ABOUT EX-GAY MINISTRIES
[For a complete copy of this report, send a $15 donation to:
Williams-Nichols Institute, Inc., PO Box 4264, Louisville, KY
40204. Donations are fully tax-deductible. Permission to
reprint, distribute, or use the following information in any
positive way by any gay, lesbian, or bisexual group or any other
group that is working to improve the general status of gays,
lesbians, bisexuals, or the transgendered is hereby given].
Because conservative Christians believe that homosexuality is not
predetermined through genetics or other causes beyond the control of the
individual, it follows logically, then, that they believe is it malleable,
"curable," or "reparable." Methods used to
"treat" homosexuals for their "problem" have centered
mainly around prayer and intensive psychological counseling, but some
groups within the movement are now reportedly using more extreme means,
such as hypnosis, powerful psychotic drugs, and radical deprogramming
techniques to alter the development of homosexuality, especially in
adolescents. (1)
These religious-based groups, most of which appear on the surface to be
well-meaning, believe that, by helping to save souls from certain damnation,
they are carrying out the wishes of the founder of their religion, Jesus
Christ (who was actually silent about homosexuality). One of the most
prominent proponents of "reparative therapy," as it is called,
is Rev. Lou Sheldon, head of the Traditional Values Coalition in Anaheim,
California. Another is Dr. Charles W. Socarides.
In order to learn more about Exodus International and Transformation
Ex-Gay Ministry, we wrote letters to both organizations asking five
basic questions (2). A conscious attempt was made to word the questions
in as impartial a manner as possible. We asked:
Exodus International is a referral agency only, according to Davies. In
November 1993, it listed 78 agencies in 35 states (not 110
"nationwide," as the May tabloid claims) (4). Two of these
ministries are listed for Kentucky: CrossOver Ministries, founded by Bruce
Grimsley in Lexington in 1985, and Pathway Ministries, directed by Martin
Ward in south Louisville.
Exodus International is clearly affiliated with the Protestant Christian
belief system. In one of its pamphlets, "Exodus: A Way Out,"
it offers "Freedom from homosexuality, not through a method but a
person, the Lord Jesus Christ!" It believes that only through total
surrender to Christ can homosexuals hope to change into heterosexuals
(although it does have special materials aimed at Catholics, Mormons, and
others). It offers a huge selection of educational items, including
videotapes as well as audiotapes, and provides lectures on request. It
also publishes a quarterly newsletter, "The Standard."
Interestingly, Davies had "no idea how many people go through
counseling" but said that Exodus processes up to 600 requests for
information each month. Presumably, our request was one of those.
One of their local agencies, Love In Action, in San Rafael, California
(north of San Francisco), estimates that they have processed over 30,000
requests for information since its inception in 1974. Davies guesses that
all ministries nationwide have processed over 100,000 requests for
information in the past 18 years (5). He provided no information on how
many of these requests resulted in individuals signing up for their
program.
Davies also did not have an answer concerning the success rate.
"Each agency would probably give you a different answer," he
states. Love In Action, he said, "estimates that about half the
men who complete their program remain out of homosexuality after
five years." Davies made no mention of any followup programs.
Here again, saying that they have remained "out of homosexuality"
is not the same as saying they are now heterosexually involved: some of
them may be celibate or impotent, or they may simply have given up sex
with other members of the same gender but retain homosexual masturbatory
fantasies. Without a lack of followup, success rates are difficult to
ascertain.
In fact, the efficacy of a "cure" has been called into question
by many gays who have gone through the Exodus program. And gay activists
note that Exodus' so-called success stories consist almost entirely of
tormented homosexuals who have become celibate rather than heterosexual,
according to Kalmansohn.
Perhaps the most famous "former ex-gays" are Michael Bussee and
Gary Cooper, who were instrumental in establishing Exodus International
in 1976 (6).
Both Bussee and Cooper, troubled by their homosexual feelings, became
fervent Christians in 1971 while still in their late teens. They met and
became friends while working for a counseling and referral line at the
Melodyland Christian Center in Anaheim.
Bussee, knowing what a struggle he'd had in dealing with his own
homosexual feelings, grew worried when he heard operators of the center's
hotline tell gay and lesbian callers that they were "possessed by
demons." Requesting specific training for such calls, he learned
that none existed. "I told them I was a Christian homosexual,"
Bussee says. They replied, "There's no such thing. If you trust
God, all your homosexual desires will be replaced by heterosexual
ones."
Accepting this claim at face value, Bussee and Cooper soon became
Melodyland's specialists in the conversion of homosexuals. In 1976, they
helped found Exodus International.
Ironically, however, the more they worked together, the more they found
themselves falling in love. Their breaking point came simultaneously in
the late 70s on a road trip, when they found themselves booked by chance
into a hotel room with only one bed. They took this accident as a sign
from God and eventually left Exodus in 1979. In 1982, they were married (7).
Cooper died of AIDS nine years later.
"The desires never go away," says Bussee, "the
confrontations begin and the guilt gets worse and worse." Bussee
recalls that some people who went through the Exodus program had
breakdowns or committed suicide. "One man slashed his genitals with
a razor and poured Drano on his wounds." Another man impulsively
underwent an incomplete sex-change operation because he believed his
sexual desires might receive divine approval were he biologically a
woman (8).
"After dealing with hundreds of people," Bussee concludes, he
and his lover hadn't "met one who went from gay to straight. Even
if you manage to alter someone's sexual behavior, you cannot change their
true sexual orientation."
"If you got them away from the Christian limelight," he
concludes, "and asked them, 'Honestly now, are you saying that
you are no longer homosexual and you are now heterosexually oriented?'...
not one person said, 'Yes, I am actually now heterosexual.'"
Bruce Grimsley is another "ex-ex-gay" who nevertheless harbors
no ill will towards Exodus and other such groups. Believing that he, too,
could change his sexual feelings, he founded CrossOver Ministries in
Lexington in 1985 and had what he thought was a successful five-year
ministry. But during its most successful period, he was secretly having
homosexual contacts--sometimes right after he had preached in church
against them (10).
Grimsley notes that while there are Exodus Catholics and Mormons, most
are closeted gay evangelicals who never accepted their sexual feelings.
"The one thread of continuity of these people is that they never lost
ties to their evangelical backgrounds. They were never able to see
themselves as anything other than wrong. Homosexuality as wrongness
defines the minions of Exodus as much as the closet defines most people
in the gay community."
He does note one benefit of Exodus which he feels is lacking, overall,
in the gay and lesbian community: the love, support, and caring.
"When one hurts, the other hurts with him....In the gay community
I've noticed a lot of selfishness."
Yet Grimsley has no regrets about abandoning his ministry. "The
greatest victory that I've ever experienced in my life was in the last
year or two that I've accepted the fact that I have a gay orientation...
the peace that I have that I don't have to fight!"
While most reparative ministries rely on psychological and religious
therapies, more radical groups have arisen lately which are targeted
especially towards adolescents. Shannon Minter, an attorney for the
National Center for Lesbian Rights, has talked with some self-identified
gay and lesbian adolescents who were locked up by psychiatrists for such
"vaguely defined" problems as "gender identity
disorder" and "borderline personality disorder." Once
institutionalized, she says, they were subjected to treatments ranging
from homophobic counseling, in which the youths are constantly told their
homosexuality is abnormal and something they will outgrow, to drugging
and hypnosis (11).
Many of the males, Minter continues, were subjected to a penile
plethysmograph, a ringlike device put around the penis and attached by
wires to a computer to measure changes in arousal when they were shown
erotic pictures. One boy was held down on a bed by adults who surrounded
him and shouted homophobic phrases in an effort to upset him and force
him to confront his anger. Gay and lesbian teens are often treated like
members of a cult in need of deprogramming. Lyn Duff, a 17-year old
lesbian now living in San Francisco, says she spent six months at an
institution in Utah where her treatment consisted of isolation rooms,
powerful psychiatric drugs, behavior therapy linking sex with the pits
of hell, and punishment that included scrubbing floors with a toothbrush.
She managed to escape and has since founded a group called Students and
Teens Opposing Psychiatric Abuse Network (STOPAN).
"People want to believe that the psychiatric abuse of minors doesn't
happen," she says, "because if it does, they know they'll have
to do something about it" (12). Disorder classifications can be
abused, notes Dr. Rochelle Klinger, chairwoman of the APA's committee on
gay, lesbian, and bisexual issues. And Dr. Richard Isay, professor of
clinical psychiatry at Cornell Medical College and the author of
"Being Homosexual," says that if such charges are true it is
"poor practice, malpractice, and unethical." At present,
however, there are virtually no laws in place that protect minors from
being subjected to these kinds of therapies.
Many reparative programs have been in existence since the 1970s, and as
late as 1992 a new group of people in the psychiatric profession formed
the National Association for Psychoanalytic Research and Therapy for
Homosexuals. Several psychologists and psychiatrists continue to insist
that they can change homosexuals into heterosexuals if a patient is
strongly motivated. One psychologist, writing in 1971, reported that up
to half of homosexuals "who enter treatment can anticipate effective
personality reorganization and eventual ability to overcome the
intrapsychic barriers which prevent them from advancing to a heterosexual
orientation" (13).
Others, including Drs. Glover, Gershman, and Socarides, have also noted
varying degrees of success in their programs (14). But the APA, along
with the American Psychiatric Association, has branded reparative therapy
a hoax and has taken an official stand against it. Bryant Welch, a
director of the APA, says that "efforts to 'repair' homosexuals are
nothing more than social prejudice garbed in psychological
accouterments" (15) According to the APA, people who voluntarily
enter these programs are possibly doing so because of social bias
"that has resulted in internalized homophobia." Others doubt
the long-term benefits of such therapies.
Dr. Klinger says that "there is no published scientific evidence
supporting the efficacy of 'reparative therapy' as a treatment to change
one's sexual orientation" (16). Dr. Richard Ammon, a clinical
psychologist, agrees. In fact, he says, the inherent conflicts involved
in such therapy can be severe enough to induce psychosis in some patients.
Ammon accuses Lou Sheldon and his supporters of manipulating discredited
data in order "to foist untested behavior modification techniques on
innocent people" (17) "Exodus set their sights wrong,"
according to Robert Bray of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.
"They present us as sick or deranged individuals that need to be
changed to fit a heterosexual society.
What should be changed is their intolerance of gays and lesbians."
Exodus isn't outwardly homophobic, he says, but the homophobia is there
nonetheless, beneath the surface. He calls it "homophobia with a
happy face" (18). The APA has so far refrained from labeling such
therapy unethical; a vocal minority of its membership has discouraged
the group from doing so.
But the APA continues to stand by its 1973 removal of homosexuality from
its list of mental disorders, and Dr. Isay sees no movement within the
APA to reinstate it (19). In 1988, Tineke Bodde asked several psychologists
and psychiatrists, "Can lesbians and gays change their sexual
orientation through therapy or other means?" (20) Their responses
are reprinted below.
Lee Ellis, Ph.D., Chairman of the Department of Sociology at Minot State
University in North Dakota: It would be "...as difficult to make
a homosexual prefer to sexually interact with a member of the opposite
sex as to make a heterosexual prefer to sexually interact with a member
of the same sex." Martin S. Weinberg, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology
at Indiana University: "No."
James D. Weinrich, Ph.D., a Sociobiologist: "A homosexual
orientation, as I define it, is apparently rarely (possibly never) changed
by therapy or other means."
John Money, Ph.D., Director of the Psychohormonal Research Unit, Professor
of Medical Psychology, and Professor of Pediatrics, Emeritus at the Johns
Hopkins University and Hospital School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland:
"...for those whose bisexual ratio is in the range of 60:40 to 50:50
to 40:60, it may be claimed that they can change--even without therapy."
Alan T. Bell, Ph.D., Director of the Counseling and Psychology Department
at Indiana University: "Lesbians and gays may...behave sexually in
a heterosexual manner, but their basic orientation would be virtually
unchanged."
Richard Green, M.D., J.D., Psychiatrist at the University of California,
Los Angeles, Medical Center: Some gay men "change behavior markedly,
but fantasy minimally."
Gilbert Herdt, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Behavioral
Sciences at the University of Chicago: "There is virtually no
evidence to suggest that lesbians or gays can reverse their orientation
through normal therapeutic procedures."
Evelyn Hooker, Ph.D.: "I know of no evidence that lesbians or gays
can change their sexual orientation through therapy or any other means."
Judd Marmor, M.D., University of California at Los Angeles: "A
minority of gays and lesbians (usually with a bisexual capacity) can -- if
strongly enough motivated--learn (through therapy or other means) to
suppress their homosexual behavior. But the inclination usually persists
in dreams and/or fantasies."
Richard C. Pillard, M.D., Director of the Family Studies Laboratory at
Boston University School of Medicine: "...many individuals can
modify an exclusive homo- or heterosexuality if they are motivated to do
so.... At the same time, no 'therapy' can currently claim to be able
to permanently and reliably alter sexual orientation."
June Machover Reinisch, Ph.D., Director of the Kinsey Institute:
"Permanent change through therapy in the attraction and emotional
components dictating with whom an individual falls in love is therefore
not likely....This is evident from anthropological studies of natives in
New Guinea whose boys regularly participate in homosexual acts from ages
6 through 19. (It is believed that without the daily ingestation of
semen the boys will not become men and procreate).
Despite this daily exposure to homosexual acts for 13 years, 99 percent
of the boys never again practice homosexuality after age 19, when they
are matched with a woman....We also know from studies of twin brothers
reared apart that if one twin is gay, it is likely that the second twin
will be gay as well (but that is not true for lesbians)."
The main objection that most gays and lesbians have to such groups is
twofold.
First, few of them feel they ever had a choice in determining their sexual
attractions. Most gays and lesbians had no significant homosexual models
while growing up from which they could develop a healthy homosexual
self-image, and the mass media overflows with heterosexual images.
Churches continually stress that homosexuals face eternal hellfire if
they engage insuch behavior. Yet, despite all of these messages, a
certain percent of each generation continues to develop homosexually --
even among the most fervent fundamentalist Christian households.
Secondly, gays and lesbians argue, even if it is assumed that homosexuals
can change, they feel that the Declaration of Independent and the US
Constitution guarantees them protection in their life choices -- just as
it does for heterosexuals.
The Kentucky Gay and Lesbian Educational Center has no problem with those
gays or lesbians who, for whatever reason, wish to attempt a VOLUNTARY
change: that is their business, that is their choice, and they should not
be hindered. But we are concerned about the kind of message that groups
like Exodus is handing out, that homosexuality is shameful and that all
homosexuals need to be changed for their own good. Shame seldom changes
behavior patterns: it simply redirects it into other channels which are
often self-destructive.
This is where reparative therapy becomes a problem. Much as many blacks
once felt compelled to "konk" their hair and act more like
whites in order to gain acceptance from the white superculture, Exodus'
main aim is to turn homosexuals into something they are not. This desire
for conformity has taken many intrusive forms in American history, but
none more insidious than the desire of fundamentalist Christian groups to
make the rest of the country over into their own image. History shows us
that no society has ever succeeded in such endeavors without severely
damaging its own social structure in the end. The current anti-gay rights
drive is no more likely to succeed than any other.
Bruce Grimsley, founder of CrossOver Ministries in Lexington, Kentucky
and now a "former ex-gay," explains that there are about 100
ministries in "referral status." He estimates that there are
about 150 other groups, however, that are working towards that status, a
process that takes two years (David DewBerry, "Exodus: The 'Ex-Gay
Movement,'" "The Letter" (Louisville, Kentucky), Vol. 4,
No. 7, July 13, 1993, pp. 9-10).
The 18th Exodus convention held in 1993 in Wilmore, Kentucky, near
Lexington, attracted 542 individuals. The authors of the May tabloid,
written in 1992, may have counted some groups not yet in referral status,
or they may simply have inflated the number in order to make the
organization look larger (exaggerations are replete throughout the rest of the
tabloid).
It seems unlikely that Exodus would have lost 32 American ministries in
the space of one year. Four years ago, David Kalmansohn claimed that
Exodus had 62 ministries ("Former 'Ex-Gays' Denounce Homosexual
'Healing,'" "Frontiers" (Hollywood, California), March 2,
1990, p. 25). Exodus' own referral list shows 85 referral groups
worldwide, or 23 more ministries than four years ago. This figure seems
to be the most accurate.
MediAlert!
An obsession for "objectivity" has often lead reporters away
from the facts -- if not the truth. In an effort to report objectively on
issues of public controversy, journalists bend toward a banal "quote
vs. quote" style. This is especially so when it comes to covering
certain "gay issues."
Mr. Fundamentalist Christian said: "Homosexuals can be cured."
But said Ms. Gay Rights Activist: "No, they can't."
Missing from such journalism is any sense of the reporter's PROFESSIONAL
evaluation of source credibility. Dueling opinions about homosexuality
are treated not simply as if they were morally equal arguments -- but
as if they were FACTUALLY equivalent statements as well.
Elizabeth Gilbert's "Queer and Loathing" is a welcome exception.
This feature story, which appears in the June 1996 issue of "SPIN"
magazine, offers a caviling account of the reporter's visit to a week-long
convention of Exodus International -- a group for "recovering"
homosexuals.
Exodus was founded 20 years ago -- "making it the same age as the
psychiatric community's consensus that homosexuality is not a disorder,"
Gilbert notes. Currently, the organization operates a "central
office" in California and boasts "numerous branches across
America, Asia, and Europe."
Gilbert neatly sums up the group's method and madness: "Exodus
rhetoric avoids the word 'cure,' preferring quasi-therapeutic '90s terms
like 'redeem' and 'recover' instead. Essentially, the Voyage Out of
homosexuality is both a Miracle and a Long Process of many Growth Stages.
The Sexually Challenged are Redeemed by Sharing and Disclosing Struggles,
and then passing through Recovery. However, there is always a Risk of
a Fall, by returning to the Lifestyle. If a Relapse should occur, the
Ex-Gay becomes a Former Ex-Gay, although he can always try to Re-Recover
and become Ex-Gay again."
Quickly, Gilbert rejects any claims to a credible social-scientific basis
for such "recoveries." On the "concept of curing
homosexuality," she quotes U.C. Davis psychologist Gregory Herek who
-- "summarizing the consensus of his peers" -- deems the notion
"absolutely absurd."
"It's understood today that telling homosexuals they can and should
change inflicts great psychological harm," says Herek. "It's
frankly unethical." Gilbert herself takes on a paragon of immorality
-- quack psychologist Joseph Nicolosi. Nicolosi is the author of
"Reparative Therapy of Male Homosexuality" (which Herek
describes as "a work of impressively poor scholarship") and
founder of the "National Association for Research and Therapy of
Homosexuality." NARTH functions as something of a "think [sic]
tank" for organizations like Exodus (and is a frequent source of
homophobic misinformation in the media).
Homosexuality is "a developmental disorder... caused by the
father," Nicolosi told Gilbert. So, she asked: "Would you say
that every homosexual on Earth had a hurtful relationship with his
father?" "Of course," Nicolosi replied.
When pressed to explain further, Nicolosi gave an answer Gilbert
sarcastically describes as "a triumph of imagination, if perhaps not
of science." "You will hear a shallowness in the voice of any
homosexual who claims to love and respect his father," Nicolosi said.
"On the other hand, when the straight man talks lovingly about his
father, you will hear a richness in his voice."
After dispatching with Nicolosi, Gilbert focuses -- for several pages
-- on deconstructing a painful absurdity that runs through the seminars,
literature and membership of Exodus International. "Unsurprisingly,
Exodus leaders are not impressed by the currents of professional opinion.
As one counselor bragged, 'My only qualification for being here is that
I am a B.A. And that stands for Born Again!'"
"Loneliness and isolation are not discouraged by Exodus," Gilbert
explains. "One seminar class called 'Being Single and Happy' was
described in the program notes thusly: 'If the single life was good enough
for Jesus, it may be good enough for you!'"
Among several of the first-hand experiences recounted by Gilbert: "At
lunch on the second day, an ex-lesbian named Carol told me she'd run into
her ex-lesbian ex-lover in the cafeteria. 'I didn't know she was here!'
Carol shared. 'The temptation was great, but Jesus stood between us and
prevented a relapse.'"
"My guess is that two millennia ago Jesus had no idea he would ever
have to stand between Carol and her ex-girlfriend in a San Diego
cafeteria," Gilbert quips.
Other convention seminars included "Relapse Prevention," "My
Husband is No Longer Homosexual, So Why Am I So Miserable?," and
"Misandry--The Hatred of Men." "Exodus teaches that men
often become gay because the feminist movement has taught women to strip
men of their God-given masculine power," Gilbert reveals.
Beyond the obvious conclusion -- that "cures" promote misery,
sexism and homophobia -- Gilbert speculates that Exodus can be, at best,
an unintentional stepping-stone for the deeply-repressed. A (relatively)
independent audit of the files of 800 Exodus members revealed no absolute
cures. "Disillusioned members usually leave the organization for an
openly gay life," she says.
However, "not everyone survives the intense personal guild of
failure." Noting at least one Exodus-induced suicide, Gilbert also
exposes the hypocrisy -- and real hatred -- that rots at the heart of
all "change ministries."
"Who taught Exodus members all this guilt?," she asks. "The
week's testimonies revealed surprisingly persistent patterns of childhood
trauma. It was incredible how many speakers had been molested, beaten, or
neglected as children.... They spoke of suicide attempts and double lives.
They spoke of families, coworkers, and congregations turning on them...."
"No wonder they wanted a change," Gilbert concludes. "They
never needed cures for their sexual orientation. They needed cures for
their lousy lives."
What they needed -- what we all need -- are more CURES FOR HOMOPHOBIA.
Reporting effectively on the search for such cures must become a
priority in mainstream journalists. For in many ways, reporting IS
the search itself.
**** ACTION/OPTIONS: Send compliments and comments to Elizabeth
Gilbert, Staff Writer, and Christy Goldfinch, Managing Editor,
"SPIN," 6 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011, tel.
212-633-8200, fax 212-633-9041, e-mail
spinonline@aol.com.
From: dander9829@aol.com (DAnder9829)
Love In Action: The Final Indoctrination
Interview with Tom Ottosen, former Love In Action "ex-gay"
printed MAR 94 issue
cult: a quasi-religious group, often living in a colony, with a
charismatic leader who indoctrinates members with unorthodox or extremist
views, practices or beliefs. -- Webster's New World Dictionary.
"I would rather you commit suicide than have you leave Love In Action
wanting to return to the gay lifestyle. In a physical death you could
still have a spiritual resurrection; whereas, returning to homosexuality
you are yielding yourself to a spiritual death from which there is no
recovery" --The Final Indoctrination from John Smid, Director, Love In
Action (LIA), San Rafael's "ex-gay" clan.
"That's exactly how he put it," states Tom Ottosen, 24, an
expressive, articulate two year ex-LIA group member.
Ottosen says he clearly recalls that experience. He says it occurred in
October of last year during his last one-on-one conference with John Smid,
LIA's Executive Director, who claims to be able to change gay men into
straight men through a live-in rigidly controlled indoctrination program
Smid calls "reparative therapy."
Ottosen says Smid clearly and emphatically warned him, "It would be
better if I were to commit suicide than go back into the world and become
a homosexual again. He felt that a physical death with my soul intact was
much preferable to a spiritual death, which would happen if I were to
leave the group and go back to being gay. John Smid had very strong feelings
on that," claims Ottosen.
Ottosen further states that Smid said this at a time when Smid clearly was
aware he had strong suicidal feelings and was going through periods of
extreme depression, guilt and loneliness.
Ottosen recalls his depression had been building for several months during
his second year at LIA, primarily because of a warm and emotional
relationship he was experiencing with another group member. "It wasn't
sexual at all, but it was strictly forbidden and I was kept from even
talking to him for several months."
Also, earlier in July, "Another house member, who was in his fourth
year with the group and in a position of authority, became depressed and
attempted suicide" and was sent away for observation. "He was
taken from his position of leadership and then he just kinda-disappeared."
Ottosen admits that he too, within a few months was at point where he had
never been before. "I couldn't work. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't do
anything."
He says he was so depressed and stressed that he knew he had to do
something different if he was going to survive. "When I found myself
calling the suicide hot line, I knew it was time to get out." If it
weren't for Lea Brown, a lesbian from Spectrum, Marin County's pro-gay and
lesbian counseling and information center, Ottosen says he doubts he would
have survived.
Smid responds that Ottosen's specific reference that he recommended suicide
is "totally untrue," however Smid does not deny that a private
meeting took place between he and Ottosen in October and confirms other
details of Ottosen's account.
It has been reported that former cult members who have been under the
intense intimidation of guilt-centered religious indoctrination, such as
those who escaped the mass-suicide poisoning at Jim Jones "Jonestown" and
the firestorm of self-destruction at the Waco Branch Davidian compound,
often spend years in intensive therapy trying to overcome the psychological
damage which a cult's rigid and uncompromising brainwashing can cause.
The same kind of psychological damage can happen in the case of sexual
orientation indoctrination, agrees Lea Brown, Spectrum's programs manager.
"In this case, the heavy doses of deception and dishonesty which are
necessary to try to purge strong feelings of love and compassion from a
person's natural affection needs can cause serious problems. What groups
like LIA try to do is force people to choose between serving God and
living their lives. That's not a choice that anyone should have to make."
On the other hand, Psychotherapist Robert Norton, also Sonoma County's
Project 10 co-director who provides professional counseling to clients
such as Tom Ottosen, strongly condemns Smid's tactics. Norton says he was
"shocked and horrified" when he learned of this charge. One
wonders "how many other clients [Smid] has told to commit suicide?"
Norton sternly blasts these "cult-like organizations," and reminds
them that telling a client to commit suicide is clearly "a breach of
ethical law."
Easing off slightly, Norton says, "The religious right wants people to
believe that homosexuality is only a behavior and therefore can be
changed. However, it is not just a behavior, it is also a psychosexual and
emotional development which is at the core of an individual's self; and
just like heterosexual development it can not be altered or changed."
Ottosen now understands this, and recalls during his last year at LIA at
least 75 percent of the original participants had either left the program
because it wasn't working for them or reported many "sexual falls"
(homosexual experiences including fantasies and masturbation). Many were
"forced from the group" when they began having serious doubts about
the program's effectiveness in their life. "They tell them they must
leave because the doubters become a threat to the other members. But then
on the outside, most ostracized members still feel intense loyalty to LIA,
and feel like they are betraying the group if they say anything to anyone
about their experience." Ottosen says he was lucky because when he was
told to leave, he immediately started seeing a licensed counselor on a
regular basis, "...but most are having a very difficult time on their
own."
Ottosen reveals that like most cults, the indoctrination program at LIA is
very effective at fostering feelings of intense loyalty because all group
members are isolated within the group homes and all contacts outside the
group are extremely limited. "Due the fact that members are not allowed
to question anything the hierarchy says, most members who were forced out
or who have left on their own end up extremely guilt-ridden, very confused,
dogged by the religious dogma given them by the groups, and most end up
worse than ever before," Ottosen said.
July 8, 1996
Dennis Anderson
"There are no halfway measures against bigotry, hatred and
anti-Semitism. It's got to be rejected totally." -- Abraham
Foxman, Holocaust survivor. (Associated Press, recent "... war
of words" battle with Louis Farrakhan)
From: <RAKNGLTF@aol.com>
The following press release is being distributed by NGLTF for the
Lesbian Avengers. Questions should be directed to LA at the numbers
listed.
THE LESBIAN AVENGERS a direct action group of lesbian, bisexual, and
transgendered women focused on issues vital to our survival and
visibility. Hotline: (415) 267-6195.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Anti-Queer Agency Targeted for Protest
SAN RAFAEL, CALIF., FEBRUARY 8, 1995 -- The San Francisco Lesbian Avengers
summoned a "plague of locusts" onto Exodus International
today, a cult-like organization whose mission is to "cure"
people of their homosexuality. The San Francisco Avengers chose to target
Exodus because conversion programs, a largely invisible form of Christian
Right organizing, have profoundly devastating effects on lesbian, bisexual,
and gay people.
"If anyone deserves a plague of Biblical proportions right now,
it's the Radical Right," said Avenger Liz Harris.
Five Avengers stormed the organization's headquarters, carrying signs
proclaiming "Queer Love Is Not A Disease," and chanting
"Exodus, stop your hate and fear! Help like yours is killing
queers!" Once inside, the activists climbed onto the reception
desk, shouted "We don't need to be cured," and released 1,000
"locusts" (crickets) in an attempt to shut the operation down.
The Exodus staff watched dumbfounded as a swarming pile of crickets
spread across their office floor. One woman picked up the phone and
dialed 911, shaking as she said, "There are lesbians here with
bugs." By the time she was able to convince the police that it
wasn't a prank call, the Avengers were on their way back to San Francisco.
An umbrella referral agency, Exodus claims to have converted 100,000
people since 1976 through a network of 75 "ex-gay ministries"
in North America, and affiliated organizations in England, Singapore,
Australia, and the Philippines. "Freedom from homosexuality,"
according to Exodus promotional materials, "is increasingly
experienced as the former homosexual matures through ongoing submission
to the Lordship of Christ and His Church."
Such major right-wing operations as Focus on the Family, the Billy Graham
Evangelistic Association, and the 700 Club refer people to Exodus for
placement in groups and live-in conversion programs.
The Avengers say that groups like Exodus fit into a wider Radical Right
attack on bisexuals, lesbians, and gays. They say conversion programs
work to covertly eliminate individual homosexuals, while more overt
legislative initiatives are esigned to create a hostile social climate
for queer people.
"'Ex-gays' are the trophies of the far Right," says Avenger
Katie Hern. "They're used in right wing propaganda to prove that
homosexuality is a chosen perversion. And that we therefore don't
deserve basic civil rights."
The Plague of Locusts demonstration is part of a broader campaign the
Avengers are waging against the Christian Right. Fight the Right actions
have been staged by many of the more than 60 Avenger chapters across the
U.S., Canada, Great Britain, and Russia. And the New York chapter's
Civil Rights Organizing Project were instrumental in defeating
Proposition One, the anti-queer initiative on Idaho's November ballot.
Many bisexuals, lesbians and gays become involved in conversion programs
because they can't reconcile their conservative religious backgrounds to
their sexual orientation. Some have been devastated by learning they are
HIV-positive and are searching for emotional support.
"The ex-gay ministries pretend to provide a service to struggling,
traumatized people" says Lesbian Avenger Harris, "In reality,
this is a cult."
According to past participants who have rejected program teachings --
ex-ex-gays -- Exodus leaders zero in on people's weakest emotional
areas. For example, HIV-positive gay men are told that they are being
punished by God for their homosexuality. Kathy, who was forced into a
live-in program by her family, was told that she was only a lesbian
because she had been raped. Program leaders insisted that if she turned
to Christ for support, she could overcome what they called her hostility
toward men.
"Of the women I spoke with," says Kathy, who asked that her
last name not be used, "I would say 99.9% of us had a history of
being sexually, physically, or emotionally abused. And they really used
that."
At the home where she was placed, five monitors kept constant watch over
the seven women participants. Doors were locked from the outside during
"support groups." And participants were informed that, to avoid
temptation, they could go nowhere by themselves during the year-long
program. Kathy was expelled after only two days for resisting treatment,
but program leaders continued to call her three times a week until she
left the area.
Their calls alternated between two messages: that they loved her and that
she was going to Hell. According to past participants, both Kathy's
experiences at the treatment center and the harassment she endured
afterwards are typical of ex-gay ministries under the Exodus umbrella.
Some turn to organizations like Evangelicals Concerned for help, a
nation-wide, non-profit corporation founded in 1976, that helps people to
reconcile their homosexuality with their Christianity (Hotline:
415-621-3297). They make furtive calls to the group's hotline during
the rare moments they can get away from their "buddy." This can
be especially difficult because they are usually employed in
program-designated jobs, where at least one leader or fellow participant
is always present to monitor them. Others seek out Evangelicals
Concerned after they are expelled from conversion programs for
questioning their orthodoxy and methodology.
Few participants actually become heterosexuals. According to the
documentary, One Nation Under God, Gary Cooper and Michael Bussee, the
gay male founders of Exodus, have been lovers since 1979 and have publicly
denounced the organization.
"What's insidious about the whole thing," says Jallen Rix, an
ex-ex-gay and Evangelicals Concerned volunteer, "is that the
ministries are very convinced they're being loving. They would never
believe they're being hateful."
Rix says that after years of praying, watching only program-approved
television and movies, memorizing scripture, and rigorously modifying
their behavior, participants often become despondent when they can't
change their underlying sexual attractions. He has seen many become
obsessive, mentally ill, and even suicidal. One man's suicide note
particularly affected Rix: "He wrote, 'I would rather kill myself
and be with God than live as a gay person and spend eternity in Hell.'"
Additional Contacts:
Robert Bray, Fight the Right Project, National Gay and Lesbian
Task Force: 415-552-6448.
Kathy spoke to us on the condition that her real name not be
released. She is, however, willing to talk anonymously with
reporters. To arrange to speak with Kathy, contact Liz Harris:
415-824-8509.
Liz Galst, reporter, The Boston Phoenix: 617-350-0096.
SAN RAFAEL, CALIF., FEBRUARY 8 (1995) -- The San Francisco Lesbian Avengers
summoned a "plague of locusts" onto Exodus International today, a
cult-like organization whose mission is to "cure" people of their
homosexuality.
The San Francisco Avengers chose to target Exodus because conversion
programs, a largely invisible form of Christian Right organizing, have
profoundly devastating effects on lesbian, bisexual, and gay people.
"If anyone deserves a plague of Biblical proportions right now,
it's the Radical Right," said Avenger Liz Harris.
Five Avengers stormed the organization's headquarters, carrying signs
proclaiming "Queer Love Is Not A Disease," and chanting
"Exodus, stop your hate and fear! Help like yours is killing
queers!" Once inside, the activists climbed onto the reception
desk, shouted "We don't need to be cured," and released
1,000 "locusts" (crickets) in an attempt to shut the operation
down.
The Exodus staff watched dumbfounded as a swarming pile of crickets
spread across their office floor. One woman picked up the phone and
dialed 911, shaking as she said, "There are lesbians here with
bugs."
By the time she was able to convince the police that it wasn't a prank
call, the Avengers were on their way back to San Francisco.
Inside Exodus
Inside Exodus
Starla Allen wants to help me. She thinks I can overcome my lesbianism
if I surrender myself to Jesus Christ. Allen is a staff therapist at
the Stillpointe Centre for Counseling and Growth in California, where
she counsels homosexuals to "reform themselves." She's also
a former vice-president of Exodus International.
Founded in 1976, Exodus is a referral network of ministries dedicated
to "reforming" homosexuals. A fact sheet put out by the
ministry says that its primary purpose is to "proclaim that freedom
from homosexuality is possible through the power of Jesus Christ."
Yet Exodus is probably best known because two of its founders, Gary Cooper
and Michael Busee, left the anti-gay ministry in 1978 after falling in
love with each other. They hit the talk-show circuit in the early 1990s
to tell their story and get out the message that anti-gay ministries are
a fraud that promote homophobia and self-hatred.
My interest in Exodus and the ex-gay movement was piqued last fall when
my ex-girlfriend Robin called to tell me that her girlfriend Amy had
broken up with her. The reason? Amy found God. She had been going to
church secretly for three months prior to ending their relationship.
Naturally, Robin was shocked. She and Amy had been together for three
years -- they shared a home; they had two cats and two dogs. Both were
out lesbian feminists. Amy had worked for the National Organization for
Women for a number of years. And now she is a born-again Christian.
Needless to say, she is no longer a lesbian -- and certainly not a
feminist. I don't know if Amy attended an ex-gay ministry to help her
through her conversion, but she'd be a perfect recruit for an Exodus
ministry.
Exodus is an international organization made up of four related coalitions:
Exodus International North America, which comprises 75 member ministries
in 35 states, plus four ministries in Canada; Exodus International Europe,
with 10 ministries serving 10 countries; Exodus International South Pacific,
with seven ministries in Australia and New Zealand, one in the Philippines,
one in Japan, and one in Singapore; and Exodus International Latin America
and Exodus International Brazil, which account for a dozen more ministries.
Exodus is also used as a referral by many major Christian-right
organizations, including Focus on the Family, the Billy Graham
Evangelistic Association, the 700 Club, Promise Keepers, and D. James
Kennedy's Coral Ridge Ministries, effectively linking Exodus to the
larger Christian right.
I decided to check out the "ex-gay" scene for myself at the
national conference of Exodus June 22 through 27 in nearby Wenham. The
conference was held at Gordon College, a Christian school; I sent away
for an information packet and registered, not knowing what to expect.
I was a little nervous about going, but not because I thought they'd be
able to convert me. I just thought it would be a little creepy. And it was.
My conference experience begins with Allen's workshop, "Roots of
Lesbianism." Like many of the conference "teachers," Allen
speaks from personal experience -- she has been out of "the
lifestyle" for 20 years and has evidently, in that time, figured
out what modern science is still debating: the roots of homosexuality.
This is what I hear in her workshop: we are not born gay, because God made
us all and He does not make mistakes; many of us struggle with homosexuality
because of family dysfunction; many of us have been sexually abused; and
most of us are not "correctly" connected with our mothers; and
we're finding love in all the wrong places because we're really trying to
find Mom.
For the record, I know where my mother is. I don't doubt that many
lesbians have been sexually abused, or that some of us come from
dysfunctional families, and that some of us may even need to work on our
relationships with our mothers. But I suspect the same goes for many
heterosexual women.
Of course Allen disagrees. "Insecurity and lack of self-worth are
the bottom-line motivations for continuing in a lesbian relationship,"
she says. "Maintenance of the relationship is primarily through
manipulation." But, according to Allen, even the most manipulative
among us will never succeed in a relationship: "You can't maintain
something that God doesn't fully bless."
As for the "recovery" process and converting from homosexual to
heterosexual, Allen offers these tips: "Allow God to work, and know
that it is going to be a long process. We're going to face distortions
and we must be willing to see our dark side." She also suggests making
a commitment to changing activities (i.e., no going to gay bars), and
cultivating other friends (this takes at least a year, she says).
"And finally," says Allen, "prepare for the long haul --
don't expect perfection." Of course the most important thing a person
can do is to pray, pray, pray. Toward that end, every workshop began and
ended in prayer.
Between sessions, I watch as other conference-goers gab with each other
and excitedly share new ideas. The energy and enthusiasm is like that
found at an OutWrite conference, except all the queers are talking about
how not to be queer.
Another workshop, "How to Avoid Becoming a Statistic," is just as
disturbing as Allen's session on the roots of lesbianism. This one is
"taught" by Kevin Oshiro, Exodus conference director and a
board member of New Hope Ministries in San Rafael, California. The
workshop description reads like a sales pitch from a late-night
infomercial:
Basically, Oshiro offers nine guidelines in the form of questions for us
to ask ourselves, including: "Have I made an unconditional surrender
to Jesus as my Lord?" and "If the [homosexual] feelings never
completely go away, will I still follow the Lord?" as well as the
basic, "What's my motivation for overcoming homosexuality?"
The answer to this last one should be obvious: Jesus Christ. Oshiro also
encourages us to see God as the "CEO of the universe." We are
to think of ourselves as "son/daughter or slave/employee."
That's right -- slave/employee.
Not all of the lectures are so frightful. My favorite is "Outward
Displays of Inward Healing" which would be campy if it weren't
taking place at an Exodus conference. Taught by Anne Paulk, a self-confessed
reformed butch dyke and former softball coach, this workshop is a glorified
make-over session. The conference brochure advertised:
Paulk shows up for the class outfitted in a sweatshirt, sweat pants,
sneakers, baseball cap, and knapsack -- looking like the cute, athletic
butch dyke she should be. Although the workshop was limited to just
women, Paulk's husband John, another ex-gay who still looks much like
the queen he says he used to be, sits in the audience while his wife
tells us about her experience growing up as a tomboy. She attributes
her "background" as a lesbian to having been molested when she
was four -- which led her to reject her femininity.
As she fills us in about her experiences in the "lesbian
lifestyle" (she used to be a phys-ed teacher), Paulk literally
transforms herself by taking off her sweatshirt and sweat pants, under
which she's wearing a "feminine" T-shirt and jeans. She takes
off her baseball cap to reveal how she has grown out her hair to make
herself appear more feminine. But the best part is when, while still
talking, she begins applying makeup -- and she does it all: foundation,
blush, mascara, lipstick, eyeliner, and eye shadow. And of course, her
nails are painted bright red.
Paulk says she "wanted to behave more like a woman, look more like
a woman." But her definition of a woman is quite narrow: makeup,
heels, nail polish, and long hair. In fact, she says, "As I felt
more comfortable with my femininity, I applied more makeup."
Completely overlooked in this workshop is the existence of feminine
lesbians -- and heterosexual women who don't wear makeup and high heels.
Unlike the other workshops, which didn't allow for any questions between
participants and instructors, this one is more interactive. The women ask
Paulk detailed questions about how to apply makeup. One asks what she
should do if she can't find anyone to teach her how to apply it properly.
Throughout, they seem inspired by the beauty session, as if the act of
repressing their lesbianism could be as simple as applying mascara.
Other workshops include "Practical Tips for Working with Media,"
"False Beliefs that Hinder Healing," "Releasing Your Mind
from Pornographic Images," "God's Restoration of Women,"
"Appropriate Touch in Male Relationships," "Bibliotherapy
as a Treatment Tool for Homosexuality," "Raising Funds for Small
Ministries," "Addressing the Pro-Gay School Curricula,"
and "Ministering the Gospel to Persons with AIDS."
Surely one of the biggest surprises of the conference was the number of
people who showed up. Exodus organizers said they were expecting between
650 and 750 people and, from the looks of it, they met that goal. I had
wondered who would bother to attend such a conference, especially if the
very act of signing up would amount to outing yourself.
I had expected to see a high number of teens and young adults who had
been forced into attending the conference by parents, but I didn't see
any teenagers -- and saw just a few people who looked to be in their
early to mid 20s.
Most of the conference attendees were white, middle-aged adults, fairly
evenly divided between men and women. Given that Exodus has primarily
ministered to Baby Boomers, that isn't too surprising. But perhaps aware
of the generation gap, one of the workshops, "Adapting Exodus
Ministry for New Generations," looked at ways to change the
language, methods, and ministry structures of Exodus to appeal to
younger people.
But one thing is sure to remain the same -- the Exodus policy statement
on homosexuality:
Although easy to make fun of, the ex-gay movement is dangerous. It's
about furthering a biblical world view in which families are only made up
of heterosexual men and women; in which the man leads the family, and his
wife and children submit to him; and in which anyone who strays from this
rigid model is living in sin.
But what I saw at the conference was a sin: the exploitation of people's
internalized homophobia, self-hatred, and insecurity. Most gay people can
relate to the pain and anguish of coming out; clearly, the Exodus
organizers understand it better than most -- they've turned it into an
industry. But given the support and resources available today within the
broader gay and lesbian community, it's tragic that none of those
conference attendees met with acceptance of their homosexuality before
stumbling into Exodus.
FORMERLY KNOWN AS GAY
Organizations like New Direction for Life Ministries seek to "cure"
homosexuals and lead them back to the promised land of straight Christian
values -- what's behind the struggle by some individuals to become
"ex-gay"?
by Jessica M. Pegis
eye WEEKLY
We came to talk makeovers but nobody brought the lipstick.
Here's the story: A decade ago, 30-year-old Rob Goetze of London, Ont.,
was gay. He had "no sexual thoughts for women at all." Now, two
therapists later, he's "about a 1 on the Kinsey scale" -- a married
heterosexual and father of one.
What happened to Goetze is the subject of rancorous debate among
scientists and church leaders. Can homosexuals be made straight
through counselling?
The Toronto-based group that now employs Goetze as a paid staff worker
says they can. New Direction for Life Ministries turned 10 this year.
A referral agency for Exodus International, a worldwide network of
Christian organizations, it labels all homosexual activity sinful and
destructive. According to the 1994 PBS documentary One Nation Under
God, Exodus claims to have treated hundreds of thousands of homosexuals
and boasts a success rate of 71.6 per cent.
But Exodus keeps no follow-up records or statistics to validate the
claim "although it's something we ought to be doing," admitted a
spokesperson on the phone from their California office. "People are
always asking us for numbers."
Their mission is underscored by a small group of therapists in Canada
and the U.S. who believe that homosexuality is a treatable scourge.
Just what they're treating -- and changing -- is a little nebulous.
Goetze, for example, never had a gay sexual relationship, only strong
feelings of attraction to other men.
BLAME YOUR PARENTS
Even when sexually active gay men and lesbians stop having sex, fantasies
usually persist, says an article on homosexuality in the October 1994 issue
of the New England Journal of Medicine. Moreover, it declared the data on
studies of changes in sexual orientation to be wholly inadequate.
That doesn't dissuade Joseph Nicolosi, an American psychiatrist and one
of the founders of the National Association for Research and Therapy for
Homosexuality. "We all have our little fantasies," he says.
"We are all meant to be heterosexual."
Elizabeth Moberly, a U.S. therapist and Donahue and Shirley veteran,
says the new Christian tolerance toward gay sexuality is "contrary to
psychological good sense as well as spiritual good sense." Moberly,
with a doctorate in theology from Oxford University, has a unique theory
that compares gay men and lesbians to "little boy[s] . . .and
girl[s]" looking for the love of their same-sex parent.
Pointing a finger at mummy or daddy will make "gay men become more
comfortable in their masculinity and lesbians become more comfortable
in their femininity." The eventual goal: looking, acting and being
straight.
Goezte assures me it works: "The stuff with my father follows classic
Moberly." (Indeed, one of Moberly's books, Homosexuality: A New
Christian Perspective, is required reading at ND support groups.)
"My father loved me very much, but because he was away at work a lot,
and I didn't know that, I felt rejected or forgotten and I wasn't
affirmed in my masculinity," says Goetze. He came to that conclusion
after reading Moberly's book. So much for the science behind the makeover.
"These are all post hoc explanations which are substantiated by a
circular process," explains Donald Meen, a Vancouver-based clinical
psychologist who served on the Anglican Task Force on Homosexuality.
"If you look at the research thoroughly, you'll see that there is no
substantiation for any particular pattern of parent-child relationship
or any other factor."
And Meen says there's no reason to cure people of something that isn't
pathological in the first place: "The research is very consistent that
gays and lesbians, especially self-affirming gays and lesbians, are as
psychologically healthy as any other group. There's a wealth of
literature there and a very strong consistency of finding."
Besides, insists Meen, it probably doesn't work: "Any evidence for
change [of sexual orientation] is anecdotal and descriptive. There has
never been any scientifically controlled, experimental evidence -- it
just isn't there."
"Well yeah, obviously, I have certain beliefs about homosexuality in
my life," counters Goetze when I mention that if homosexuality is
intrinsically change- worthy, like alcoholism, then surely change should
be everyone's goal.
"Look, we're very upfront about our beliefs about homosexuality, that
we believe change is possible, and that it's a process. Obviously, if
someone comes and all they want to do is have arguments with everyone,
that's not really appropriate and it's not the place to do it. It's
not productive for them or anyone else."
But what do you do with the evidence -- the millions of apparently
well-adjusted gays and lesbians in North America whose lives are
otherwise unremarkable?
"My only response to that is that our ministry is here for people who
are not happy," says Goetze.
FEELINGS OF REJECTION
I ask Marion, a tall, reedy woman in her 30s who felt her first sexual
attraction to women at age 13, the same question.
"For people who don't want to change, it's probably true that they
could have an all right life, but I don't think it's God's best," she
observes. The curious phrase, "God's best," will surface several
times during our interview. Apparently homos are the exception to the glory
of the created world.
Around Marion's dining-room table in her compact basement apartment,
we talk for nearly two hours. Marion used to work in a health food
store but now she temps -- sometimes for New Direction, occasionally
for 100 Huntley Street, the Christian television show.
In the '80s, she'd had a relationship with another woman that lasted
eight years. Then an eye operation and making "a personal commitment
to Jesus Christ changed my life. A few months later, I felt he was
telling me to leave the lifestyle and the relationship."
She joined the Toronto-area New Direction for Life support group in
1991 and "just loved it."
"The wonderful thing about it was that I was in this room with all
these people, more guys than girls, and I thought, this is wonderful.
I never thought I'd want to deal with the hurts in my life and here we
were, sitting there, talking about the hurts in our childhood ... We
had gone through the homosexual lifestyle and now we desired freedom."
She then articulates the New Direction for Life philosophy, perhaps
best summarized in this passage from a handout to group members:
"Everyone has experienced rejection in one form or another, at one
time or another. Rejection is part and parcel of the homosexual
condition. Part of the reason why we develop homosexual patterns is
because of the rejection we experienced as children."
Confides Marion, "I was verbally abused most of my life, as a young
kid, mostly by peers. I was told I was ugly by one guy I really liked. It
just crushed me. I mean, I didn't know it then at 13 but I put a wall up.
"I started to sexualize my needs, the need for affirmation, attention,
and I started to sexualize it with women because I had a pretty good
relationship with my mother, my sisters -- that was where the comfort
was."
"So you don't follow Moberly?" I ask, pissed off about the
schoolyard bully, but wondering if rejection by the family cat will be
mentioned next.
She clarifies: "Elizabeth Moberly's theory kind of holds true in my
case because my mother and I -- we had a great relationship -- but
there was a separation when I was very young. I was in the hospital
and we were separated for a few weeks. That can be traumatic when you
see your parents leaving."
It may not be scientific, but no one can quarrel with conviction, and
Rob Goetze and Marion wholeheartedly believe -- they know -- they are
straight. In Marion's case, the transition seemed, if not exactly
painless, then surely fearless. Even the eight-year relationship
proved "not really difficult" to break off.
"That sounds very cold, but I think God had really done a work in my
heart," she offers, folding her arms quietly. A few minutes later she
retrieves her bible from the bookshelf and reads me several passages
from the New Testament.
All the sections on homosexuality are underlined in angry red ink.
SIDE BAR
Twenty-five years after Stonewall, counselling homosexuals to "go
straight" is as popular as ever. "It's a growing trend,"
says Barry Lee, who runs the U.S. - based Living Waters program for
"the sexually broken" -- including homosexuals -- out of
Evangel Temple on Yonge St. Lee says he has a waiting list for each
25 - week program cycle.
Last year, New Direction for Life Ministries launched a new Winnipeg
office. It now holds support groups in Toronto, Ottawa, London,
Kitchener and the Niagara Region, and provides one-on-one counselling
and Christian resources on various aspects of homosexuality through
its head offices.
Support groups -- the most popular venue for those seeking counselling
-- combine prayer, discussion of theories of homosexuality and
discussion of childhood and family issues, and are led by lay
counsellors.
Last year also saw the opening of Edmonton's Flight Ministries. Its
coordinator, Pentecostal minister Norm Layton, told the Western Report
that being gay is "an addictive behavior, a source of pain that seeks
sex for relief while sinking further into death."
Layton says most of the folks in his current support group of 20-plus
are gay, but some have problems with sex abuse and sex addiction. He
too has a waiting list for each 25-week cycle.
The oldest ex-gay group in Canada is run by the Burnaby Christian
Fellowship in Burnaby, B.C. Its founder, Frank Shears, died of AIDS in
February, 1994, after he admitted his 18-year struggle to be ex-gay
had failed miserably.
THERAPY INEFFECTIVE
Recently, founders of yet another prominent "ex-gay" ministry,
Exodus International, denounced their conversion therapy procedures as
ineffective. Michael Busse and Gary Cooper, cofounders of Exodus
International and lovers for 13 years, were involved with the organization
from 1976 to 1979. The program was described by these men as
"ineffective...not one person was healed." They stated that
the program often exacerbated already prominent feelings of guilt and
personal failure among the counselees; many were driven to suicidal
thoughts as a result of the failed "reparative therapy."
"HEALING" HOMOSEXUALITY?
GROUPS PROMOTING "HEALING"
Most gay and lesbian groups and professional mental health
organizations believe that sexual orientation is a fixed and natural
condition and cannot be changed by psychotherapy, aversion therapy,
prayer, etc. These same groups also believe that heterosexuality,
homosexuality and bisexuality are equally natural and normal. The only
healing required is to help some gays and lesbians restore the damage
that homophobia has done to their self esteem. However, there are a
number of groups in North America which believe that homosexuality is
an unnatural, deviant disorder that needs healing. They are often
called "ex-gay" ministries. Some are:
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS OF EX-GAY MINISTRIES
Most of the groups are from the conservative wing of Protestant
Christianity (i.e. Fundamentalists and other Evangelicals). The
exceptions are:
To quote one Evangelical minister: "No sin is to big for God to
forgive. The homosexual, like anyone else, simply needs to believe in
the transforming power of Christ."
Many conservative Christians and Christian groups:
Exodus International's statement of belief describes heterosexuality:
PSYCHOLOGICAL BELIEFS OF EX-GAY MINISTRIES
Early psychoanalytic theories held that male homosexuality was
"caused" by an emotionally distant father and an aggressive
mother.
These theories have long been discredited and abandoned by the mental
health community and by human sexuality researchers. However, Dr.
Elizabeth Moberly revisited this concept in the early 1980's. It is
her belief that homosexuality is caused by a defective bonding between
a child and their same-sex parent. This "defensive detachment"
in turn causes the child (and later the adult) to seek reattachment to a
member of the same sex. The "cure" to homosexuality is for the
adult to enter into a close, intimate, but non-sexual relationship with a
same-sex adult, perhaps a therapist or counselor.
The client can then go on to overcome the deficiencies in their childhood.
Becoming attracted to members of the opposite sex naturally follows.
Similar views have been promoted by Dr. Joseph Nicolosi more recently.
Most of the specialists in human sexuality who are not Evangelical
Christians believe that sexual orientation is determined before
kindergarten age by a complex interaction of genetic and environmental
factors that are only vaguely known at this time. And they have reached
a consensus that sexual orientation in an adult cannot be changed:
Many ex-gay ministries do not claim specific success rates. A few
estimate that 30 to 50% of their clients make a transition from
homosexual to heterosexual orientation. But data on conversion rates
should be considered suspect, because:
They said: "In Honolulu we have 25 year old group called the
Honolulu Gay Support Group. Over the years we have had hundreds of
individuals who tried either of those programs and finally came to
honestly deal with their Gayness. I can honestly say, I have never
seen one of them claiming they were cured or felt better until they
began to accept their goodness as a Gay person."
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?
Most ex-gay ministries will probably continue to follow the theories
promoted by Moberly and Nicolosi because they appear to be the only
specialists who offer a theory which is compatible with Evangelical
Christian belief. As knowledge of sexual orientation increases, it is
expected that conservative Christians will begin to recognize that
adult sexual orientation is unchangeable, and that only bisexuals can
decide to change their sexual activity from one gender to the other.
Hopefully, the ministries will in time drop attempts to convert
people's sexual orientation.
It is expected that they will being to alter their focus towards
convincing homosexuals that God wishes them to abstain from all sexual
activity, to not seek long term relationships, and live a life of
loneliness.
REFERENCES
By David Williams
Transformation Ex-Gay Ministry (actually Transformation Christian Ministry,
according to information supplied by Exodus International) did not respond,
but Bob Davies, Executive Director of Exodus International, sent a packet
of information detailing their program (3).
May 31, 1996, Al Kielwasser
SPINNING THE STORY
Date: 9 Jul 1996 01:04:16 -0400
Feb17, 1994
by dennis anderson -- / "We The People"
Sonoma County's (CA) Lesbigay Monthly Newspaper
<DAnder9829@aol.com>
Date: Thu, 9 Feb 1995 18:16:04 -0500
Subject: Lesbian Avengers Press Release
For more information, contact Liz Harris at (415) 824-8509.
PHOTOS AVAILABLE FROM:
Rick Gerharter, (415) 824-5300.
Jane Cleland, (415) 661-3878.
Judi Parks, (510)268-8260.
Exodus International Swarmed by Plague of Locusts
Jallen Rix, Evangelicals Concerned volunteer: 415-621-3297.
Boston Phoenix
July 1996
A report from the anti-gay ministry's 21st national conference
by Surina Khan
Of those who begin the trek out of homosexuality, why do so
many give up and give in to the siren song of the old ways, or
settle for trudging along as celibate homosexuals? More
importantly, what is common among those who do more than
conquer their homosexual behaviors, going on to thrive in a
new identity? This workshop provides clear, biblical
principles for truly growing and living, versus existing in
stasis.
Outward femininity as a key aspect of maturity is many times
overlooked, minimized, or avoided altogether. This class is
vital for women exploring practical ways to embrace an outward
heterosexual identity. Former lesbians on the road to recovery
often view the outward expressions of femininity as fearful.
Since internal change is the horse, external change is the
cart. The instructor explores roadblocks that keep women
locked in fear by giving biblical examples and anecdotes from
her own adventure
Exodus upholds heterosexuality as God's creative intent for
humanity, and subsequently views homosexual expression as
outside of God's will. Exodus cites homosexual tendencies as
one of many disorders that beset fallen humanity. Choosing to
resolve these tendencies through homosexual behavior, taking
on a homosexual identity, and involvement in a homosexual
lifestyle is considered destructive, as it distorts God's
intent for the individual and is thus sinful.
Toronto's arts newspaper
February 9 1995 COVER STORY
THE GROWTH OF EX-GAY MINISTRIES
a comment by Douglas C. Haldeman
Homosexuality, 1991
From OCRT Canada
The long-term successes of these groups appear to be in two areas:
We suspect that none or essentially none of their clients have ever
had their sexual orientation (i.e. their feelings of sexual attraction)
changed through prayer, contact with a ministry or therapy.
They do not realize that many of the occurrences of the word
"homo-sexual" in the Bible are in fact mistranslations.
They believe that:
From these fundamentals, the following beliefs are logically derived:
Their views are essentially unchangeable because they are rooted in
fundamental religious beliefs. To change their mind would first
require them to believe that the Bible is in error, or that it
contains information about homosexuality which was true in Biblical
times, but is no longer valid today.
"as God's creative intent for humanity, and subsequently views
homosexual expression as outside God's will.....Exodus upholds
redemption for the homosexual person as the process whereby sin's
power is broken, and the individual is freed to know and experience
true identity as discovered in Christ and His Church. That process
entails the freedom to grow into heterosexuality".
CONVERSION THERAPY "SUCCESS" RATES
Some studies shed light on the meanings of conversion rates:
A representative of the Honolulu, HI Gay and Lesbian Education and
Advocacy Foundation (Email address:
HawaiiGay1@aol.com) discussed two Fundamentalist Christian groups
dedicated to "curing" homosexuality: Exodus International
and Homosexual Anonymous. In a posting to the
religion@cpp.critpath.org
mailing list on 1996-DEC-5.
- the conversion rate refers to behavior, not orientation
or feelings
This study basically concluded that many bisexuals are
capable of confining their sexual activity to members of the
opposite sex, and ignoring their continuing attraction to
members of the same sex.
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