FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact Info: Marc Adams
press2@heartstrong.org 206-388-3894
HeartStrong Po Box 2051 Seattle WA 98111

FORMER EXGAY COMES TO TEXAS

(04-29-09) -- Marc Adams, Lambda Literary Award finalist and Silver Pen Award recipient for his autobiography, The Preacher's Son, will be speaking throughout the state of Texas in May, 2009. Fifteen educational forums have been scheduled throughout the state. These forums are part of HeartStrong's 35th Outreach/Educational Trip.

HeartStrong, Inc., is a non-profit educational organization for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students from religious schools, colleges, and universities. At the forums, Marc will share his life's story as well as discuss HeartStrong, Inc., the non-profit organization he co-founded more than a decade ago. HeartStrong has provided hope and help to GLBT students who have endured faith-based anti-GLBT bullying in religious schools around the world since 1996. Texas ranks number five in the United States for number of schools and number of students enrolled.

"It can be a very serious situation for a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender person who finds themselves in one of these schools," Adams warns. "Parents enroll their kids in these schools without even considering what might happen. Sometimes they enroll their kids in these schools because of their homosexuality."

The Preacher's Son chronicles Marc's life growing up gay as the son of a fundamentalist Baptist minister in rural. He went on to attend, by choice, Jerry Falwell's Liberty University. His book articulately reveals life at Liberty and the struggle to conform. He shares about his years as an ex-gay, coming to terms with being gay and his coming out to his fundamentalist Baptist Christian family.

"This is a great opportunity to hear firsthand what it is like to grow up gay in such a destructive environment," Adams says. "As serious as the subject matter is, most people who attend these forums laugh, cry and laugh again as I share about how I found freedom and how we've helped so many others on their own journeys to self acceptance."

Adams' nine books have garnered praise and critical acclaim around the world. The educational forum schedule is located on the website below.

http://www.meetmarcadams.com

http://www.exgay.com

http://www.heartstrong.org

Marc Adams books include: The Preacher's Son, (lost)Found, Do's & Don'ts of Dealing with the Religious Right and It's Not About You: Understanding Coming Out and Self Acceptance.

Texas cities visited by Marc Adams include Dallas, Houston, Waco, College Station, Fort Worth, Plano, Denison, Austin, Lubbock and Amarillo.

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