Ex-gay movement

OneByOne booth at a Love Won Out conference

The ex-gay movement consists of people and organizations that seek to get people to refrain from entering or pursuing same-sex relationships, to eliminate homosexual desires, to develop heterosexual desires, or to enter into a heterosexual relationship. Ex-gay is a term used to describe persons who once considered themselves to be gay, lesbian or bisexual, but who no longer assert that identity. When the term was introduced to professional literature in 1980, E. Mansell Pattison defined it as describing a person who had "experienced a basic change in sexual orientation".

A large body of research and mainstream scientific consensus indicates that being gay, lesbian or bisexual is compatible with normal mental health and social adjustment. Because of this, the major mental health professional organizations do not encourage individuals to try to change their sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual, warn that attempting to do so can be harmful, and explain that sexual orientation is an immutable characteristic.

Definition of change

Various ex-gay groups have working definitions of change. Exodus International describes change as "attaining abstinence from homosexual behaviors, lessening of homosexual temptations, strengthening their sense of masculine or feminine identity, correcting distorted styles of relating with members of the same and opposite gender." People Can Change defines change as "any degree of change toward greater peace, satisfaction and fulfillment, and less shame, depression and darkness," and emphasizes that for most people, heterosexuality is not the ultimate goal. Some ex-gays advocate entering (or remaining) in a heterosexual marriage as part of the process. Some in mixed-orientation marriages acknowledge that their sexual attractions remain primarily homosexual, but seek to make their marriages work anyway. The president of Exodus said he agrees that people cannot necessarily change their sexual orientation, but he said they can "live in accord with their beliefs and faith".

Sexual orientation change efforts

According to the Royal College of Psychiatrists, in a submission to the Church of England’s Listening Exercise on Human Sexuality: there is now a large body of research evidence that indicates that being gay, lesbian or bisexual is compatible with normal mental health and social adjustment. Because of this, the major mental health professional organizations do not encourage individuals to try to change their sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual. Indeed, such interventions may be ethically suspect because they can be harmful to the psychological well-being of those who attempt them; clinical observations and self-reports indicate that many individuals who unsuccessfully attempt to change their sexual orientation experience considerable psychological distress. For these reasons, no major mental health professional organization has sanctioned efforts to change sexual orientation and virtually all of them have adopted policy statements cautioning the profession and the public about treatments that purport to change sexual orientation. The Royal College of Psychiatrists shares the concern of both the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association that positions espoused by bodies like the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) in the United States are not supported by science and that so-called treatments of homosexuality as recommended by NARTH create a setting in which prejudice and discrimination can flourish.

Sexual orientation change efforts have been controversial due to tensions between the values held by some religious organizations, on the one hand, and those held by lesbian, gay and bisexual rights organizations and professional and scientific organizations, on the other. According to the American Psychological Association, some individuals and groups have promoted the idea of homosexuality as symptomatic of developmental defects or spiritual and moral failings and have argued that SOCE, including psychotherapy and religious efforts, could alter homosexual feelings and behaviors. The American Psychological Association takes the view that such efforts have serious potential to harm people because they present the view that the sexual orientation of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth is a mental illness or disorder, and they often frame the inability to change one’s sexual orientation as a personal and moral failure. The American Psychological Association has further noted that many individuals and groups associated with ex-gay efforts appeared to be embedded within the larger context of conservative religious political movements that have supported the stigmatization of homosexuality on political or religious grounds.

Conversion therapy

See also: Conversion therapy

Most mainstream health organizations are critical of conversion therapy, and no mainstream medical organization endorses conversion therapy.

There is a broad concern in the mental health community that the advancement of conversion therapy itself causes social harm by disseminating inaccurate views about sexual orientation and the ability of LGB people to lead happy, healthy lives.

Clinical psychologist Douglas Haldeman has identified conversion therapy as a pseudoscience.

The medical and scientific consensus in the United States is that conversion therapy is likely harmful and should be avoided because it may exploit guilt and anxiety, thereby damaging self-esteem and leading to depression and even suicide.

Ex-gay groups assert that the scientific community has taken its stances on homosexuality due to political, and not scientific, considerations.

However, mainstream mental health organizations have rejected this assertion since the mid-1970s.

In a joint statement, various groups expressed support for personal choice, a right to know about therapeutic alternatives, and the principle of self-determination in regard to persons with same-sex attraction.

Proponents of conversion therapy argue that it is possible for a person's sexual orientation to be changed, and cite research in support of that contention.

Exodus International argues that conversion therapy, specifically reparative therapy, may be a useful tool for decreasing same-sex desires.

Focus on the Family, which advocates conversion therapy, asserts a 2009 study confirms that "through religious mediation" one can change one's sexual orientation; one critic responded that the study was "biased and very slanted".

People

People associated with the ex-gay movement

• Christopher Austin was an ex-gay counselor who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2007 for sexually assaulting a male client. However, the judge having information that the jury was not allowed to see suspended that sentenced to 7 years probation. Austin was affiliated with and gave presentations at NARTH and Evergreen International, which describes him as "a therapist specializing in homosexual and sexual addiction recovery [and] the creator of RENEW, a multi-dimensional treatment approach for men struggling with homosexuality".
• Stephen Bennett is the founder, president and executive director of Stephen Bennett Ministries, a Christian-focused organization that speaks out against homosexuality, assists persons seeking freedom from homosexuality, and provides resources for parents whose children identify as gay and lesbian. He is also a Christian songwriter and recording artist. He has been married since 1993 and has two children.
• Jonathan Berry, converted out of homosexuality at the age of 24, currently Director of True Freedom Trust
• A. Dean Byrd is a psychologist and a past president of NARTH.
• Alan Chambers is the president of Exodus International. He often speaks at ex-gay events and has written several books. He is politically active, and promotes legislation against same-sex marriage.
• Richard Cohen is the former president of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays and was the subject of an interview in March 2007 on The Daily Show. Afterwards, NARTH and Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays removed all references to Cohen from their website, and Exodus International issued a position statement distancing themselves from him.
• Andrew Comiskey is the founder and leader of Desert Stream Ministries which offers "healing groups and leadership training for the local church." He has written several books on being ex-gay.
• Colin Cook, founder of Homosexuals Anonymous, was in 1986 discovered to be engaging in sexual acts with his patients. He claimed that the nude massages of other men should desensitize them against homosexual desires. In 1987, he was expelled from Homosexuals Anonymous for sexual activity, and in 1995 a similar scandal happened with his newly founded group FaithQuest Colorado. Cook had engaged in phone sex, practiced long and grinding hugs, and asked patients to bring gay pornography to sessions so that he could help desensitize them against it.
• Charlene Cothran is a former editor of Venus, a magazine for African-American lesbians. Following her religious conversion to Christianity in 2006, she changed the editorial policy of the magazine to support the ex-gay movement.
• Joe Dallas is the program director of Genesis Counseling. He has written six books on human sexuality.
• DL Foster is a Christian pastor with the Restoration Sanctuary International Church who works mainly with ex-gay people of color. He opposes comparisons between sexual orientation and racial issues.
• Melissa Fryrear was a gender issues analyst in Focus on the Family’s Legislative and Cultural Affairs Department who identified as lesbian for ten years before converting to Christianity and subsequent years of therapy. As of April 2010, she resigned her position with Focus on the Family.
• Michael Glatze is a former gay rights activist and former publisher of Young Gay America YGA Magazine.
• Arthur A. Goldberg, co-founder of Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality (JONAH)
• Mike Haley is a youth and gender analyst for Focus on the Family who identified as gay for twelve years. He is married with three children.
• Martin Hallett is the co-founder of True Freedom Trust. He had a religious experience and ended a homosexual lifestyle.
• James Hartline is a San Diego Christian activist and founder of a report named after himself. He does public speaking and is a commentator on radio, television and news programs. He started The Hillcrest Mission to help people living with AIDS.

Dennis Jernigan in concert

• John Harvey was an American priest who founded the Catholic ex-gay organization Courage International, and adapted the twelve-step model to support people dealing with same sex attractions.
• Dennis Jernigan is a singer-songwriter of contemporary Christian music who cites on his website that he has been delivered from homosexuality.
• Michael Johnston is an HIV-positive man who in 1988 founded the Kerusso Ministries, which encouraged homosexuals to end their sexual lifestyles. He was featured in the film It's Not Gay, promoted by the American Family Association, and had frequently been interviewed on U.S. television and radio regarding his claimed change in sexuality, and even featured in a national television advertising campaign in 1998 stating that Jesus Christ empowered him to leave his homosexual past. In 2003, he was exposed as having recently resumed having sex with men, and he admitted to having had unprotected sex with multiple male partners without disclosing his HIV-positive status, despite knowing that he was HIV-positive, for over a period of two years. According to the Pure Life Ministries (PLM), he entered their residential program in June 2003 and graduated after six months. He is currently employed at PLM as their media director.
• Víctor Jorquera is the online editor of GayChile.com. It served as an important source of information for Chile's gay community, frequently publishing details about LGBT community events. In 2007 he became ex-gay and the website refocused on socially conservative Biblical views.
• Benjamin Kaufman is a former Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UC Davis School of Medicine. He was a founding officer of NARTH and now serves as Chairman of The Board.
• Terrance Lewis was a minister and former counselor at Providence Bible College in Winnipeg, Canada who was found guilty in February 2008 for sexually assaulting a young man who sought counseling to make him heterosexual. The victim told court he started meeting Lewis for counseling sessions in early 2000 after his parents caught him viewing gay pornography on the family computer. The man said Lewis started a program of "touch therapy", which included the two kissing and fondling each other and engaging in sexual roleplaying.
• James O. Mason was United States Assistant Secretary for Health from 1989 to 1993 and the Acting Surgeon General of the United States from 1989 to 1990. He currently is a member of the board of trustees of Evergreen International.
• David Matheson is the clinical director of the Center for Gender Wholeness, co-creator of the Journey into Manhood weekend, director of People Can Change, author and public speaker. He was married when he declared he was attracted to men and started seven years of therapy which he claims changed his sexual orientation. Afterwards he became a counselor focusing on helping other men in similar circumstances. He does not claim to be completely straight, but rather "straight enough".
• Donnie McClurkin wrote about his experience with homosexuality in his book Eternal Victim, Eternal Victor. He describes himself as going through a process by which he became "saved and sanctified." McClurkin has been criticized for stating homosexuality is a curse. He speaks openly about sexual issues since becoming the biological father of a child with a woman to whom he was not married. He uses these life experiences in his concerts and speaking engagements. In 2004, he sang at the Republican National Convention. The appearance generated criticism for the event organizers and McClurkin for his statements on homosexuality.
• Alan Medinger was an author and a former director of Exodus International; Medinger founded and served as executive director of Regeneration Ministries, a Christian organization which deals with gay pornography.

Povia at the 2009 Sanremo Festival.

• Camille Paglia, professor and social critic. Paglia has supported those who might wish to abandon homosexuality, has disputed that homosexuality is biologically intrinsic, and has chastized what she regards as the intellectual totalitarianism of some in the LGBT community.
• Jason Park admitted his homosexual feelings at the age of 31 after being married 4 years. After going through a support group, therapy, and Evergreen International, he has since left homosexuality. He has since written 3 books concerning homosexuality and is a popular speaker at Evergreen International conferences.
• John Paulk, then leader of Focus on the Family's Love Won Out conference and chairman of the board for Exodus International North America, was spotted visiting a Washington, D.C gay bar in September 2000 . He was photographed outside of the bar from behind by Wayne Besen, and later stepped down from the two organizations.
• Giuseppe Povìa is an Italian singer who said he had a gay phase for seven months, and he helped two friends who believed they were gay to get married. He came under fire for a magazine interview in which he said "people aren't gay, they become gay on the basis of who they spend time with." He wrote and performed Luca Era Gay, about a gay man who becomes ex-gay which won second place in the San Remo Festival. Povia says the song is not about Luca Di Tolve, who he says has been cured of his homosexuality thanks to the therapies of Joseph Nicolosi.
• Sy Rogers is a pastoral care specialist regarding sexuality who was selected as one of '50 Up & Coming Evangelical Leaders Under 40' by Christianity Today. Rogers has spoken in services and conducted teaching and seminar events for widely varied groups, including mega churches around the world. Besides church, Rogers has guest lectured for Christian higher education such as Christian universities, Bible colleges & seminaries.
• Greg Quinlan is a former homosexual who is the president of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays.
• Jeffrey Satinover is an American psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and physicist. He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of NARTH.
• Charles Socarides was an American psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, physician, educator, and author. He helped found NARTH in 1992.
• Warren Throckmorton is a past president of the American Mental Health Counselors Association. He wrote and produced the documentary I Do Exist about ex-gay people.
• Randy Thomas, executive vice president of Exodus International who was in gay relationships since he was a teenager, but stopped when he became a Christian in his mid-20s.
• Chad Thompson is an author and founder of Inqueery, a website addressing ex-gay issues among high school students.
• Kristin J. Tremba is a former lesbian who is Director of OneByOne, a Presbyterian ex-gay organization
• Frank Worthen founded Love in Action in 1973, and Exodus in 1976.
• Rich Wyler is the founder and executive director of People Can Change, co-creator and leader of Journey into Manhood, and founder of Higher Path Life Coaching.

People who no longer support the ex-gay movement

Main article: Ex-ex-gay

• Günter Baum originally founded an ex-gay ministry in Germany. Later he formed Zwischenraum, which helps gay Christians to accept their sexuality and to reconcile it with their beliefs.
• Michael Bussee and Gary Cooper, co-founders of Exodus International, left the group and in 1979, held a life commitment ceremony. Bussee went on to become an outspoken critic of Exodus and the ex-gay movement. In June 2007 Bussee issued an apology for his part in the ex-gay movement.
• Ben Gresham is an Australian man who went through three years of ex-gay therapy starting at sixteen years of age. He does media appearances including ABC TV’s The Hack Half Hour, SX News and Triple J (radio) regarding what he sees as the dangers of ex-gay programs and the psychological harm associated with them.Along with this, Gresham is a part of "Freedom 2 b[e]" which offers support to LGBT people from church backgrounds and is also the co-founder of ‘The Hope Alliance‘ which confronts ex-gay programs in Australia and offers hope to people displaced from the ex gay movement.
• Anthony Venn-Brown is a former Australian evangelist in the Assemblies of God and an author whose book describes his experience in Australia’s first ex-gay program. Venn-Brown co-founded "Freedom 2 b[e]" which offers support to GLBT people from church backgrounds and who have been displaced from the ex gay movement. In 2007 he co-ordinated the release of a statement from five Australian ex-gay leaders who publicly apologized for their past actions.
• Noe Gutierrez appeared in Warren Throckmorton's ex-gay video I Do Exist in 2004. This garnered some notice, as Gutierrez had previously appeared in a video for gay youth known as It's Elementary. Gutierrez later left the ex-gay movement and wrote about his experience.
• Peterson Toscano is an actor who was involved in the ex-gay movement for 17 years. He performs a related one-man satire titled Doin' Time in the Homo No Mo Halfway House, and with Christine Bakke co-runs Beyond Ex-Gay, a support website for people coming out of ex-gay experiences.

Ex-gay groups

Perhaps the first organization to counsel gays on changing their orientation was the Aesthetic Realism Foundation. In 1971 four students of Aesthetic Realism appeared on the David Susskind television program and claimed they had changed from homosexuality by studying Aesthetic Realism and learning not to have contempt for the world. The same year the Aesthetic Realism Foundation published a book about their program of change, and later Aesthetic Realism students purchased large ads in major newspapers to promote their solution. However, in 1990 the Aesthetic Realism Foundation stopped offering counseling on how to change. The Foundation claimed it was because of the spirit of anger surrounding the subject, though critics contend that the Foundation was forced to abandon their program because it clearly wasn't working.

The first ex-gay ministry was formed in 1973, called Love in Action. Three years later, they joined with other ex-gay organizations to form Exodus International. Exodus is the largest ex-gay organization, and has grown to include over 120 local ministries in the U.S. and Canada. Exodus International is the largest organization under the Exodus Global Alliance. Other ex-gay organizations have been formed to cater to a specific religious group, such as Courage for Catholics, Evergreen International for Mormons (LDS), OneByOne for Presbyterians, Transformation Congregations for Methodists and JONAH for Jews.

Other organizations have formed to address specific groups. Witness Freedom Ministries caters to people of color with same-sex attractions. Exodus Youth is a group specifically designed for youth, and the NEA Ex-Gay Educators Caucus is a group formed to help ex-gay teachers and students. Others form after a specific technique, such as Homosexuals Anonymous which was modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous' 12 step program and International Healing Foundation was modeled after Richard A. Cohen's methods. People Can Change and Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX) are two other ex-gay organizations in North America.

In 1994, Esly Carvalho began Exodus Latino America. In 2002, Exodus Brasil separated as a separate organization under Global Exodus Alliance. Other groups in Latin America include Courage Latino for Catholics, Elías S.O.S in Argentina, and Camino de Salida in Ecuador. Es Posible el Cambio is an interdenominational group that advocates conversion therapy.

In Europe

In 1975, Johan van de Sluis began EHAH (in English: Evangelical Counseling for Homosexuals) in the Netherlands. After visiting an Exodus conference in America, he combined his organization with others to form Exodus Europe in 1982. Exodus Europe included True Freedom Trust in the UK, Medvandrarna in Sweden, Til Helhet in Norway, Basis in Denmark, Aslan in Finland, Different (the old EHAH) in Belgium and Onze Weg in the Netherlands. In April 2007, Exodus Europe decided to break away from the Global Exodus Alliance because it was too affected by American thinking. These ministries are now part of LINC (Live in Christ). The United Kingdom also has Encourage for Catholics and StraightWay Foundation for Muslims.

In Australia and Asia

In 1978, Peter Lane began the first ex-gay group in Australia, which was called Liberty Ministry. In 1987, it joined with other ministries to form Exodus Asia Pacific. In 1990 Frank Worthen went to the Philippines and formed Bagong Pag-asa. Other significant ex-gay groups under Exodus Asia Pacific include Liberty Christian Ministries in Australia, Rainbow 7 in Taiwan, Liberty League in Singapore and Pursuing Liberty Under Christ in Malaysia.

Ex-gay organizations in the Middle East include Atzat Nefesh for Jews and Al-Tawbah for Muslims.

Motivation of participants

Ex-gay groups help counteract and buffer minority stress, marginalization, and isolation in ways similar to other support groups, such as offering social support, fellowship, role models, and new ways to view a problem through unique philosophies or ideologies. According to some researchers, people join ex-gay groups due to (a) a lack of other sources of social support; (b) a desire for active coping, including both cognitive and emotional coping; and (c) access to methods of sexual orientation identity exploration and reconstruction. Ex-gay groups have been described as "a refuge for those who were excluded both from conservative churches and from their families, because of their same-sex sexual attractions, and from gay organizations and social networks, because of their conservative religious beliefs." Some ex-gay groups appear to relieve the distress caused by conflicts between religious values and sexual orientation and help participants change their sexual orientation identity, but not their sexual orientation. Faith-based ex-gay groups help to resolve these conflicts by (a) adopting a new discourse or worldview, (b) engaging in a biographical reconstruction, (c) embracing a new explanatory model, and (d) forming strong interpersonalties. Same-sex sexual behaviors are recast as an ordinary sin, which builds hope and recovery, and are reinterpreted as opportunities for repentance, forgiveness, and ultimately salvation.

Controversy over teenagers

A controversial aspect of the ex-gay movement has been the focus of some ex-gay organizations on teenagers, including occasions where teenagers have been forced to attend ex-gay camps by their parents. A 2006 report by the National Gay and Lesbian Taskforce outlined evidence that ex-gay and conversion therapy groups were at the time increasingly focusing on children. Several legal researchers have responded to these events by arguing that parents who force their children into aggressive conversion therapy programs are committing child abuse under various state statutes.

One case of emancipation involved Lyn Duff. After 168 days in Rivendell, Duff escaped. In 1992, she initiated legal action against the facility and her mother.

The ex-gay organization Love in Action was involved in a controversy surrounding a teenager. In July 2005, The New York Times ran a feature story about 16-year-old Zachary Stark, whose parents forced him to attend an ex-gay camp run by the group. In July 2005, Stark was released from the camp. An investigation of the camp by the Tennessee Department of Children's Services did not uncover signs of child abuse. In September 2005, Tennessee authorities discovered that unlicensed staff had been administering prescription drugs. A settlement was reached shortly thereafer. LIA closed the camp in 2007.

In the early days, there were several scandals between leaders and participants, but they are less common. This may be due to increased organizational accountability and growing awareness that those ministering in their area of temptation are vulnerable.

See also

• Environment and sexual orientation
• Ex-ex-gay
• Mixed-orientation marriage
• American Family Association v. City and County of San Francisco

External links

• Ex-GayTruth.com, presents issues related to the ex-gay movement from a conservative Christian perspective
• Christian Perspectives on Homosexuality and Bisexuality at Curlie
• Views Opposing Homosexuality and Bisexuality at Curlie
• Beyond Ex-Gay Support website co-run by Peterson Toscano and Christine Bakke, for people coming out of ex-gay experiences
• Cure for Love, a National Film Board of Canada documentary