address a church conference in Bermuda this week.

They are among a group of three "former homosexuals'' invited to the Island by churchmen to tell their life stories.

The three men are from Transformation Christian Ministries in Washington DC, part of a worldwide campaign which says it "heals'' gay people.

The trio arrive on Wednesday and will take part in a public conference at St.

Paul's AME Centennial Hall on Friday night and Saturday.

Mr. Nelson Lloyd, one of the group, said: "All of us have dealt with homosexuality in our backgrounds.

"I myself dealt with transexuality. I grew up feeling that the female side of my character was more dominant than my male side.

"When I was around 24 I started having thoughts and desires to change my gender surgically. God was the one that pulled me out of that situation and allowed me to see parts of my masculinity that were severely under-developed.

I'm 100 percent male.'' Mr. Lloyd, 29, said he now had a girlfriend.

He said his group was part of Exodus International, a worldwide "ex-gay'' organisation. It dealt with other issues of "sexual brokenness'' including promiscuity, bisexuality and "sexual addiction''.

"God is opening up the doors for people all over the world to deal with these issues in their lives. There's a lot of people who are not happy with the way that they feel and they know there's something wrong with the way they feel.

"We show that there is a choice in your lifestyle.'' Mr. Lloyd, assistant director of Transformation, said he does not think people choose to become homosexual.

"It's because of underlying issues in their life,'' he said.

These could include sexual abuse or not "bonding'' with their same-sex parent.

The group can only work with people who are "dissatisfied'' with being gay, he said.

"I was living a a homosexual lifestyle. I thought I was not an unhappy person, but when I found that there was a choice it was very liberating for me.'' The seminar has been organised by the Family Policy Council, a new group formed by West Pembroke Pentecostal Assembly, the Church of the Nazarene, Emmanuel Baptist Church and the New Testament Church of God.

"It will examine the Bible's pronouncements on homosexuality and explain why it is that many Christian churches have so far failed to minister to the needs of our homosexuals,'' organisers said.

A local gay and lesbian group has attacked the conference as "crazy''. The Bermuda Human Rights Alliance, which says it represents more than 100 local homosexuals, said it would take no part in planned discussions.