Research and Education) which is not associated in any way with the charity CARE International***

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We call on the 13 MPs listed below to sever links with the charity CARE (Christian Action Research and Education)which co-sponsored a 'gay cure' conference in April 2009 and an event called "Is Gay Real" in 2007. A Director & Trustee of CARE is also a Director & Trustee of Anglican Mainstream, the organisation which tried to run 'gay cure' bus adverts in London in April 2012. He moderated part of a conference called "The Lepers Among Us : Homosexuality and the Life of the Church" which discussed "same sex sins" that was held in January 2012.

Since the 2007 ‘gay cure’ conference took place, 20 MPs have received an intern paid for by CARE as part of its Educational Leadership Programme. Two MPs are no longer in the house. As a result of this petition five MPs have publicly stated they will no longer participate in the intern scheme.

We are concerned that by accepting material support from CARE and actively participating in its Educational Leadership Programme, which seeks to place interns with Christian values in public life, the MPs listed below could be seen to be implicitly supporting the views of the charity and, in turn, their co-sponsorship of conferences discussing “Therapeutic approaches to Same-Sex Attraction” and “Mentoring the sexually broken”.

The MPs who have made declarations of material support in the form of interns paid for by the charity CARE (Christian Action Research and Education) since the ‘gay cure’ conference took place are:

Rt Hon Sir Alan Beith MP, Berwick-Upon-Tweed (LibDem)

David Burrowes MP, Enfield Southgate (Con)

Paul Burstow MP, Sutton and Cheam (LibDem)

Alistair Burt MP, North East Bedfordshire (Con)

Stephen Crabb MP, Preseli Pembrokeshire (Con)

John Glen MP, Salisbury (Con)

Stephen O’Brien MP, Eddisbury (Con)

James Paice MP, South East Cambridgeshire (Con)

Andrew Selous MP, South West Bedfordshire (Con)

Rt Hon Caroline Spelman MP, Meriden (Con)

Gary Streeter MP, South West Devon (Con)

Desmond Swayne MP, New Forest West (Con)

Steve Webb MP, Northavon (LibDem)

David Lammy MP, Tottenham (Lab) and Elizabeth Kendall MP, Leicester West (Lab), Sharon Hodgson MP, Washington and Sunderland West (Lab) and Catherine McKinnell MP, Newcastle Upon Tyne North (Lab) and Tim Farron MP, Westmoreland and Lonsdale (Lib Dem), have also made declarations of material support from CARE since the 'gay cure' event but have stated that they will no longer participate in the intern programme in future, as a direct result of this petition. Former MPs David Drew (Stroud, Lab) and Andrew Reed (Loughborough, Lab) also made such declarations but are no longer in the House of Commons.

Homosexuality is not a disease. The Royal College of Psychiatrists clearly state this and add "so-called treatments of homosexuality create a setting in which prejudice and discrimination flourish".

The same charity CARE is actively fundraising to provide sex and relationship education material to primary school age children " to help young people make value choices and to strengthen family relations" and has established the 'Sex and Relationships Education Council' to "promote the best possible sex and relationship education both at home and at school".

CARE is also a founding member of the Coalition for Marriage, which is campaigning against the legalisation of equal marriage rights.

In light of this, we call on the MPs listed above to follow David Lammy MP Liz Kendall MP, Sharon Hodgson MP, Catherine McKinnell MP and Tim Farron MP in condemning the 'gay cure' conference and confirming that they will sever links with CARE and will no longer participate in its intern programme.

More info:

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/04/26/100-protest-outside-london-gay-cure-conference/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/13/gay-cure-christian-charity-mps-interns?newsfeed=true

***Please note that the charity involved is the charity CARE (Christian Action Research and Education) which is not associated in any way with the charity CARE International***

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