"Ex-gays" and the religious right's "conversion therapy" offensive

Southern Baptist official Albert Mohler considers biological basis for homosexuality. Click here.

If you have any doubt that fundamentalist Christian "conversion" or "reparative" therapy is a hoax -- or that there is any credible support for the assertion that homosexuality is a "curable condition" -- please read the American Psychiatric Association's condemnation. Outfront Minnesota has compiled the list of all the other medical societies that oppose this sham. Please click here.

As you will see in the reports below, the religious right is pushing hard for acceptance of the big lie that sexual orientation is a choice. Success would facilitate their attacks on LGBT people.

Maryland leaders and activists protest "conversion therapy" conference

Vigil greets Focus on the Family anti-gay event in Washington DC suburb

Picketers were out in the early-morning chill June 10th, holding signs about love and inclusion in view of the cars entering Immanuel's Church in Silver Spring, Maryland for a conference called "Love Won Out" on "preventing" and "treating" homosexuality. At least one teenage passenger seemed interested in reading them.

The silent vigil was organized by civil rights and religious organizations as an expression of concern about the "conversion" or "reparative therapies" promoted by the conference -- and the underlying concept that homosexuality needs to be "cured." Continue

Gay conversion conference criticized

A conference on homosexuality that a national Christian organization is bringing to a Silver Spring church on Saturday is drawing the ire of some community members, gay rights groups and clergy, who say its message is ‘‘dangerous and spiritually disenfranchising.” Continue

Homo No Mo’?

A report from the June 10 Love Won Out conference.

A report on the proceedings, and a surprisingly critical look at "conversion therapy" organizations. Click here

Homosexuality a choice, group contends

An evangelical Christian pro-family group held a conference on homosexuality yesterday in Silver Spring, emphasizing that homosexuals can choose to change their sexual preference and live as heterosexuals.

More than 700 people came to Immanuel's Church for "Love Won Out," conducted by Focus on the Family, a Colorado-based group founded by in 1977 by psychologist James Dobson.

The conference sought to assist those struggling with their sexuality and help with their chosen conversion to a heterosexual lifestyle. Continue

'Ex-gay' conference coming to Maryland

Local activists plan to counter ‘Love Won Out’ with two planned vigils

Love Won Out, a controversial religious conference that espouses reparative therapy and encourages gays to change their sexual orientation, is coming to Maryland next month.

Sponsored by Focus on the Family, a conservative group founded by psychologist James Dobson, the June 10 event at Immanuel’s Church in Silver Spring offers what promotional materials describe as “help for those struggling … with unwanted same-sex attractions.” Continue

Ex-Gay Conference Targeted with Counter Messaging

Love Won Out will bring the message that change is possible to the Washington, D.C,. this weekend -- but a homosexual-activist group is planning its own conference.

People will gather at Immanuel's Church in Silver Spring, Md., on Saturday to hear the message that there is hope for those struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction. But gay-activist Wayne Besen has announced a counterconference to be called "Truth Wins Out." Continue

Conference On Homosexuality Held In Manchester

The conference near St. Louis was a religious right presentation (the report does not identify the organization) on "leaving" homosexuality. Protesters stood outside the church where it was held. Click here to read the report.

It’s less about change and more about money

By Brian Mahieu, Letter to Editor, St. Louis Dispatch editors' blog, February 24, 2006

"I am a survivor of nineteen years in the “transformational ministry” movement (not unlike the programs promoted by Focus on the Family’s Love Won Out tour) . My experiences within the fundamentalist religious/political milieu that promotes the idea that homosexuals are sick and need to be healed was horrific. The movement is packaged in a very slick mainstream way, but the procedures vary widely and can include bizarre spiritual rituals that could be characterized as christian voo doo and evangelical abuse." Click here to continue.

Record Crowd for St. Louis Love Won Out Event

More than 1,700 hear about hope for those struggling with same-sex attraction.

"In its eighth year, Focus on the Family's Love Won Out conference drew its largest crowd ever at First Evangelical Free Church of St. Louis County (First Free) on Saturday. The event shares the message that there is hope for those who want to leave homosexuality." Click here for the article.

Bad News for "Ex-Gay" Movement

Two scholars funded by the "ex-gay" ministry Exodus reported greatly mixed results this week in the most ambitious study yet on whether faith-based therapy can "cure" homosexuality, days after a counselor in another "ex-gay" program was sentenced on felony charges of sexually attacking his male clients.

Christopher Austin, 43, was sentenced in Dallas to 10 years in prison on two counts of felony sexual assault in connection with his work in the "ex-gay" program Renew, operated out of the Church of Christ South MacArthur in Irving, Texas. A judge last week reduced his sentence to seven years' probation, not concurrently, on each charge, a district attorney's spokesman told Gay.com. Continue.

Truth Wins Out Responds To ‘Ex-Gay’ Sham Study Released Today In Nashville

New Pat Robertson University Study, Scripture or Science?

New York – Truth Wins Out warned news organizations today to be skeptical of a biased “ex-gay” sham study that will be released by right wing therapists in Nashville this afternoon. The “research,” which was conducted by Stanton L. Jones of Wheaton College and Mark A. Yarhouse of Pat Robertson University, reportedly will show that a significant percentage of gay people can become straight through religious-based counseling.

“It comes as no shock that anti-gay ‘researchers’ at Wheaton College and Pat Robertson University would release a study that claims you can pray away the gay,” said Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director Wayne Besen. “I suppose their next study will provide support for Pat Robertson’s theory that homosexuality causes meteors and hurricanes.” Continue.

Researchers Say Sexual Orientation Can Change

Book released today reveals it's difficult, but possible.

Despite claims by some mental-health experts, new research indicates that a change in sexual orientation is possible for some homosexuals. In the book Ex-Gays? A Longitudinal Study of Religiously Mediated Change in Sexual Orientation, which was released today, authors Stanton L. Jones and Mark A. Yarhouse address two of the most disputed questions in the homosexuality debate: Is change possible and can the attempt to change be harmful?

C. S. Lewis said that science produced by Christians would have to be “perfectly honest. Science twisted in the interests of apologetics would be sin and folly.” Jones and Yarhouse took Lewis’ advice to heart as they conducted their research, which produced what publisher InterVarsity Press claims to be “the most scientifically rigorous study of its kind to date.” Continue.

Three former leaders of ex-gay ministry apologize

They cite psychological harm they caused gays as the ministry, Exodus International, meets in Irvine

Three former leaders of Exodus International, often described as the nation's largest ex-gay ministry, publicly apologized Wednesday for the harm they said their efforts had caused many gays and lesbians who believed the group's message that sexual orientation could be changed through prayer.

Speaking at a Hollywood news conference, the former leaders of the interdenominational Christian organization said they had acted sincerely in their years of work with Exodus. But they said they had all, over time, become disillusioned with the group's ideas and concerned about what they described as the wrenching human toll of such gay conversion efforts.

The news event, in a courtyard outside an office of the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center, was timed to coincide with the opening of Exodus' annual conference, which is being held this week at Concordia University in Irvine. A competing "ex-gay survivor" convention is to begin Friday at UC Irvine. Continue.

Southern Baptist Convention Commissions Leader for Ex-Gay Ministry

(CR) - The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has commissioned a Texas pastor to be its "national strategist for gender issues." Bob Stith, pastor of Carroll Baptist Church in Southlake, Texas, was introduced during the convention's annual meeting in San Antonio. Stith's new position is aimed at promoting "ex-gay" ministries in Baptist churches.

Bob StithStith sees his new job as helping to form a ministry for gays that goes beyond condemnation. "When pastors and churches aren't sure how to deal with it, they usually deal with it wrongly," he said. "I understand because I was there; I did those things."

Stith noted that many churches separate homosexuality "as a sin that is different from other sins, and consequently we isolate" individuals who struggle with same-sex attractions. By contrast, he added, "I don't think God makes a distinction between sins." Continue.

Ex-gay website using taxpayer funded server

East Lansing-The website for an ex-gay ministry is under scrutiny by officials at Michigan State University.

The site, msu.edu/user/~cstone, came to the attention of Between The Lines when staffers visited the ex-gay website advertised by Gary Glenn and the American Family Association. The ministry in question, Corduroy Stone, is based in Lansing and is affiliated with Exodus International.

The website is hosted on MSU servers because Corduroy co-director Mike Jones, himself an ex-gay, is a retiree of MSU. As an employee and/or retiree, individuals are entitled to email accounts and web space for life. The caveat is that the space is for personal use only.

"I'm deeply concerned about this oversight. I support the university moving as quickly as possible to close down the Corduroy Stone website," said Brent Bilodeau, director of the MSU LBGT Resource Center. "It's presence is unacceptable. The site is not consistent with our technology acceptable use policy. It also promotes a practice related to LBGT identity development that is not credible and inappropriate for use at MSU." Continue.

Mohler sparks controversy with article on 'gay' biological research

by Allie Martin, OneNewsNow.com, March 19, 2007

The president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has caused an uproar with a recent article on his blog that says research points to the possibility that there could be a biological basis for homosexuality. But Dr. Albert Mohler says while scientific evidence may be mounting that a person's sexual orientation may be influenced by genetics and other biological factors, the Bible would still condemn homosexual behavior. Continue.

Re-engineering Temptation

Fuzzy science sparks debate over treatments to reverse homosexuality.

Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra, Christianity Today, April 9, 2007

What if scientists proved that certain people have a biological bent toward homosexuality? And what if they developed a treatment that reversed that orientation? Christians need to have answers ready, said ethicist Nigel Cameron. Already, theologian Al Mohler's response to theories recently tossed about in the media has ignited a debate among Christian leaders.

The story begins at the Oregon Health and Science University, where Charles Roselli studies homosexual sheep (about 8 percent of rams are gay). His research, now more than five years old, has confirmed a link between brain chemistry and sexual preference. But his data does not indicate whether chemistry or preference comes first. Continue.

For more on this topic, click here.

Controversial Leader Of 'Ex-Gay' Therapy Group Steps Down As Criticism Mounts

Dr. Joseph Nicolosi Bows Out After Racist Ideology Discovered On Website

Miami Beach, Fla. - Truth Wins Out expressed satisfaction today in learning that Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, President of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) has stepped down amid a cloud of controversy stemming from a polemic justifying slavery found on the group's website. NARTH had also taken heat in recent months for advocating child abuse against gender variant children.

"NARTH was a sinking ship and they had no choice but to throw their captain overboard," said Truth Wins Out's Executive Director Wayne Besen. "The group was quickly becoming the Mel Gibson of the 'ex-gay' world and this move was NARTH's desperate way of saying, 'timeout, we are going to rehab.' However, it may be too late, as no spin can erase their racist and anti-gay sin."

Trouble began mounting for Nicolosi after Canadian doctor Joseph Berger, who serves on NARTH's "Scientific Advisory Board" wrote on the organization's website that gender variant children should be sent to school in opposite-sex clothing so they can be "ridiculed" into conforming. Continue.

Gay Pressure Threatens Counseling

Task force will review "appropriate therapy practices.”

Under pressure from homosexual activists, the American Psychological Association (APA) plans to re-examine its policy on therapy for gay men and women seeking change.

At least two homosexual groups--the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute (NGLTF) and PFLAG (Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbian and Gays)—want the APA to get tough on anyone who tries to help gays change. Continue.

Pastor: Haggard is heterosexual

Gay relationship was ‘acting out’

Since being fired as pastor of New Life Church amid a gay-sex and drugs scandal, the Rev. Ted Haggard has discovered he’s “completely heterosexual,” an overseer of the church has been quoted as saying.

The Rev. Tim Ralph, senior pastor for New Covenant Fellowship in Larkspur, told The Denver Post on Monday that Haggard’s homosexual activity appears to be limited to Denver male escort Mike Jones, who said he and Haggard had a three-year sexual relationship. Continue.

Haggard gay sex scandal reignites "reparative therapy" debate

Comments by an American evangelical leader who has apologized for contacts with a gay prostitute have rekindled a debate over the controversial premise that people can overcome same-sex attraction through ''reparative therapy.'' The claim by Ted Haggard that he had tried unsuccessfully to treat himself for a ''repulsive and dark'' part of his life reflects a philosophy espoused by many religious conservatives and disputed by many mental health experts.

''Haggard is exhibit A of how people can't change their sexual orientation,'' said Wayne Besen, a gay rights activist and author. ''With all that he had to lose—a wife, children, a huge church—he had to be who he was in the end. He couldn't pray away the gay.'' Continue.

Flier About 'Ex-Gays' Ignites Firestorm At School

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- A flier from a group called Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays, or PFOX, has started a controversy in Silver Spring.

The flier was handed out during homeroom to students at Montgomery Blair High School.

News4's Miguel Almaguer reported that gay students at the high school said the group behind it is homophobic.

Informational Material and Announcements Process (Flyer Distribution) Please click here for the Montgomery County policy on flyer distribution.

Hundreds flock to Love Won Out ex-gay confab

Protesters counter conference fuels hatred toward gays

More than 1,000 people from 22 states flocked to Woodstock, Ga., Nov. 4 to participate in Focus on the Family’s Love Won Out conference, an all-day event that proclaims gay men and lesbians can deny their same-sex attractions and choose a heterosexual lifestyle by embracing Jesus.

They were met by approximately 50 protesters who lined the street to counter the conference with messages that gay people do not choose their sexual orientation and should be able to live openly, free from discrimination. Continue.

Church conference to reach out to gays

A Macon church is holding a conference and outreach program Saturday that aims to figure out why some people are gay and whether they can be reoriented. Continue.

APA Discredits 'Ex-Gay' Movement

(New Orleans, Louisiana) The American Psychological Association on Friday issued a stinging rebuke of the so-called ex-gay movement following a demonstration by members of several organizations that claim homosexuality is a choice that can be cured.

A small group representing the National Association of Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) and Exodus International demonstrated in front of the APA convention in New Orleans Friday.

"While the APA continues to play politics with social issues unrelated to its mission, thousands of current and potential patients are being harmed," said Alan Chambers, president of Exodus International, a national 'ex-gay' organization. Continue

Ministry counters: We won't let mooing dogs lie

Focus on the Family today will unveil a media campaign aimed at countering advertisements that feature a puppy named Norman who says "moo."

Norman is part of the Born Different ad campaign, which has appeared in Colorado Springs since early June. The ads say Norman can't help but "moo" because he was born different. Organizers say the story line is a metaphor for gay people, who they argue were born with their sexual orientation. Continue

Illinois ProFamily Group Plans Christian Outreach at Gay Games

The president of the Illinois Family Institute (IFI) says Christians will be countering the upcoming Gay Games events in Chicago with a "Truth and Love Offensive." The Gay Games, a loose interpretation of an Olympics, strictly for homosexuals, will run from July 15 through July 22 in the Windy City.

Peter LaBarbera, president of IFI, says his organization was determined not to stand by and let the Gay Games pass without telling homosexuals there is freedom in Christ. One of the ways the group hopes to get this message across is by involving individuals who have left the homosexual lifestyle and who now minister to others struggling with unwanted same-sex attractions. Continue

Protesters rally against group's message, say gay rights stymied

By Barry William Walsh, The Marion Chronicle Tribune (Marion, Indiana), June 28, 2006

As the annual Exodus Freedom Conference began in the Phillippe Performing Arts Center auditorium, a group of about 12 people with the Gay Liberation Network stood at Indiana Wesleyan University's main entrance in protest. Continue

Anti-Gay Group Accused Of Distorting Teen Suicide Study

(Vancouver, British Columbia) A Canadian researcher says a conservative U.S. religious group has "hijacked" her research on lesbian teen suicide to support its beliefs.

Dr. Elizabeth Saewyc, an associate professor at the University of British Columbia, said Monday that Focus on the Family is incorrectly blaming an increased rate of suicide attempts on "pro-gay advocates" who tell lesbians they were born gay and must "embrace homosexuality." Continue

Gays, Ex-Gays Square Off At NEA Convention

(Orlando, Florida) Gays and others opposed to the so-called ex-gay movement are protesting the inclusion of the controversial Ex-Gay Educators Caucus at the National Education Association convention in Orlando this week.

Ex-Gay Educators Caucus, which believes homosexuality is "learned behavior" and can be "cured" has been allowed to set up a booth at a trade fair section of the convention, not far from a similar booth for LGBT educators. Continue

New Study Seen to Support 'Born Gay' Theory

A new study on homosexuality is being used to back up the contention that sexual orientation is determined in the womb and not by sociological factors.

North American researchers say a study of almost 1,000 Canadian men found a link between homosexuality and the number of older brothers a man has. Such an association has been reported before, but in the past left open the possibility that both biological or sociological factors may play a role. Continue

Focus on the Family accused of manipulating research

The right-wing group Focus on the Family is being accused of manipulating research on gays and lesbians in an effort to advance its homophobic agenda. It all began when the Colorado Springs, Colo.–based group released a statement on its Web site refuting the results of a study on lesbian teens conducted by Elizabeth Saewyc of the University of British Columbia. Saewyc’s study found that lesbian teens were more likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers, but Focus on the Family took an opportunity to use the findings to come up with a different conclusion than what Saewyc found. “Regrettably, [lesbian teens] think they have to embrace homosexuality because pro-gay advocates told them that they were born gay,” claimed Focus on the Family spokeswoman Melissa Fryrear on the group’s site. Continue

Federal Employee Files Free-Speech Case

FAA suspended, transferred him for sharing a biblical perspective on homosexuality with a coworker.

A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employee has filed a lawsuit against his former boss, after he was suspended and relocated for expressing his thoughts about homosexuality in the workplace.

Lary Dombrowski, who served the FAA in Louisville, Ky., for nearly 20 years, spoke with a co-worker who thought homosexuals were born gay. Continue

Experts Split Over 'Bizarre' Sexual Orientation Therapy Techniques

Christian psychotherapist Richard Cohen, board president of the ex-homosexual education and outreach organization known as Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX), is addressing criticism leveled against certain therapy techniques he uses on clients with homosexual desires. Contnue

Change is Possible Campaign Launches in Schools

Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays, P-FOX, teaches students that change is possible

"Students are being encouraged to distribute literature and hang posters in schools with the message that ex-gays exist. P-FOX is teaming up with the Liberty Counsel to stand by students that meet resistance." Click for the article.

'Ex-Gays' Seek a Say in Schools

In response to campus programs supporting homosexuality, critics call for offering an alternative view: that people can go straight.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Over the last decade, gay-rights activists have pushed programs to support gay and lesbian students in public schools. Their success is striking:

More than 3,000 Gay-Straight Alliance clubs meet across the country. Nearly half a million students take a vow of silence one day each spring in an annual event to support gay rights. California may soon require textbooks to feature the contributions of gays and lesbians throughout history. Critics, mostly on the religious right, view all this as promoting the "homosexual lifestyle." Unable to stop it, they have turned to a new strategy: demanding equal time for their view in public schools and on college campuses. Continue

Research fuels religious debate over homosexuality

Nurture versus nature and scripture versus science — the Abrahamic faiths continue their struggle to define views on homosexuality

This report helpfully surveys studies on the changeability of sexual orientation, debunking one frequently cited by the religious right. It also looks at the positions of major religious organizations. Click for the report

Conservative Groups Launch Ex-Gay Awareness Campaign for Youth

"Two conservative Christian organizations on Wednesday launched the “Change is Possible Campaign” – a national effort to spread an alternative to the widely publicized view that some people are born gay.

"The campaign is a joint project by Liberty Counsel, a conservative public interest law firm that argued in some of the nation’s largest gay marriage-related court cases, and the Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays ministry (PFOX), an organization providing outreach, education, and public awareness in support of the ex-gay community. It is aimed mostly at influencing middle and high-school aged youth." Continue

‘Ex-gays’ take a page from gay activist schoolbook

Effort under way to include ‘Gay to Straight’ clubs in schools

Conservative groups are taking a page out of the gay activist playbook in a new effort to promote the "ex-gay" movement.

Liberty Counsel and Parents & Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays have launched a new campaign called "Change is Possible," which mimics the effort by gay rights advocates to create student clubs and participate in school-sponsored "diversity days."

Instead of gay-straight alliances, the "Change is Possible" campaign urges students to start "Gay to Straight" clubs. Continue

NGLTF: "Prevention" programs for gay teens should be regulated

"A national gay and lesbian group is accusing several religious organizations of causing gay teens long-term harm by offering parents what they call bogus therapies to allegedly keep children from becoming gay. In a report released Thursday in Miami Beach, Fla., the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute questioned whether the therapies are ethical or effective and said state and federal authorities should provide greater oversight when these programs are aimed at youth." Read the news story.
Click here to download the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force report.

Homosexual Activists Launch New Attack on Ex-Gay Movement

"Pro-family groups today defended the ex-gay movement and the truth that homosexuals can change against a broadside assault launched Thursday by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF)." Click here for the report.

Focus, Exodus Respond to 'Gay Task Force' Criticism of Reparative Therapies

"Two conservative, faith-based organizations are responding to charges by a homosexual group that they are hurting teens who are struggling with same-sex attraction by offering parents therapies to turn their children away from homosexuality." Click here for the article.

Ex-Gay Foe Bids to Head Psychiatric Group

Ministries say Jack Drescher could limit their ability to operate

This short item notes worries by right-wing religious groups that purport to "cure" homosexuals. "There is concern among groups that reach out to those wanting to leave homosexuality (sic) that if Drescher should win, he could use that power to place obstacles in their way." Click here to read the item.

The Religious Right's "Conversion Therapy" Offensive

The grotesque insistence that people can "leave" homosexuality and be "ex-gay"