Commentary Tidbits

Taylor Joy Recovers: How Quiverfull Speech Can Crash Airplanes

I'm Dani Kelley, and I Do Lots of Things: Basic Human Decency

Ring of Fire: TN County to Hear Resolution Asking “God to Spare His Upcoming Wrath on Them”

Spiritual Sounding Board: The Blogger at “Biblical Gender Roles” is Taken To Task Proving that His Discipline Advice is Really Domestic Violence

The Guardian: Abortion opposition is a religious stance. Atheists must help fight for choice

Time: Why Mike Huckabee Picked a Fight With Frito-Lay Over Gay Doritos

The Atlantic: The Downfall of the Ex-Gay Movement

Friendly Atheist: How Religion and the GOP Have Hurt Those Who Need Mental Health Resources

Huffington Post: 18 Real Things Republicans Have Said About Abortion And Planned Parenthood

Commentary Tidbits

SPLC Hatewatch: Anti-LGBT and Anti-Muslim Extremists Dominate 2015 Values Voter Summit Lineup

Mother Jones: The Boy Scouts Are No Longer Welcome at This Anti-Gay Jamboree

Washington Post: Social conservatives cheer Boehner’s resignation: ‘It’s an answered prayer!’

Nashville Scene: How a terrible worship song drove me from Christianity   (Hat tip to Bruce Gerenscer)

Buzzfeed: This Is What Happens When You Confront The Former Head Of The Gay “Cure” Movement

The Guardian: Harry Potter was forbidden as a child, but the Bible's bloodshed was fair game

New York Magazine: Pope Francis’s Revolution Has Left Out Women

Huffington Post: Invasion of the Family Snatchers

The Advocate: The High Cost of the Black Church's Homophobia

Restored Hope Network Holds 2015 Conference in Lancaster, PA

"You think you are born gay, well okay, be born again" pastor says to Daniel Delgado. pic.twitter.com/HjPWh0iuCv

— RestoredHopeNetwork (@RestoredHopeNet) June 27, 2015

I planned to observe the Restored Hope Network conference for Republic of Gilead, until the weather report called for torrential rain and possible flooding. Rather than drive to Lancaster in potentially unsafe conditions, I stayed home. I wish I could have infiltrated!  -- Ahab

Restored Hope Network, a coalition of so-called "ex-gay" groups, held its annual conference at Door Christian Fellowship in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on June 26th and 27th. Restored Hope Network promotes conversion therapy, which can purportedly change a person's sexual orientation or sexual identity to a cisgender, heterosexual identity. The organization has risen to prominence in the ex-gay movement in the years following Exodus International's closure.

The history of Anne Paulk, executive director of Restored Hope Network, is an ironic one. In 2013, her husband John Paulk, former chairman of the ex-gay organization Exodus International, publicly admitted that he was not "ex-gay" and apologized for the harm caused by conversion therapy. Anne Paulk released a statement admitting that she and John were divorcing, adding that her heart was "grieved by John’s words and moral choices".

The conference comes at a time when the ex-gay movement has lost credibility in public consciousness. The closure of Exodus International, White House condemnation of conversion therapy, the apologies of several former "ex-gay" activists, and public rejection of the ex-gay movement by former adherents have dealt the movement repeated black eyes. Ontario, Oregon, California, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia have passed laws banning conversion therapy for minors. Friday's New Jersey court ruling that JONAH's conversion therapy claims violated the state's Consumer Fraud Act also sullied the movement's reputation.

Medical professions and researchers doubt the efficacy of conversion therapy and warn that it can produce negative outcomes. A 2009 report by the American Psychological Association concluded that efforts to change people's sexual orientation are not only unlikely to be successful, but involve risks of harm as well. The Pan American Health Organization, the American Medical Association, and other health groups have criticized conversion therapy, while research has shown that sexual orientation change efforts are highly dubious. Defenders of conversion therapy such as NARTH have been accused of promoting dangerous junk science, misrepresenting other professionals' research, and fueling homophobia.

Given conversion therapy's reputation, an ex-gay conference was bound to create controversy.

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Speaking on behalf of Restored Hope Network, Garry Ingraham told Pennlive that the organization simply wants to help people who have unwanted sexual feelings. "We are simply making ourselves available for people who have unwanted same-sex attractions, issues with gender dysphoria and want support in living a life that is congruent with their personal values and faith," he said.

LGBTQ rights advocates have condemned the conference, arguing that conversion therapy is inherently homophobic. Louie Marven, executive director of the LGBT Center of Central Pennsylvania, argued that conversion therapy harms LGBTQ people. "This conference will not bring hope to anyone. The message that LGBTQ people should change our sexual orientation or gender identity is inherently not hopeful. This is a message that hurts LGBTQ people and our families," Marven wrote in a Lancaster Online editorial.

Pennsylvania political leaders also criticized conversion therapy as the conference approached. Kait Gillis, Pennsylvania Department of Human Services press secretary, told Lancaster Online that Govenor Tom Wolf's administration does not endorse conversion therapy and will work toward a ban of the practice in Pennsylvania.

Executive director Anne Paulk was unhappy with the way that some media outlets have portrayed conversion therapy. In a June 26th Facebook message, she expressed her outrage that the "secular media" and the "gay activist community" have described the ex-gay movement in negative terms.

"... Several articles that have quoted us accurately, despite the surrounding gay arguments against the validity of our point of view that use "expert opinion" to discount and minimize the reasons that people seek to change their lives, behavior and identity. Pastor Garry Ingraham did a great job representing our network. I find it interesting that others will take issue that he was accurately quoted, and then quote Alan Chambers who disbanded Exodus tragically and apologized for hurt feelings of those who remain involved in homosexual relationships and feel that change is unnecessary or impossible for them. But there remain those of us who both have left gay relationships, behaviors, identities and also have had various degrees of resolution of related feelings. Christianity would label errant or unwanted feelings to be temptations, not sin. Sin is taking action upon what God condemns in scripture.

Much of the secular media strongly present those who oppose the idea of transformation--even when it is both desired and experienced. The gay activist community has trained them to discount the freedom of choice for a person to pursue a course of care that they both want and thrive in because it cannot be allowed to stand in their minds ...

How dare we change and thrive?? This can simply not be allowed by some and they are so offended that they choose to malign and lie about methodology--claiming irrelevant aversion therapy that has nothing to do with our ministries. They imply the motive is to control others, when the truth is that we are simply walking alongside and sharing the hope we ourselves have received. "

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The Restored Hope Network conference itinerary suggested that LGBTQ status was an undesirable state, rather than a natural expression of sexuality and gender identity. Several workshops championed Christianity as an alleged key to sexual morality, framing LGBTQ status as something to be overcome through faith rather than embraced. "Who I Am", led by Denise Shick, discussed the supposed "identity crises" encountered by people who are "confused about their God-given gender", an apparent jab at transgender and gender-nonconforming persons. "Open to Life: How Jesus Transforms Persons with Same Sex Attraction" offered tools and strategies that Christians can use to "unlock hearts bound up by same-sex attraction".

The policing of sexuality was also a recurring topic at the conference. A workshop entitled "Gay Christian?" claimed that gay believers who choose to live celibate lives are engaging in "a major compromise" and making room for "embracing a disordered identity". On a different note, "Chastity as Life and Freedom in the Holy Spirit", led by Christopher West, framed chastity as a form of freedom. The implication, it seems, is that same-sex intimacy is incompatible with Christian chastity.

"Chastity is not merely a "no" to illicit sexual behavior. Chastity, more than anything, is a "yes" to the freedom for which Christ has set us free -- the freedom to love as he loves!"

Several workshops encouraged anti-LGBTQ interpretations of scripture. "Homotextuality: How Pro-Gay Advocates Misuse the Bible" condemns the "fallacy" that one can be both gay and Christian, arguing against "revisionist" interpretations of scripture. "Does the Bible No Longer Oppose Homosexual Practice?" deconstructs theological writings that support "homosexual unions". Pastor Phil Courson's workshop, "Did God Really Say..." Affirming the Inerrancy of Scripture" endorsed an inerrant interpretation of the Bible.

Predictably, the Restored Hope Network conference encouraged attendees to spread ex-gay thinking throughout their faith communities. A workshop entitled "Creating a Church Culture of Transformation" urged churches to become "a safe place of transformation for persons with ssa [same-sex attraction]". A class entitled "How to Start a Ministry" taught listeners how to create ministries devoted to ex-gay teachings. In an era when ex-gay organizations are shutting down and losing credibility, it's understandable why Restored Hope Network would want its supporters to expand the movement.

In short, workshops caricatured LGBTQ status as a state of confusion and disorder that is incompatible with the Bible. In the eyes of presenters, anything other than a heterosexual, cisgender identity is wrong and must be resisted. Despite all of Restored Hope Network's talk of "transformation" and "thriving", the ex-gay movement is fundamentally about repression of natural feelings. Where is the spiritual nourishment in this?

Conversion therapy, at its core, is about pressuring LGBTQ people to feel ashamed of their inclinations and to conform. Pitting people's sexuality against their spirituality can only bring sorrow, not spiritual growth.



To read additional news, visit the following links.

Pennlive: Church group seeks to 'repair' gays and lesbians

Pennlive: Church group leader, who says he changed from gay to straight, believes court ruling will lead to destruction of the family

Commentary Tidbits

Religion Dispatches: Anti-Gay Evangelicalism is the Norm: A Less Rosy Take on the Evangelical “Tipping Point” 

Mic: I Infiltrated an 'Ex-Gay' Group in New York City — And This Is What It Did to Me

Media Matters: Megyn Kelly Moment: Fox's "Rising Star" Invites Anti-LGBT Hate Group Leader To Discuss Same-Sex Marriage Ruling

Stuff Fundies Like: Why I’m Not Worried About Same-Sex Marriage (and You’re Not Either)

Washington Post: Alan Chambers: I once led an ex-gay ministry. Here’s why I now support people in gay marriages.

The White House Condemns Conversion Therapy

On December 27th, 2014, transgender teen Leelah Alcorn committed suicide. According to her suicide note, when Alcorn revealed that she was transgender, her parents took her to Christian therapists who berated her for being "selfish and wrong", insisting that she "should look to God for help." Her death drew national attention to the plight of transgender youth and the harms of so-called conversion therapy, which seeks to alter the sexual orientation or gender identity of LGBTQ persons.

In honor of Alcorn, LGBTQ rights activists launched an online petition calling for a national ban on conversion therapy. The petition to enact Leelah's Law has gathered nearly 121,000 signatures at the White House website and almost 150,000 at Change.org.

On April 8th, White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett issued a response to the petition, announcing that the Obama Administration supports efforts to ban conversion therapy for minors. "While a national ban would require congressional action, we are hopeful that the clarity of the evidence combined with the actions taken by these states will lead to broader action that this Administration would support," Jarrett wrote.

The White House statement emphasized that mental health and medical professionals reject conversion therapy as harmful and unsound. "The overwhelming scientific evidence demonstrates that conversion therapy, especially when it is practiced on young people, is neither medically nor ethically appropriate and can cause substantial harm," Jarrett argued.

Shortly thereafter, the White House released a video calling for an end to conversion therapy for minors. The video features leaders from the U.S. government calling for acceptance of LGBTQ youth and rejection of conversion therapy.

The White House statement comes at a time when conversion therapy faces unprecedented challenges. For instance, Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-California) has introduced a resolution calling on states to ban conversion therapy for minors. Lawmakers have proposed bans in multiple states, and New Jersey's ban on conversion therapy for minors was recently upheld by a federal appeals court.

LGBTQ rights and civil liberties organizations, including the Southern Poverty Law Center, Truth Wins Out, Lambda Legal, GLSEN, were delighted with the White House statement. Alan Chambers, former president of ex-gay ministry Exodus International (which shut down in 2013 following Chambers' apology to those harmed by the organization), applauded the statement in an April 9th commentary piece.

"...I stand with President Obama in calling for a ban on this practice for minors and for greater measures to protect adults seeking this niche therapeutic intervention.

This ban is in no way an attempt to strip parents of their ability to be good parents or to keep them from helping their child to navigate the complexities of sex and sexuality. Nor is it an infringement on religious liberties.

Regardless of a person’s opinions on sexual morality, efforts to change someone’s primary sexual orientation are dangerous and always unsuccessful. Every adult should have the right to choose his or her own path. And if someone has a religious or moral objection to a particular sexual expression, then who are we to tell that person he or she must embrace a specific act or identity?"

Ex-gay organizations, on the other hand, were livid. In an April 10th press release, the Restored Hope Network, a coalition of ministries that endorse conversion therapy, blasted the White House statement. Anne Paulk, director of the Restored Hope Network, condemned what she called "a growing intolerance of Christian sexual ethics" and worried that a moratorium on therapy based in "a biblical worldview" was imminent. She suggested that conversion therapy was actually intended to help sexually traumatized youth, despite the fact that sexual abuse does not make people LGBTQ.

"It is tragic that children who have been exposed to unwanted sexual advances or abuse by same-sex adults can no longer seek therapeutic help for resolving their sexual confusion ... By withholding therapy to those in confusion we provoke suicidal ideation."

Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX) also issued a press release in the wake of the White House statement. Regina Griggs, executive director of PFOX, claimed that "homosexual activists" were trying to outlaw "talk therapy" for youth who want to overcome unwanted sexual feelings and "gender confusion".

"The term ‘conversion therapy’ is misleading ... and is used by homosexual activists to paint sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) in a negative light and sway public opinion against this therapy. The truth is that this is simply ‘talk therapy’, and those who oppose it have the intent to outlaw this therapy for minors who voluntarily seek counseling from a licensed professional therapist or counselor to overcome unwanted same-sex attractions and gender confusion.

The White House’s position on banning talk therapy would take away the legal rights of minors and make it illegal for parents to support their child if he or she seeks mental and spiritual care to overcome unwanted same-sex attraction or gender confusion. Parents have a legal right to be involved in the raising of their sons and daughters."

These statements from ex-gay organizations ignore the failures and bad reputation of conversion therapy. For example, a 2009 report by the American Psychological Association concluded that efforts to change people's sexual orientation are not only unlikely to be successful, but involve risks of harm as well. The Pan American Health Organization, the American Medical Association, and other health groups have criticized conversion therapy, while research has shown sexual orientation change efforts to be highly dubious. Defenders of conversion therapy such as NARTH have been accused of promoting dangerous junk science, misrepresenting other professionals' research, and fueling homophobia. Survivors of conversion therapy and ex-gay ministries have spoken out through websites such as Beyond Ex-Gay, Truth Wins Out, Box Turtle Bulletin, and personal blogs.

The White House was right to condemn conversion therapy. In doing so, it joins a chorus of enlightened voices calling for an end to this quackery masquerading as therapy.

Conversion therapy is rooted in the belief that anything other than a heterosexual, cisgender identity is wrong and must be changed. Nothing spiritually redemptive or emotionally nourishing can come from efforts to change people's sexual orientation or gender identity. LGBTQ youth are not "confused" and do not need adults inundating them with homophobia and transphobia. Despite all the rhetoric from ex-gay groups about "helping" minors, conversion therapy was never about helping youth -- it was always about pressuring LGBTQ people to conform. Conversion therapy proponents and ex-gay ministries that ignore these truth are quickly finding themselves on the wrong side of history.


To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

The Guardian: 'Praying the gay away': Trauma survivors crusade to ban conversion therapy 

Salon: Leelah Alcorn’s legacy: The White House moves against conversion therapy

RH Reality Check: White House Takes Stance Against ‘Reparative Therapy’

Ugandan Anti-Gay Bill Signed into Law

After years of delays and inscrutable zig-zagging on the part of Uganda's president, Uganda's anti-gay bill is now law. CNN reports that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has signed into law a draconian bill that mandates prison time for those who perform outreach to gays and lesbians, as well as life in prison for some same-sex intimate acts.

After signing the bill into law, Museveni was defiant. In an interview with CNN's Zain Verjee, Museveni called gays "disgusting", arguing that he'd seen insufficient evidence that homosexuality was inborn. In a transcript of his February 24th speech posted at the Daily Monitor, Museveni demonized gays as predators heralding from the "arrogant" west.

"It seems the topic of homosexuals was provoked by the arrogant and careless Western groups that are fond of coming into our schools and recruiting young children into homosexuality and lesbianism, just as they carelessly handle other issues concerning Africa." 

Museveni's speech was littered with bizarre claims about the origins of sexual orientation and the supposed dangers of oral sex. He accused the west of imposing its pro-gay values on his land, ignoring ways that American anti-gay activists have exported homophobia to Africa.

"Are we interested in seeing your sexual acts – we the Public? I am not able to understand the logic of the Western Culture. However, we Africans always keep our opinions to ourselves and never seek to impose our point of view on the others. If only they could let us alone."

The global reaction was swift. The White House, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission, Human Dignity Trust, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, and South African cleric Desmond Tutu condemned the new law as discriminatory and backwards.

I fear that the worst is yet to come for Uganda. LGBTQ Ugandans, already under siege in a country that criminalizes homosexuality, will now be at risk for long, unjust imprisonment.  The new law and the rhetoric coming from Ugandan leaders may embolden homophobes, putting LGBTQ people at risk of further violence and persecution.

It is vital to remember that the anti-gay law was introduced as American Religious Right figures promoted homophobia in Uganda. Scott Lively, Exodus International board member Don Schmierer, and other American Religious Right were among the speakers at a 2009 anti-gay conference in Kampala. Lou Engle of TheCall preached at TheCall Uganda rally in 2010, earning him criticism from LGBTQ rights groups. While the American Religious Right is not exclusively to blame for homophobia in Uganda, its anti-gay propaganda did not help the situation.

Do we need any further evidence of the dangers of homophobia? This is what happens when political leaders embrace ignorance, bigotry, and scapegoating. This is what happens when dangerous myths, stereotypes, and pseudoscience infect public consciousness. This is what happens when hatred is conflated with patriotism, national autonomy, and faith. This is what happens when the Religious Right spreads its influence and ideology. The LGBTQ community is demonized, unjust bills become law, and innocent people suffer.

We must continue to speak out for equality, both in the U.S. and abroad. We must resist interpretations of religion that dehumanize LGBTQ people. We must refute dangerous stereotypes and pseudoscience wherever they fester. We must shine a light on the global ambitions of the Religious Right. And, we must always remember that a saner world is possible.



To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

Christiane Amanpour on CNN: How American evangelicals may be responsible for Uganda’s anti-gay law

Mother Jones: Uganda's President Signs Extreme Law That Has Led to Calls to Kill, Burn, and Beat Gays

New York Times: Reaction to Uganda Antigay Law

Ugandan Parliament Approves Draconian Anti-Gay Bill

On December 20th, the Ugandan Parliament approved a controversial anti-gay bill mandating lengthly prison sentences for those who engage in same-sex sexual relations, according to the New York Times. Uganda's New Vision reports that President Museveni plans to read the bill before signing it. “I will first go through it. If I find that it is right I will sign but if I find that it is not right I will send it back to Parliament”, he said.

According to the Ugandan Parliament website*, the bill mandates a 14-year prison sentence for "the offence of homosexuality" and life imprisonment for "aggravated homosexuality". While less harsh than an earlier version mandating capital punishment for "aggravated homosexuality", the current bill is still draconian.

The bill triggered international outrage when it was introduced after American Religious Right figures engaged in anti-gay activism in Uganda. In 2009, several American Religious Right activists, including Scott Lively and a board member of the now-defunct Exodus International, spoke at a homophobic conference in Kampala. Later, Lou Engle praised Uganda's "righteousness" regarding the bill at TheCall Uganda rally, according to the New York Times, although his ministry issued a statement stressing that it would not promote the bill. The role of American Religious Right figures in fomenting homophobia in Uganda has been well-documented Jeff Sharlet's "Dangerous Liaisons" article, Box Turtle Bulletin's "Slouching Toward Kampala" series, and documentaries such as Missionaries of Hate, Gospel of Intolerance, and God Loves Uganda.





The language surrounding the bill should sound familiar to anyone who has been observing global anti-LGBTQ activism. The parliament website states that the Anti-Homosexuality Bill seeks to prohibit recognition of same-sex sexual relations by NGOs and public institutions, so as to "protect the traditional family by prohibiting any form of sexual relations between persons of the same sex". The Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs described the bill as an effort at "strengthening the nation’s capacity to deal with emerging internal and external threats to the traditional heterosexual family." The Committee framed the bill as a means of protecting Ugandan children from sexual abuse (an assumption rooted in toxic stereotypes of LGBTQ persons as predators).

Ugandan MP Benson Obua Ogwal spoke warmly of the bill as it progressed through parliament. “Ugandans have been anxiously waiting for this Bill. This day will be good day for all Ugandans,” he said, according to the parliament website.

Thankfully, some Ugandan MPs have criticized the bill. In a minority report, MPs Sam Otada and Fox Odoi rejected the bill as invasive. "What two consenting adults do in the privacy of their bedroom should not be the business of this Parliament. It is not right to have the state allowed in the bedrooms of people," they said, according to the parliament website.

Horrified LGBTQ rights supporters in Uganda quickly spoke out. Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), an Ugandan LGBTQ rights organization, was appalled at the parliament's decision. In a statement shared at Box Turtle Bulletin, SMUG condemned the bill and the "haphazard manner" in which the Ugandan parliament passed it. The SMUG statement warned that should President Yoweri Museveni sign the bill into law, the bill would be a severe blow to LGBTQ human rights, HIV/AIDS treatment efforts, and the family unit.

“Today will go down in history as the worst day for LGBTI identifying persons and human rights in general. The passing of the bill has caused significant panic even before its assented," said SMUG Legal/Human Rights Officer Mr. Mawadri.

Pink News reports that Edwin Sesange of the African LGBTI Out & Proud Diamond Group has called on President Museveni to reject the anti-gay bill as well.

"We know that President Museveni has always championed good causes like the fight against HIV and AIDS, the struggle for women equality, regional peace, and has always endeavored to protect the rights of the minorities like the squatters.

The president accepts that LGBTI people exist in Uganda and have always existed; therefore legislating against their existence will only incite violence towards them.

President Museveni prides himself as a liberator and a protector of all Ugandans. This bill however is not liberating and neither protects any individual.

We are calling on the President of Uganda not to sign this bill into law.”

Christopher Ssenyonjo, a former Anglican bishop in Uganda, told Religion News Service that Ugandans' support for the anti-gay bill is rooted in misunderstandings about LGBTQ people. “People here don’t understand what homosexuality is,” Ssenyonjo said. “If they did, I don’t think they would have allowed this law.”

The world now waits to see what President Museveni will do. If he signs the bill into law, it will be a catastrophe for LGBTQ rights in Uganda. The country finds itself in a similar situation as Nigeria, where another anti-gay bill has been approved by parliament and awaits President Jonathan's signature. Uganda and Nigeria have come to represent the precarious state of LGBTQ people in Africa, where multiple countries have anti-LGBTQ laws and the struggle for LGBTQ rights continues.

If Uganda's anti-gay bill becomes law, the global community must demand accountability not only from Uganda's lawmakers, but from the American Religious Right figures who helped foment homophobia there. The anti-gay bill is but one example of what is at stake in the struggle against fundamentalism, both here and across the globe.



To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

What Would J.T. Do?: Uganda Passes Massive Anti-Gay Bill

Mother Jones: The Love That Dares

Warren Throckmorton: Uganda’s President May Not Sign Anti-Homosexuality Bill; Ssempa Involved in Stealth Plan to Pass Bill

Gay Star News: Ugandan activist ‘worried for supporters’ facing life in jail in gay crackdown

Commentary Tidbits

Alternet: 5 Biblical Concepts Fundamentalists Just Don’t Understand

Heresy in the Heartland: Voiceless Women: Arda J. Rushdoony

Lady Atheist: Homeschoolers and Quiverfull Families 

God Discussion: The workplace viewed as 'biggest mission field in the world today' for 7 Mountains Christianity

Indian Country Today Media Network:  Why Papal Bull Claiming Dominion Over Non-Christian Lands Still Matters

Think Progress: Chicago Cardinal Pulls Funding From Immigration Groups For Supporting Same-Sex Marriage

Truth Wins Out: Russia’s Anti-Gay Pogrom Has Disturbing Parallels to Medieval Anti-Semitism

The Moscow Times: Dangerous Alliance Between Church and State in Russia

Huffington Post: Alan Chambers, Exodus International's Former President, On Sexual Labels, 'Ex-Gay' Therapy

Freak Out Nation: Christian radio ad explains that dinosaurs were on Noah’s Ark, Amen

Bartholomew's Notes on Religion: Fringe Conspiracy Theories Promoted At “Prophecy Summit” Attended by Joseph Farah

Daughter of Lesbian Couple Condemns Gays at Foresquare Conference

Loving the Homosexual Community from The Foursquare Church on Vimeo.

Following the closure of Exodus International and the abysmal failure of a recent "ex-gay" rally, it would be easy to assume that ex-gay ministries are on the decline. Unfortunately, plenty of such ministries remain active, as one unpleasant video reminds us.

Stephanie Singer, founder of Will Not Ministries, spoke at Foresquare Church's 2013 convention in Dallas, Texas earlier this year. Truth Wins Out and Good As You have brought attention to a video excerpt of her talk, in which she vacillates between love for the LGBTQ community and condemnation of homosexuality.

Will Not Ministries resembles ex-gay ministries in its messaging. In its vision statement, Will Not Ministries stereotypes LGBTQ people as somehow broken and in need of healing. "In a culture that believes broken relationships are normal, Will Not Ministries desires to bring light to the brokenness of homosexuality and help people see complete healing and restoration," the website states. In a pamphlet entitled "What You Need to Know", Singer promotes inaccurate and outmoded theories about "same-sex attraction", arguing that "lack of healthy affirmation from the same sex" and "lack of same gender friendships at a young age" steer people toward the gay "lifestyle". In short, Will Not Ministries claims to welcome and minister to gays while condemning homosexuality as something unsound. (Sound familiar?)

Singer told listeners about the very different worlds she navigated in her youth. "I was raised by two lesbian mothers and a Christian father," she explained, as if to suggest that Christianity and lesbianism were mutually exclusive categories. Her father brought her to his church, where she felt that she didn't fit in and eventually left. Meanwhile, Singer was raised by a lesbian couple and mentored by four lesbian women, all of whom she spoke of with warmth. However, she quickly blamed those mentors for her later sexual identity and alienation from the church, arguing that because her loved ones were lesbian, "therefore I thought that I was gay. I was loved straight out of the church." She eventually joined a southern California church that accepted her despite her "butch" appearance, where God's love called her to repentance and "broke the bondage of deceit".

Singer told the audience that she prays for Christians to "take back this territory that's been stolen from us." At the 2:16 mark, Singer toggled between messages of love for the LGBTQ community and language that condemned LGBTQ people in no uncertain terms. She warned that pro-LGBTQ messages were being taught in schools and that gays are allegedly loving youth out of the church, thereby depicting gays as a threat to the young.

"There's many people like how I was that are in your churches right now that have same-sex attraction. It's all over TV now. It's become the new normal. It's being taught in our children's schools, and this cannot just be another option. There needs to be freedom and fullness. We need to not only get equipped ourselves, but we need to equip our churches for this ministry, because it's in our families, our friends, it's in our workplace now. I believe that the church needs to start loving the homosexual community back into wholeness, and stop letting them love our children out."

First of all, religious homophobia, no matter how sugar-coated, will not help anyone cultivate "wholeness". It will, however, pit people's sexual orientation against their spirituality and teach them that their normal feelings are somehow pathological. Second, LGBTQ people are not inherently "broken" or spiritually lost. Singer, like other Christian ex-gay speakers, frames Christian faith and homosexuality as mutually exclusive, ignoring the fact that many people are both LGBTQ and Christian.

Finally, Singer's talk demonstrates hostility toward her lesbian mothers and mentors. Instead of accepting the female role models of her youth and using her experiences to cultivate an enlightened outlook, she had embraced homophobia. How did her mothers and mentors feel when she decried homosexuality on stage, I wonder?

Singer's talk represents a tragedy, in that it tells the story of a woman who chose intolerance over love and acceptance. Her words serve as a reminder that anti-LGBTQ rhetoric still thrives in some religious circles, as well as a call to resist prejudice.

News Tidbits

Christian Science Monitor: Obamacare contraception: Could religious exemption be headed to Supreme Court?

Washington Post: Student’s home-schooling highlights debate over Virginia religious exemption law

Washington Post: In shift of tone, Pope Francis reaches out to gays, says he won’t judge gay priests

BBC News: Santiago cathedral closed after Chile abortion protest

Christian Post: Exodus Ministry Continues in Latin America Despite Shutting Down in US

Commentary Tidbits

O-blog-dee-o-blog-da: U.S. Christian Extremist Sees Russia's New Homophobic Laws as Model

Bartholomew's Notes on Religion: Honduras Government Promotes Large-Scale U.S. Evangelical Mission Event

Think Progress: Liberty Counsel: Supporting Transgender Kids Is Criminally Bad Parenting

Frank Schaeffer: My Journey Out of the Religious Right (Video) 

Box Turtle Bulletin: Former Exodus Vice President Issues Open Apology to LGBT Community

Truth Wins Out: American Family Association’s New Coffee Company Comes Fresh Roasted With Anti-Gay, Misogynistic Bigotry

The New Civil Rights Movement: AFA’s New Christian Coffee Company Proselytizes In Uganda, Funds Anti-Gay Hate In US

Commentary Tidbits

Urban Tulsa Weekly: Lifestyles of the Rich Evangelists

Unreasonable Faith: Broken Children

John Fugelsang: America's Not a Christian Nation -- But Jesus Would Be an Awesome President

Think Progress: New California House Candidate Funded By Advocate For ‘Total Integration Of Biblical Law’

Right Wing Watch: 'I Am Your Moon. And You Are My Beasts': The Birth Of Glenn Beck's Independence Day Extravaganza

Alternet: 5 Sneaky Ways Fundamentalists Are Trying To Slip Christian Creationism Into America’s Public Schools

RH Reality Check: Federal Appeals Court Reverses Block on Baltimore’s CPC ‘Truth-In-Advertising’ Law

Love, Joy, Feminism: A Few More Thoughts on the Closing of Exodus International

News Tidbits

KSDK 5: Evangelical group targeting Jewish people in St. Louis

Metro Weekly: National Organization for Marriage implies being American and LGBT are incompatible

The Advocate: From Exodus to Shock the Gay Away: An LGBT History Lesson

Out: The Ender's Game Boycott Begins

Pink News: Brazil: Gay ‘cure’ bill withdrawn before vote in Parliament

Pink News: Israel: Prime suspect of LGBT youth centre shooting reveals he was ‘driven by biblical edict to attack homosexuals’

Amnesty International Report Highlights U.S. Religious Right, Homophobia, and Uganda

Earlier this month, Amnesty International release a report entitled Making Love a Crime: Criminalization of Same-Sex Conduct in Sub-Saharan Africa. The report documents anti-LGBTQ legislation in many sub-Saharan African countries, as well as persecution by law enforcement, state actors, and non-state actors.

Amnesty International observes that American Religious Right figures have encouraged homophobia in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Uganda where a draconian anti-gay bill is under consideration.

“Newer evangelical churches in Africa often receive funding from their counterparts in the West, particularly the USA. In Uganda, religious organizations like the Family Life Network work closely with US evangelicals. The Family Life Network hosted a conference in Uganda in 2009 which featured representatives from Exodus International, a US-based Christian organization with the stated aim of ‘converting’ gay and lesbian people to heterosexuality, as well as Scott Lively, an American minister who has campaigned in several countries for the criminalization of ‘public advocacy of homosexuality’. Speakers claimed that gay activists from the West paid young people in Uganda to ‘recruit’ others into homosexuality. On 14 March 2012, the US-based Center for Constitutional rights filed a federal lawsuit against Scott Lively on behalf of Sexual Minorities Uganda. The suit argues that Lively’s actions in Uganda, including his campaign to strip LGBTI persons of basic human rights, constitutes persecution.

US-based funding for religious groups that actively advocate against homosexuality in Africa has come not just from evangelical churches, but also from US government agencies. Pastor Martin Ssempa, who runs the Makere Community Church in Uganda and who has vocally opposed homosexuality as well as condom use and women’s rights, received money under the Bush administration from a US programme designed to combat HIV/AIDS.”

The report also highlights the complex relationship between faith and the African LGBTQ community. Amnesty International notes that some African lawmakers and religious leaders cite Christianity or Islam when condemning the LGBTQ community. Some religious groups and interfaith coalitions have been vocal in their homophobia and calls for discriminatory treatment of LGBTQ persons.

On the other hand, the report acknowledges that many LGBTQ Africans find strength and solace in their religious faith, and that some African clergy (i.e., Bishop Senyonjo) affirm the humanity of their LGBTQ brethren. For LGBTQ Africans in homophobic congregations, however, confiding in religious leaders about their sexual orientation, gender identity, or negative experiences could result in expulsion or public humiliation.

The Amnesty International report notes the irony of using religion-as-African-identity arguments to justify homophobia in Africa, given the role of American preachers in fomenting homophobia there.

"Religion is often conflated with notions of culture and tradition, and then used as a justification to condemn same-sex sexuality. The very existence of LGBTI Africans is often denied and same-sex sexuality or behaviour is largely blamed on the West. Meanwhile, the loudest and most public Western influence on this issue arguably comes from Western preachers, like Pastors Rick Warren and Scott Lively, who actively fund and promote homophobia in Africa"

Read the full report for a in-depth look at homophobia in sub-Saharan Africa, including ways that religion has both exacerbated and confronted bigotry there.

Commentary Tidbits

Mother Jones: Rick Santorum Named CEO of a Christian Film Studio. Here's What He Actually Knows About Movies.

Daily Nation: The miracle healing that never was

Religion Dispatches: Message to Anti-Gay Pastors: Double Down

O-blog-dee-o-blog-da: Exodus International Gone but Ex-Gay Impact Continues

Alternet: Minister Seduced Girls with Promise that Sex Would 'Heal' STDs and Early Pregnancy

Commentary Tidbits

Huffington Post: Breaking News: 34% of Your Fellow Citizens Want a Theocracy

Alternet: Are the Bible Thumpers Losing Their Grip on Our Politics?

Think Progress: Focus On The Family Leads Effort To Defend Ex-Gay Ministries After Exodus Shuts Down

The Wartburg Watch: The “Faith” of an Abuser and Wallop Your Woman?

Truth Wins Out: Wayne Besen Speech in Oklahoma City On ‘The Rise and Fall of the Ex-Gay Myth’

News Tidbits

Washington Post: Rick Santorum now running Christian movie studio

The Advocate: The Conservative Hang-up: How marriage equality opponents, obsessed with sex, lost America

SheWired: Girl Barred From Christian School's Football Team Because of Boys' 'Impure Thoughts'

San Diego Gay and Lesbian News: Ex-gay survivors: Exodus kingpin pulled wool over eyes of TV viewers

Gay Star News: New Jersey set to be second US state to ban ‘gay cures’

Florida Baptist Witness: Huckabee to pastors: ‘Feed the sheep’

ABC News: States Fight Discrimination Toward Gay Foster Kids

Edge Boston: Jamaica Church Leaders Rally For Anti-Sodomy Law

The Religious Right Reacts to Exodus International's Closure

June has been an explosive month for the so-called "ex-gay" movement. A recent apology by Exodus International president Alan Chambers, followed by an announcement that Exodus International would close, has sent shock waves through the ex-gay community. The Religious Right has reacted with disappointment and disdain, clinging to the dubious belief that homosexuality is sinful and that LGBTQ people can somehow change their sexual orientation.

On June 21st, Focus on the Family president Jim Daly issued a statement regarding Exodus International's apology and closure. Framing homosexuality as a form of sexual sin, Daly insisted that people can still find "true happiness in stewarding their sexuality according to God's plan".

"We understand God’s original intent was for marriage to be a lifelong union between a man and a woman, with children as a natural result. But we also realize that all of us sin in many ways.

“We believe there is hope for those who struggle sexually. Be it a struggle with lust, adultery, pornography addiction, pre-marital sex, same-sex attractions or issues related to identity – there is hope. The hope of a Christian is that our behavior becomes more in line with God and God’s will. He wants us to drink from His full cup of grace and truth – because it’s through Him we can overcome lifelong struggles with sin.”

“God’s help usually doesn’t come as a ‘fast fix.’ It’s often a long process. Many times it takes counseling, Bible study, prayer and community support – but it can be done. Here at Focus we’ve seen marriages reconciled. We’ve seen people who struggle with unwanted same-sex attraction change. We’ve seen people experience real transformation in their thoughts, behaviors, attractions and identity. We’ve seen people find true happiness in stewarding their sexuality according to God’s plan, even when that means sacrifice."

The National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), an anti-LGBTQ organization, released a statement on Exodus International on June 20th. NARTH acknowledged ex-gay ministries that plan to continue their work after Exodus International's closure.

"As we understand it, Exodus was a public relations voice and referral clearing house for hundreds of individual, primarily evangelical ministries who serve church members who are experiencing unwanted homosexual feelings. These hundreds of individual evangelical Protestant ministries along with the outreach ministries in the Catholic, Jewish and Latter-day Saint faith communities still exist and we imagine that they will always exist as long as we have individuals who find homosexual sex incongruent with their personal or religious values."

In a commentary piece at Charisma Magazine, Michael Brown listed six lessons that Christians can learn from Exodus International's closure. Brown defended the dubious idea of sexual orientation change and claimed that Alan Chambers does not speak for the "thousands" of ex-gays and ex-gay ministries.

"When a ministry or church or organization departs from its calling and purpose, it will no longer be backed by God ... Right now, the world is mocking the idea that homosexuals can change, either by the gospel or by professional counseling or both, while many in the church are even questioning whether change is possible.

But Exodus is not closing because God no longer transforms homosexual men and women. It is closing because it has lost sight of its original mission and vision.

Alan Chambers, the current leader of Exodus, has stated publicly that he does not believe change in sexual orientation is possible, also claiming that practicing, unrepentant homosexuals who profess faith in Jesus are heaven-bound and saved. This means that Exodus stopped offering hope to struggling homosexuals and even stopped effectively calling them to holiness.

In that light, while the announcement of the closing of Exodus is bad news because of the reproach it brings to the gospel and the discouragement it brings to gay strugglers, it is good news because Exodus was no longer serving its God-ordained purposes."

Brown claimed that "a massive spiritual attack on those who stand on the front lines of ministry to homosexual men and women" is taking place, as the "world" seeks to discredit the ex-gay movement. He framed homosexuality as incompatible with Christian faith, branding it a sin alongside "rampant no-fault divorce, pornography and immorality in the church".

"There is no way to appease gay activists without departing from the truth of the Word. When I am asked by church leaders what we can do to minister more effectively to the LGBT community, I state that we must first repent of our own sins—including rampant no-fault divorce, pornography and immorality in the church—and then we must ask God to break our hearts with His love for homosexual men and women.

At the same time, I fully realize that unless we celebrate homosexuality, embracing it as morally and socially equivalent to heterosexuality, and unless we tell “gay Christians” that they can follow Jesus and practice homosexuality at the same time, we have not gone far enough in their eyes.

The written apology issued by Alan Chambers leans in the dangerous direction of complete moral capitulation and should serve as a strong warning for the rest of us who want to stand for compassion without compromise."

Finally, in a June 22nd column at Renew America, Mark H. Creech scoffed at the idea of innate sexual orientation, claiming that it is "a broad term developed in modern times to provide credence for the growing number of sexual perversions." He criticized Exodus International for allegedly weakening its message with non-Christian contaminants.

"To water down this message with outside worldly, unbiblical influences, is to risk the loss of Christian identity and collapse, which is exactly what happened to Exodus International.

Indeed this is a landmark event. And every Christian denomination, church, church school or university, organization and ministry, should take note with fear and trembling. Exodus International took flight from its own promised land of deliverance and exists no more."

For all the damage it has done, Exodus International is at least willing to admit its mistakes. Its former allies among the Religious Right, however, still cling to the myths that Exodus International once embraced. I can think of nothing more ridiculous than clinging to a false ideology that has harmed so many people.

Commentary Tidbits

Mediaite: What If Sarah Palin Became President? New Novel Envisions ‘Christian Nation’ Theocratic Dystopia   (Hat tip to Infidel753)

Huffington Post: Hasta La Vista, Exodus International

Political Research Associates: Exodus in the Global Context: "Ex-Gay" Therapy Continues Across the Americas

Right Wing Watch: July Is 'Ex-Gay Pride Month'

News Tidbits

BBC News: Hollywood seeks divine inspiration with biblical epics   (Hat tip to Infidel753)

Christian Science Monitor: Why key 'gay conversion' group is closing 

Huffington Post: Ex-Gay Christian Groups Will Continue After Exodus As Religious LGBT Support Grows 

ABC Action News Tampa: Despite the apology and closure of Exodus International, Florida chapter plans to continue work 

On Top Magazine: Rick Santorum To Speak At Iowa Summit Co-Sponsored By Gay Marriage Foe NOM 

The Tennessean: Gay pride ribbon assignment leads to fight over religion 

Raw Story: ‘Spanking for Jesus’ movement lets God-fearing husbands feel good about punishing their wives