Rothesay — Amid the controversy surrounding the organization’s anti-LGBTQ+ message, Journey Canada will partake in a mandatory retreat that will hopefully convert their staff into basic open-minded individuals.
The retreat will be based on the conversion therapy Journey Canada has been accused of promoting. “The theme for the week-long session is ‘Are you kidding me? Are we not over this yet?’,” explains coordinator John Middleton. “We’re hoping that, through various interactive exercises, the participants will understand that their intolerance is a choice.”
While Middleton does not promote the idea of a full-conversion program, he insists that his retreat aims to offer a guiding light to those wanting to jump into the 21st century. The coordinator shared success stories of previous retreats: “It’s amazing to see the progress in these lost souls. They go from blaming people for their sexual orientation, to blaming gluten-free food as the cause of the ‘gay plague.'”
Of course, Middleton understands there is still much work to be done, but he says he’s OK with having a bunch of intolerably intolerant, self-declared saviours declare war on fad diets if it means allowing the members of the LGBTQ+ community to live their true lives.
When we asked for an interview with a Journey Canada representative, the organization declined, saying that The Manatee sounded very much like the Maritime equivalent to the gay slang term “bear,” and that they did want to be associated with a media outlet that held such values.