Tickets to the Canadian gala can be purchased HERE.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) – Fans of U.S. Bureau Chief’s Doug Mainwaring’s essays will not want to miss a chance to talk to him at next month’s Canadian gala.
A LifeSiteNews reporter for six years now, ex-gay man Doug is committed to giving a voice to men and women who have turned away from homosexuality to embrace in new life in Christ.
“It doesn’t get talked about much, but there are perhaps as many as or more who have walked away from homosexuality and transgenderism as there are those who pledge allegiance to the rainbow flag,” he told LifeSiteNews.
The most famous convert Doug has met so far was ex-gay provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos. In 2021 Milo gave Doug an interview in which he broke the news that he had decided to walk away from homosexuality and was living a chaste life consecrated to St. Joseph. The story sent shockwaves through not only the Catholic press but secular media as well.
Doug was also on the spot when, in 2019, in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, former gay, lesbian, and transgender men and women repented and interceded on behalf the nation for the sins of homosexuality and transgenderism.
“Although I was there as a journalist, I counted myself as a participant,” he told LifeSiteNews. “Among those present were two survivors of the 2017 Pulse Nightclub massacre. The spontaneous moment of repentance and worship was the perfect response to 2 Chronicles 7:14: If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
As a former gay man who was, and is, married to a woman, Doug is passionate about saving both marriage and the American conservative movement from the erosion of LGBT ideology. He believes that his most important contribution has been an ongoing series of articles on the rise of LGBT influence in conservative and Republican circles. (The eleven commentaries can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.)
“It’s a topic that doesn’t get much attention, mostly eliciting a shrug of the shoulders among conservative elites,” he told LifeSiteNews. “That’s why it’s crucial that we’re reporting on these significant developments, going on the record to identify the mostly silent eroding of genuine conservatism.”
From living as a gay man to fighting ‘Obergefell’
It’s hard to believe now, but Doug was once “100% pro-same-sex marriage.” Twenty-four years ago, married with two young sons, he divorced his wife to live as a gay man. Ten years after that, while dating the male cousin of a major Republican figure, Doug got involved in politics for the first time in his life. He quit his real estate career, co-founded the National Capital Tea Party Patriots, and taught himself how to write persuasively for the public square.
“In those days, I was a 100% pro-same-sex marriage Libertarian,” he recalled. “In fact, the first commentary I had published was for the Washington Post in 2009, arguing in favor of same-sex marriage.”
But soon afterwards, as Doug looked more deeply at the issue, something extraordinary happened: Doug was seized by truths that outweighed his sexual predilections.
“I realized I was on the wrong side of history, of science, and of nature,” he said. “In the end, I had no choice: I had to reform my life.”
Knowing he had hurt his wife and kids, Doug resolved in 2011 to restore his marriage and make his family whole again. Two years later, he returned to full communion with the Catholic Church. Along the way, he became a marriage, family, and children’s rights activist.
“Although I was a quiet guy who had avoided confrontation my entire life, I found myself on the front lines of the marriage battle,” Doug told LifeSite. “As progressive and LGBT activists fought to change state laws across the country to legalize same-sex marriage, I fought back.”
Aware that same-sex marriage was wrong and foreseeing that it would be weaponized against both religious freedom for Christians and the best interests of children, Doug found it impossible to sit at home. He was invited to testify before state legislatures around the USA, on radio, and on TV, to defend the traditional definition of marriage.
“The late, great Rush Limbaugh even quoted me on his show,” Doug recollected.
“I also originated and co-authored two amicus briefs for the United States Supreme Court in defense of marriage. One of those briefs, known as “Same-Sex Attracted Men and Their Wives,” was submitted in the Obergefell v. Hodges case in support of allowing states to maintain the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman.”
Despite all the time and money Doug poured into his defense of marriage, Obergefell became the law of the land. Nevertheless, Doug not only believes Obergefell will fall during his sons’ lifetime, he believes it will fall in his own.
“Why? Because it’s based on sophistry,” he explained. “It redefined marriage as something that is not marriage, which is complementary and conjugal. So-called ‘genderless marriage’ defies the definition of marriage.”
“As a matter of policy, Obergefell has done great harm to children, opening the door to the purposeful deprivation of either a child’s mom or dad, surrogacy which utterly obscures and obliterates a child’s mother, and transgenderism. People will deny that last connection, but it’s undeniable, and it has been a worse plague on the children of the U.S. than COVID ever was.”
‘Reporting on the … toxic topics and stories we cover can really take a toll’
Confronting the suffering that the sexual revolution has visited on countless unborn babies, children, men, and women takes its toll. Doug told LifeSite that he learned “the hard way” that he has to separate work from the rest of his life.
“I’m an early riser, so I often start reading and writing around 4:30 AM, take frequent breaks, and stay away from TV and online news after 6 PM,” he said.
“But it can be very hard. Reporting on the array of toxic topics and stories we cover can really take a toll mentally, spiritually, and physically.”
For example, earlier this week Doug received an advance review copy of the film Sound of Freedom. The movie tells the story of Tim Ballard, the Homeland Security agent who quit his job to rescue countless children from sex-traffickers. An enormous global “industry” making tens of billions of dollars from horrific child exploitation, it reportedly has the U.S. as its largest consumer.
“Here’s the thing,” said Doug. “I started watching the 2-hour long movie at 7:00 AM but didn’t finish until 11:00 AM. It took twice as long for me to view the film because I had to get up and walk away from my laptop numerous times.”
“I’m a 65-year-old man who has seen a lot in his lifetime, but I was alternately wiping away tears—truth be told, sobbing—and seething with rage throughout the first hour,” he continued. “The subject matter was just that troubling.”
Fortunately, Doug was able to interview Tim Ballard himself later that very day and thank him for saving children’s lives.
“I told him I would gladly follow him into war,” he said.
‘Our annual get-togethers are not unlike a family reunion.’
Doug is looking forward to LifeSiteNews’ July 18 Canadian gala, which will kick off this year’s Annual General Meeting.
“We LifeSiteNews folks are spread out all over the world, and while we get to speak with each other via daily online meetings, we rarely get to see each other in person,” he explained. “Our annual get-togethers are not unlike a family reunion.”
Meanwhile, meeting readers never ceases to be rewarding, and Doug is delighted to have a concrete way to thank them.
“Occasionally, when I’m out in the field covering an event at the Supreme Court, the March for Life, or elsewhere in D.C., I run into folks who recognize the LifeSite logo on my jacket or the press pass hanging around my neck and approach to thank me and our whole team for the work we do,” Doug said.
“But the gala is our opportunity to thank our readers and donors for their generous support—without it the mission of LifeSiteNews would be just a dream.”
LifeSiteNews co-founders Steve Jalsevac and John-Henry Westen, and special guests such as Jim Hughes of Campaign Life Coalition, student activist Josh Alexander, author Jonathon Van Maren, and LifeSite’s Jim Hale will also be at the gala. There are only 200 tickets available and ticket sales close on July 1, 2023. The event will take place at the Hilton Toronto/Markham Suites and Conference Centre.
Tickets for the gala – where, after enjoying a reception and plated dinner, attendees will be part of LifeSite’s live studio audience – can be purchased here.