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’

Commentary Tidbits

E! Online: Jim Bob Duggar Says Petition to Cancel 19 Kids and Counting Has Only Given His Family's Show "More Exposure"

Slate: Hate on Trial: What the Case Against Scott Lively Really Means

Friendly Atheist: Torture is Okay, Because God Sanctioned Brutality in the Bible, Says Bryan Fischer

Mother Jones: This GOP Lawmaker Wants a Woman to Get Permission From the Father Before Having an Abortion

The Daily Beast: The 26 Next Hobby Lobbys

Think Progress: Virginia Billboard Promoting Ex-Gay Therapy To Remain In Place

News Tidbits

Gay RVA: Hundreds gather for picture to counter ex-gay billboard

Religion News Service: Cardinal Timothy Dolan cuts ties with anti-abortion crusader Frank Pavone 

The Guardian: Sex education from church and state sends mixed messages in Vietnam 

LGBTQ Nation: 'Religious zealot’ pastor who wishes all gays were dead defends sermon

News Tidbits

The Guardian: Sex abuse report: Bob Jones University fosters culture of victim-blaming

American Prospect: Report: Bob Jones University Responded to Rape Claims with Woeful Ignorance of the Law, Often Blaming Victims 

Greenville Online: Solicitor Walt Wilkins will launch investigation into BJU abuse response

Huffington Post: Bill Nye: Creationism Is 'Raising A Generation Of Young People Who Can't Think'

Raw Story: Arizona pastor tricks Holocaust survivor into appearing in his anti-Semitic film

CBS News: Bill would let Michigan doctors, EMTs refuse to treat gay patients

Texas Observer: ‘License to Discriminate’ Bills Pile Up in Texas Legislature

NBC 12: Openly-gay model in 'Nobody is born gay' billboard reacts

Scott Lively and Peter LaBarbera Announce New Anti-LGBTQ Group

Two anti-gay activists have just announced the formation of a new far-right coalition. During a February 21st press conference at the National Press Club, Scott Lively of Defend the Family International and Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH) announced the formation of the Coalition for Family Values. Greg Quinlan of PFOX and Diane Gramley of the American Family Association of Pennsylvania were also on hand for the event, the Washington Blade reports.

According to a press release, the purpose of the Coalition for Family Values is "to unify and coordinate pro-family groups around the United States and the world to more effectively oppose the now global LGBT agenda." In a statement posted at LifeSite News, the Coalition for Family Values complained that "the LGBT agenda has already gone too far", urging "family-friendly nations" to resist advances in LGBTQ rights. Calls for LGBTQ equality are merely an imposition of "inverted morality" by westerners, the statement insisted.

"The Coalition for Family Values will be encouraging our current and future affiliates throughout the world to lobby their own governments to follow the Russian example. While the LGBT agenda has seemed like an unstoppable political juggernaut in North America and Europe, the vast majority of the people of the world do not accept the notion that sexual deviance should be normalized. It is time that these voices are heard on the world stage before the so-called elites of the Western powers impose their inverted morality on everyone through the manipulation of international law, which they clearly intend to do." 

The new coalition is receiving support from organizations and figures among the Religious Right. The Washington Blade reports that Oklahoma Rep. Sally Kern, Brian Camenker of MassResistance, and Matt Barber of Liberty Council Action are among the more than 70 far-right figures from around the globe who have joined the coalition.

The Coalition for Family Values has taken an approving stance toward Russia's anti-gay propaganda law, although it is not alone among far-right groups in doing so. The first action of the organization will be to release a statement in support of Russia's "pro-family laws". Scott Lively spoke warmly of Russia's anti-gay legislation at the press conference. “We want to praise the Russian Federation for providing much-needed leadership in restoring family values in public policy,” he said at the event, according to the Washington Blade.

“By taking these steps in the face of intense criticism and hostility by some Western governments and NGOs, the Russians have demonstrated the high value that they place on their children and the natural family model of society. We believe that God will bless the Russian people for their faith and courage.”

In a transcript of her speech at the press conference, Diane Gramley stated that the U.S. "could learn from Russia and stop the homosexualization of our nation ...  It is time for the United States to stop using our children as lab rats to see how they react to the homosexual propaganda they are exposed to in the public school classroom, in many children's books, in video games and the entertainment industry."

Video footage of the press conference shows that Scott Lively endured heckling from a member of the audience. Lively responded by insisting that "homofascism" is seeking to "suppress all other perspectives about the homosexual issues except those that favor your position".





Lively was not amused at being interrupted.





The Coalition for Family Values is the latest reminder that the American Religious Right has global ambitions and global networks. As the far-right grow increasingly open about its work abroad, LGBTQ rights supporters have both the opportunity and responsibility to monitor the right's international activism



To read additional commentary, visit the following links.

Right Wing Watch: Scott Lively's New Anti-Gay Coalition: Governments Should Suppress LGBT 'Propaganda'

Mother Jones: Anti-Gay Evangelical Calls Protesters "Homo-Fascists"

O-blog-dee-o-blog-da: Activists ejected from Scott Lively anti-gay press conference

News Tidbits

Ms. Magazine: Man Who Planned to Murder Planned Parenthood Doctor Sentenced to 10 Years

Philadelphia Inquirer: Pennsylvania lawmaker's education bill reignites creationism debate

Gay Star News: Christian party claims heterosexual Australians oppressed because gays earn more

Hindustan Times: India: Mumbai’s LGBT community reacts online to Goregaon priest’s anti-gay sermon

Pink News: ‘Ex-gay’ group PFOX claims ‘gay cure’ therapy awareness could have prevented AIDS epidemic

Pink News: Anti-gay evangelist Scott Lively accuses Supreme Court judge of being a ‘homosexualist’

News Tidbits

Christian Post: Sen. Rob Portman Invited to Join Ex-Gay Support Group

Raw Story: Pastor to rabbi, imam: U.S. is a ‘Christian nation’ but we ‘let’ you worship

Huffington Post: Obama Easter Service Pastor, Luis León, Criticized For Remarks Against Religious Right

Washington Post: Full 10th Circuit Court to hear Hobby Lobby appeal challenging morning-after pill requirement

CNN: Joel Osteen dismisses The Bible controversy

California Bans Conversion Therapy for Minors

On Saturday, September 29th, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law a bill that would ban so-called "conversion therapy" for minors. Calling attempts to cure homosexuality "nonscientific" and "quackery" in a statement quoted in the New York Times, Brown drew praise from LGBTQ rights activists.

I applaud California's decision to regarding this homophobic "therapy," which is not only dubious, but potentially destructive. In a 2009 report, the American Psychological Association Task Force on Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation concluded that sexual orientation change efforts are unlikely to be successful and may actually cause harm. Researchers have warned that patients of conversion therapy not only have abysmal rates of sexual orientation change, but also report problems such as low self-esteem and depression. In some cases, such as Kirk Murphy's, conversion therapy has ended in tragedy.

Of course, members of the Religious Right see the new law differently. Cue the outrage and lawsuits!

First, in an October 1st news release, Liberty Counsel announced its intention to file a lawsuit on behalf of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), an organization that supports "conversion" therapy. Liberty Counsel chairman Mat Staver claimed that the new legislation violates parental rights and would force mental health professionals to ignore or change clients' religious beliefs.  

The Pacific Justice Institute, a conservative legal group, also announced plans to file a federal lawsuit to seek an injunction against implementation the law. In a September 30th press release, PJI president Brad Dacus called the legislation a "freedom-killing bill," criticizing it for making no exceptions "for young victims of sexual abuse who are plagued with unwanted same-sex attraction." 

To boot, ABC News reports that three plaintiffs have filed a lawsuit against California state officials, alleging that the new law violates freedom of religion and speech. The plaintiffs claim that the ban on conversion therapy would allegedly impede their counseling practices.

Religious Right commentators have wasted no time in voicing their outrage. First, in an October 2nd commentary at Charisma Magazine, news editor Jennifer Leclaire expressed outrage at Brown's decision. "Since when is helping a confused teenager under assault by powers of this dark world a dustbin of quackery?" she asked. Leclaire wrote that she does not believe minors are born gay, that homosexuality involves a "spirit of immorality" and "sexual brokenness," and that attempts to change one's sexual orientation involves "set[ting] the captives free." Predictably, she caricatured LGBTQ-affirming counseling as something that would "affirm and encourage experimentation." In keeping with Religious Right homophobia, she thus depicted homosexuality as a spiritual pathology that someone oppresses those who experience it. In hyperbolic fashion, she wondered if California lawmakers would ban the Gospel, anti-LGBTQ ministries, and tax-exempt status for churches. In doing so, she equated homophobia and conversion therapy with Christian faith, depicting the California legislation as an attack on Christianity. The fact that people can be Christians without embracing homophobia or pseudoscience was not considered.

Second, in an open letter to Senator Ted Lieu, a key supporter of the legislation, Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX) called the legislation "an act of childhood endangerment" and an affront to parental rights. The letter blasted the bill for its supposed whiff of "fascism and ex-gay bashing" and for "promoting homosexual behavior to sexually confused youth."  

Right-wing airwaves have lambasted the law as well. On the October 2nd edition of Issues, Etc., the National Organization for Marriage's Ruth Institute president Jennifer Morse expressed disapproval of the law. She insisted that she's met people who claim to have changed their sexual orientation. (Hat tip to Equality Matters.)

"What the gay lobby wants us to believe is that if you’re gay, you’re gay, and there’s absolutely no possibility of anybody ever changing their sexual orientation from gay to straight. Now that’s a very, very strong position for them to take because all it requires is one counter-example to disprove it, right? All you have to do is have one person who says “hey, I changed,” you know, and that extreme claim that they’re making is down the tubes, right? And you know, I’m acquainted with people who tell me that at one time in their life they were of homosexual orientation and now they’re telling me they are not of homosexual orientation. So what am I supposed to believe? That they’re lying to me?"

On the October 2nd edition of The Janet Mefferd Show, Save California president Randy Thomasson framed conversion therapy as just another "controversy" in society. He encouraged pastors and counselors to defy the law and continue promoting conversion therapy. (Hat tip to Equality Matters.)

"The homosexual activists say, 'I want to wipe out our rivals here.' Well, look, if somethings's controversial, then you can't wipe it out. Otherwise, you have to apply the same rule. Let's wipe out regressive therapy, which is controversial. Let's wipe out tarot card therapy ... Let's wipe out chiropractic care. Let's wipe out vaccinations. Let's wipe out chemotherapy. You can't, in a free society, get rid of all controversies. You have to allow controversy and disagreement within a free society. In fact, tolerance means that you have to disagree with something in order to tolerate it, so what's disagreeable, you sometimes have to allow, and this should be allowed. And that's why we're calling upon knowledgeable pastors and courageous counselors to defy this law and continue helping the souls of children who have gender identity confusion."

Additionally, Linda Harvey of Mission America weighed in on the new law during the October 5th edition of her radio show. Harvey suggested that the law would do a disservice to "troubled" youth who are "struggling" with homosexuality or "gender confusion." The idea that such youth might only be "struggling" because people in their lives have convinced them that homosexuality is sinful or pathological was not entertained. (Hat tip to Right Wing Watch.)

"If a teen is struggling with homosexual feelings or gender confusion and has been convinced he or she may have been born gay, counselors in California will not be able to tell them there is no science to back that up nor to warn them and help them to begin to change these feelings. Many people have overcome homosexual desires but in California such advice will not be coming from school counselors or other therapists a parent might choose, instead they will be helping troubled youth feel comfortable with deviance."

Harvey went on to demonize homosexuality as a sin, framing homosexuality and Christian faith as mutually exclusive and diametrically opposed. The new law, she insisted, was a supposed attack on religious freedom.

"Religious freedoms are being assaulted by the left regularly now and every Christian family needs to stay informed to understand what is happening. We always have a choice to believe God, in season or out. In the Bible, homosexuality is always a sin and there’s no indication our Lord acknowledges anything like a homosexual orientation. Yes people can have persistent struggle with the same sin but are we ever supposed to adopt a sin identity? No. We are supposed to flee sexual immorality and we are also warned by Jesus not to draw children into sin. But when government tells people they must allow their children to be led into homosexual sin, it is definitely time for new leadership."

The tired rhetoric here is all too familiar. Once again, Religious Right figures depict homosexuality as a spiritual pathology or burden from which youth must be "freed," or an alleged affront to religious freedom, or an attack on parental rights, or an attack on Christianity, ad nauseum. Research on the shortcomings of conversion therapy, as well as horror stories from its survivors, have yet to change their minds. Fortunately, enlightened citizens and lawmakers are reaching logical conclusions about conversion therapy, so let's hope that this new California law is only the beginning.


For additional commentary, visit the following links.

Southern Poverty Law Center: California ‘conversion’ therapy ban is important step for protecting LGBT youth

Human Rights Campaign: Gov. Brown Signs SB 1172 Protecting California’s Youth

The Wild Hunt: Pagan Psychotherapist Celebrates Conversion Therapy Ban in California

Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters: California's ban on 'ex-gay' therapy causing controversy, will be challenged in court

Exodus International Equipping Event: A Short Intro to Exodus

(To read part I, click here. To read part II, click here. To read part III, click here.)

Today, I attended an all-day ministry equipping event hosted by Exodus International at the West Shore Evangelical Free Church in Mechanicsburg, PA. Exodus equipping events are meant to teach religious leaders, educators, counselors, and other figures how to respond to people dealing with "unwanted same-sex attraction." The event comes before Exodus International's next Love Won Out conference, scheduled for the same location on September 22nd. (See exodusinternational[dot]org/exodus-events/exodus-equipping-events/)

Before I describe the equipping event itself, I'd live to provide some background on Exodus International, especially in light of executive director Alan Chambers' recent public rejection of conversion therapy. Exodus International is a Christian ex-gay organization with numerous ministries under its aegis. The organization claims to help people "struggling" with "same-sex attraction," and it frames homosexuality as diametrically opposed to Christian faith. As of late, Exodus has rejected the idea that people can be "cured" of homosexuality, although the language I heard at the equipping event insisted that faith in Christ can "transform" people with same-sex attraction and help them transcend their old lives. Exodus looks askance at queer theology and LGBTQ-affirming churches. Until 2010, the organization supported the so-called Day of Truth, a nationwide event meant to counter the pro-LGBTQ Day of Silence.

Exodus International's approach to LGBTQ persons has come under scrutiny for a long time. Several high-profile controversies, including the defections of Michael Bussee and Gary Cooper and the downfall of John Paulk, have given LGBTQ activists plenty of fodder for questioning Exodus' efficacy. Former Exodus leaders Michael Bussee, Darlene Bogle, and Jeremy Marks have since issued a public apology for the harm they committed. .In 2011, Exodus' iPhone app was pulled by Apple after thousands of people signed a Change.org petition opposing the app.  Progressive blogs such as Right Wing Watch,  Truth Wins Out, Good As You, and Ex-Gay Watch have meticulously documented Exodus International's homophobia and inconsistencies. Survivors of ex-gay programs such as Peter Toscano have blasted Exodus for the destructive impact they have had on LGBTQ people's lives.

Exodus International has received attention from the media and blogosphere due to recent statements by Alan Chambers. According to a July 6th article in the New York Times, Alan Chambers contradicted several core beliefs of the ex-gay movement at the 2012 Exodus annual meeting. Chambers reportedly said that there was no cure for homosexuality, adding that reparative therapy could even cause harm. In a phone interview with the New York Times, Chambers reportedly said that almost every "ex-gay" person he had met still retains homosexual feelings, adding that gay Christians face a "lifelong spiritual battle" against sin. However, Chambers did not condone homosexuality, stressing that “I believe that any sexual expression outside of heterosexual, monogamous marriage is sinful according to the Bible."

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During a July 9th interview with MSNBC's Hardball, Chambers said that Exodus International's focus is changing. (Hat tip to Human Rights Campaign.) He cast doubt on the efficacy of conversion therapy in making people straight.

"So much of that type of technique and therapy is focused on changing attraction or changing temptation when I don't find that there's a  Biblical reality that says people will necessarily change their temptations or  change their struggles."

Chambers admitted that he still has "same-sex attractions" but insists that "I still hold to a Biblical sexual ethic where homosexuality and other forms of sexuality are concerned." When bluntly asked if people can "pray away the gay," he called the phrase a "lazy stereotype" that ignores the complexity of sexuality. He insisted that his chief attraction is to his wife, rejecting the idea that he is trapped in their marriage.

"I'm not trapped in that marriage. I married my wife fifteen years ago because I was in love with her. I remain in love with her today."

Last year, Our America with Lisa Ling on the OWN network explored the world of "ex-gay" therapy and featured an interview with Chambers. Lisa Ling conducted a follow-up interview with Chambers during the August 21st edition of Our America with Lisa Ling, during which he made similar statements (see above). Again, Chambers cast doubt on the efficacy of conversion therapy.

"The vast majority of people that I've met would say that there is some level of struggle or temptation or attraction that's resident there, whether it's a little or a lot, and I don't know whether someone can say that therapy changes that."

When Ling asked Chambers about his own sexuality, he replied, "Am I heterosexual? I don't know. I'm not gay. I have Leslie attractions." He admitted to feeling attracted to members of his own sex but stressed that he loved and desired his wife Leslie.

"I have to be honest and say of course I have temptations. Of course I have attractions related the same sex, but for over fifteen years since I've been in relationship with Leslie, my attraction has been towards her."

Chambers argued that Jesus does not promise to make Christians straight, and that the Christian community has a lot of work to do with regard to connecting with diverse populations.

"Jesus didn't say 'come to me and I'll make you straight.' He said, 'Come to me." We need to do a better job in the church of supporting people who might not fit with our religious worldview as Christians."

The Exodus International controversy has caused deep rifts in the so-called "ex-gay" community. Multiple "ex-gay" ministries have broken ties with Exodus over Chambers' new position, as documented by Ex-Gay Watch. The New York Times reports that Desert Stream Ministries abandoned their partnership with Exodus earlier this year. Desert Stream Ministry founder Andrew Comiskey was quoted as condemning Chambers for his "appeasement of practicing homosexuals who claim to be Christian." First Stone Ministry also terminated its partnership with Exodus, according to a statement on their website. (See www[dot]firststone[dot]org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=348&Itemid=604) Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX) accused Exodus of "openly supporting sodomy rights in foreign countries which do not legally recognize sodomy," a reference to the forced resignation of Exodus board member Dennis Jernigan, a supporter of anti-sodomy laws in Jamaica. (See www[dot]pfox[dot]org/Has-Exodus-evolved-Obama.html)

Some LGBTQ activists remain doubtful of Chambers' intentions. For example, in a June 27th commentary, Wayne Besen of Truth Wins Out warns observers not to take Chambers' change of heart at face value. He reminds readers that Chambers and Exodus International have a long history of homophobia.

"...[I]t is critical remember that Alan Chambers has traditionally been an oleaginous fellow who tends to pander to various audiences and tailors his shifty message to please the crowd or reporter he’s with. This has led to a career of wild inconsistency, semantic back flips, duplicitous double talk, and the widely held belief that Chambers’ word can’t be trusted ... Despite saying how much he loves LGBT people, Chambers has produced shameful and mean-spirited propaganda while at Exodus. The group’s cable television program repeatedly referred to gay LGBT individuals as sexually broken, perverse, and seemed to imply that homosexuality was of “the enemy.”"

Besen recognizes that Exodus' new rhetoric has come under fire from other "ex-gay" organizations because it undermines their facade.

"There are many “ex-gay” activists and reparative therapists who have a vested interest in keeping the scam alive. Some have profited handsomely by engaging in consumer fraud and promising a miracle cure that does not exist. Others have desperately held on to the lie that they have overcome homosexuality for ideological reasons. Exodus’ alleged new direction is a direct threat to these charlatans and zealots who now see Chambers as a heretic selling out their cause."

Chamber's change of heart, lukewarm as it might be, does not erase his long history of unhealthy messages about LGBTQ sexuality. Nor does it mean that Exodus International's ongoing message is any less homophobic. As I will demonstrate in upcoming posts, today's equipping event may have avoided claims that homosexuals can be turned straight, but its homophobic rhetoric was deeply problematic nonetheless.



Survivors of so-called "ex-gay" therapy can find help through Beyond Ex-Gay. For additional commentary, visit the following links.

RH Reality Check: Exodus International Won’t Practice Conversion Therapy Anymore but That Doesn’t Mean It’s Accepting of Same-Sex Relationships

Religion Dispatches: Is Change Possible? Shifting the Ex-Gay Question

Peterson Toscano's A Musings: Exodus sets the record straight–We don’t provide an ex-gay cure!

John Shore: As Exodus’s Alan “Pray Away the Gay” Chambers ties his tongue in a knot...

GLSEN's Day of Silence Meets with Religious Right Derision

Friday, April 20th is the annual Day of Silence, sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network (GLSEN). Pro-LGBT students around the country vow to be silent that day, drawing attention to the silencing effects of homophobic and transphobic harassment in schools. This year's Day of Silence has been officially endorsed by over a dozen organizations, including the National Runaway Switchboard, the Gay-Straight Alliance Network, and the American Civil Liberties Union LGBT & AIDS Project.

Anti-LGBT voices from the Religious Right are opposing the Day of Silence once again, as they have in previous years. For example, Focus on the Family has spearheaded the so-called Day of Dialogue, scheduled for Thursday, April 19th.  



The Day of Dialogue website claims that the day encourages "open dialogue" about God's love, relationships, sexuality, and gender. The website's front page asks readers if they've ever wished that their classmates could hear more about "what the Bible really says about His redemptive design for marriage and sexuality." It frames disapproval of homosexuality as a Christian response, neglecting to mention that many Christians are LGBT themselves or accepting of the LGBT community.

As you'll recall, Candi Cushman of Focus on the Family's True Tolerance project discussed the Day of Dialogue on The Janet Mefferd Show recently (see here). During the interview, Cushman described the Day of Dialogue as an antidote to pro-LGBT "propaganda" and "indoctrination."

The Day of Dialogue FAQs section does not smile upon GLSEN's Day of Silence. The FAQs claim that conversations about homosexuality in school can seem "stifled" and "one-sided," allegedly allowing little room for "discussion." It described GLSEN as "one of the nation's largest homosexual advocacy groups," which is encouraging students to "pressure" school officials to implement LGBT-friendly events and policies.  

The Day of Dialogue is rooted in conservative beliefs about sex and gender. The website's guiding principles section states that "God designed marriage as the one place for that sexual desire to be expressed. In fact, in the physical union of a husband and wife, there is also a spiritual union that occurs." The website's guiding principles also promote a view of men and women as "complimentary" and intrinsically different, stressing that "Our masculinity and femininity reflects things about God's character ... So being male or female isn't just about biology or cultural stereotypes."  

After PFOX Controversy, Pro-LGBT Groups Distribute Fliers in Maryland

Back in February, Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX) distributed 8,000 fliers to students at five high schools in Montgomery County, MD. According to the Washington Post and NBC Washington, the fliers claimed that no one is born gay, and that sexual orientation is based on "feelings" and "self-affirmation." Furthermore, the fliers offered help to students with "unwanted same-sex attractions." PFOX's fliers drew ire from pro-LGBT groups such as GLSEN, Truth Wins Out, and the Teaching Tolerance project, as well as Montgomery County School Superintendent Joshua Starr, who called the fliers "reprehensible and deplorable."

In an article at Alternet, Katherine Stewart observed that the school district could exercise discretion in what materials it sent home with students, until a Christian group called the Child Evangelism Fellowship successfully sued to have its fliers distributed by the school district. She cited the current PFOX flyer controversy as an example of the problems that erupt when separation of church and state blurs.

On April 11th, a coalition of pro-LGBT organizations launched a counter-offensive. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center website, the SPLC, Equality Maryland Foundation, and Parents, Family, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) distributed nearly 50,000 fliers to all 25 Montgomery County high school students to counter PFOX's propaganda.

Images of the fliers are available for viewing here. The PFLAG/SPLC fliers stress than sexual orientation is innate, that many religious congregations are affirming of the LGBT community, and that so-called "reparative therapy" is highly dubious.

According to the Washington Post, a Montgomery County Board of Education policy committee has recommended a ban on flier distribution in middle and high schools by outside groups. The committee is scheduled to deliver its recommendation to the Board of Education on April 30th, and a final vote is expected in June.

I'm pleased that three pro-LGBT organizations challenged PFOX's toxic messages. LGBT youth should not be fed homophobic propaganda, and frankly, neither should their straight counterparts. Rather, they deserve fact-based, affirming reminders that it's okay to be LGBT, and that welcoming communities exist. Let's hope their pro-LGBT fliers have neutralized the messages of the previous PFOX fliers.

Steve Deace Interviews PFOX President Greg Quinlan

During the third hour of the February 7th episode of The Deace Show, Steve Deace interviewed Greg Quinlan, president of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX). PFOX is a prominent organization in the so-called "ex-gay" movement, and has drawn criticism from LGBT equality groups such as Truth Wins Out, SPLC, and GLSEN. PFOX created controversy in February when it sent home 8,000 flyers to students in five Maryland schools advertising so-called "reparative therapy" (see here and here). To boot, Truth Wins Out announced on February 22nd that it was filing a defamation lawsuit against PFOX and Greg Quinlan, after Quinlan reportedly made inflammatory comments about the organization on News-Plus with Mark Segraves.

Deace began the interview by describing Quinlan as "a man who doesn't exist, according to pop culture, the media, and the indoctrination you're getting in your government school." Lambasting the "politically correct mafia" on college campuses who claim that ex-gays do not exist, as well as alleged "propaganda tools" such as anti-bullying legislation, Deace legitimized Quinlan and the "ex-gay" movement.



Quinlan introduced himself at the 3:31 mark as a successful ex-gay man, insisting that there were many like him in the world.

"I'm an ex-gay. I'm someone who left the homosexual lifestyle. Since no one's born that way, and since people seem to be able to change and it's okay and politically correct and acceptable to change from straight to gay, why can't you change from gay to straight, which is exactly what I did? ... There are hundreds of thousands of people who've left the homosexual lifestyle, but few of us have the insanity to go public about it and let people know that change is possible."

First of all, homosexuality and bisexuality are not "lifestyles," but sexual orientations. One's sexual orientation does not automatically indicate how one will fashion one's life. Cross-country RVing is a lifestyle. Veganism is a lifestyle. Bodybuilding is a lifestyle. Being gay or lesbian is not. Second, where is the evidence that reparative therapy is successful at changing sexual orientation?

Quinlan claimed that those who promote the ex-gay movement face hostility. He claimed that he has been smeared, called named, and even "slugged" outside of a Chicago church where he spoke. This was not the first time that Quinlan publicly claimed that his rivals have hurled vitriol at him.

Regarding same-sex marriage, Quinlan asserted at the 5:09 mark that "Marriage equality is just bogus. There's no such thing as equality with two men or two women." He argued that civil rights come into play when a minority is defined by something innate and immutable, and the group cannot protect itself. Same-sex marriage is not a civil right because homosexuality is supposedly not innate, but a choice. As SPLC's Sam Wolfe and Truth Wins Out's Wayne Besen said at a December 2011 talk, this is a common trope that the ex-gay movement uses to attack LGBT rights. Why grant the LGBT community a place at the table when they can just change into straight people? the flimsy argument goes.

At the 8:11 mark, Quinlan insisted that homosexuality was a choice, resorting to the discredited argument that childhood sexual abuse can allegedly turn someone gay.

"Many of the people you talk to individually without the press there, without the agenda, know they aren't born that way. They know it's a choice, but you see, the problem with choices is sometimes choices are sometimes made for you. I was sexually molested when I was ten years old. I was introduced to pornography when I was nine. Those were choices made for me and choices I continued to follow up on because I was interested."

Quinlan offensively claimed that gays and lesbians "recruit" young people, and that LGBT youth organizations such as GLSEN allegedly have this as their goal. At the 9:09 mark, he made this outrageous statement.

"So what do you do when [homosexuality is] not innate? You have to recruit. You have to find more people like you or that are vulnerable to be like you and bring them into the fold. This is why it is such an imperative with organizations like GLSEN with what your Republican governor is doing to educate children about their options sexually."

Deace made a somewhat convoluted argument at the 15:59 mark that acknowledging sexual orientation supposedly ignores the notion that people are made in the image of God. In a breathtaking reversal, he essentially argued that by denying LGBT people recognition, one is affirming their dignity.

DEACE: By affirming these phony -- and I just think it's pagan, frankly -- notions of sexual orientation, we are actually advancing the premise of the other side, and we're actually devaluing our own premise, which is that ... every human being is so much more than the sum parts of their choices and desires, that they are created in the image of God, and when we focus on orientation of behaviors we are devaluing their ... imago dei, and we're actually helping their own side cannibalize really their own, the value of their own lives. What are your thoughts on that?"


QUINLAN: You're absolutely right, and I like the word that you used here -- cannibalize -- because there is a scientific term that's called that. I want to have sex with that man so I can be like him, so I can become a part of him. It's a sexual, emotional cannibalization. That person has something I want. They look better than I do. They're more muscular than I am. They're more virile than I am, or whatever the reason is, they have something I want, and it's a type of what we call an emotional or sexual cannibalism ... We have lost our way because we denied we are made by a creator.

Predictably, Deace argued that acceptance of the LGBT community is a sign of societal decline. At the 18:11 mark, Deace insisted that no society, no matter how supposedly depraved, had ever "mainstreamed this level of immorality."

"Even in the darkest, most pagan cultures, like ancient Rome where Nero married a male slave inside the Roman Senate, never in human history have we had a human civilization, no matter how dark, how pagan, how unenlightened, that has mainstreamed this level of immorality to the point of  teaching its own children that it was okay at at young age, that they were willing to redefine their own cultural institutions and the basic framework of the rule of law in order to validate it. This has never happened anywhere ever in human history like it's happening in Western civilization right now."

I find it interesting that his watermark of a truly "dark" society was not slavery, genocide, tyranny, oppression of women, disease, or ignorance, but acceptance of LGBT people.



At the 18:50 mark, Quinlan told listeners that teaching children to accept LGBT people was a sign that parents and churches had abnegated their responsibilities. He alleged that society is encouraging children to "experiment," a dubious claim we've heard before.

"The real scare here is what we're doing to children. We are teaching children it's okay. We're teaching them to experiment. Parents have abrogated the responsibility to raising their children, to teaching them these fundamentals such as the birds and the bees of sexuality, and we've surrendered it to the schools. This is where we have got to stop this, and  parents have got to start being parents, and the church has to be the church."

For being the president of an organization that claims to care about homosexuals, Greg Quinlan showed great contempt for LGBT people and their rights on The Deace Show. By resorting to fear tactics and weak, outdated arguments, Quinlan demonstrated that he does not have the best interest of LGBT people at heart. In conclusion, Quinlan's interview reminds us that the so-called "ex-gay" movement is yet another strategy by the far right to undermine LGBT equality.

Hat tip to Right Wing Watch. To listen to the episode, visit stevedeace[dot]com/news/national-politics/deace-show-podcast-02-07-12/

News Tidbits

Yahoo News: Vatican paper brands leakers irresponsible "wolves"

Gaithersburg Gazette: Maryland: Montgomery Board of Education could re-examine policy on fliers after PFOX blow-up

NPR: Elie Wiesel Shines Spotlight On Romney Over Controversial Mormon Practice

Alaska Dispatch: One Anchorage battle heats up as election approaches

American Independent: ACLU, Christian group oppose Florida school prayer bill

The Advocate: Martin Bashir Compares Santorum to Orwellian Figure

Pink Paper: Anti-equality Christians are like Muslims who want UK Sharia law, says Trevor Phillips

News Tidbits

Washington Post: The National Prayer Breakfast: Live coverage

Edge Boston: GetEQUAL, Other Groups Protest National Prayer Breakfast

KTVA 11 Alaska: Equal Rights Initiative Becomes Religious Battle Between Clergy Over Homosexuality

My Fox DC: School Defends 'Friends of Ex-Gays' Flyer Handed Out to Students

The Advocate: Is NOM Hiding Its Donors Again?

Books from the Religious Right: ME TARZAN, YOU JANE

When I observed the 2011 Values Voters Summit in Washington D.C., I picked up a copy of Me Tarzan, You Jane by Janice Barrett Graham from the Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX) information table. A children's companion book to Wild Elephant (alternately known as Chased by an Elephant), Me Tarzan, You Jane encourages children to think of gender in fixed, binary categories and adopt heteronormative views of romance and marriage.

The book begins with young Tarzan meeting Jane in the jungle and immediately recognizing that she is different from him because she is a girl. The text emphasizes that there is no other type of "normal" human being besides male and female, as this is how God created humans. (The world's sizable population of intersex people would strongly disagree.) The differences between male and female, the book insists, are necessary to human life, and respect for this "truth" helps one live in an "orderly" manner.

Homophobia at the 2011 Values Voters Summit

Bryan Fischer at
2011 Values Voters Summit

(To read about tensions between evangelicals and Mormons at the 2011 Values Voters Summit, click here. To read about science and nature, click here. To read about reproductive issues, click here. To read about Glenn Beck's speech, click here.)

In my prior post, I expressed amazement that several voices at the Values Voters Summit frowned on anti-Mormon statements made by Robert Jeffress and Bryan Fischer, while overlooking homophobic rhetoric at the event. In this post, I'd like to focus on anti-gay organizations and speeches at the 2011 Values Voters Summit.

In the exhibit hall, dozens of right-wing organizations set up information tables, with materials on abortion, human trafficking, Israel, media, and other issues. However, tables for two homophobic organizations -- the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) and Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX) -- caught my attention. NOM is a national organization opposed to same-sex marriage, while PFOX is one of the organizations involved in the so-called "ex-gay" movement.

The PFOX table was selling copies of Wild Elephant (also published as Chased by an Elephant), which takes a dim view of homosexuality and pre-marital sex. Also on the table was a companion book for children entitled Me Tarzan, You Jane, which states that marriage is between a man and a woman while urging kids to respect "God's age-old rules" for feelings and behavior. Pamphlets on the table bore titles such as "Can Sexual Orientation Change?", "Gender Identity Confusion", and "Tolerance for the Ex-Gay Community." Oy!

Awakening 2011 Retrospective -- LGBT Issues

I've been blogging at a snail's pace recently . . .

Man, I'm really off my game. My busy schedule kept me from blogging about Awakening 2011 until this weekend, so I offer my regrets for this delayed post. 
-- Ahab

On April 8-9, Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA hosted Awakening 2011, an annual gathering of conservatives sponsored by the Freedom Federation. Featuring speakers such as Newt Gingrich, Lila Rose, Matt Barber, Matt Staver, and Rick Scarborough, Awakening 2011 was a veritable who's who of Religious Right figures. The titles of some of its workshops provide a taste of the conference's tone. (See freedomfederation[dot]org/content/awakening_2011_schedule)

- "Exposing Planned Parenthood and Sex Trafficking"

- "Abortion: Ending the Holocaust and Defunding Planned Parenthood"

- "The Kinsey Fraud, Child Prostitution and Sex Trafficking: The Problem and Possible Solutions"

- "Hooking Up, Homosexuality, Pornography, Abortion, Sex Trafficking, and Cultural Engagement"

- "Religious Liberty and the LGBT Agenda: A Zero Sum Game in the Military and Beyond"

- "Sharia Law and the Constitution"

- "ObamaCare: Dismantling the Monstrosity in the Courts, in Congress, and in the States"

- Screenings of the film Maafa 21

We owe a debt of gratitude to the American Independent for its exhaustive coverage of the event, as well as Right Wing Watch for capturing excerpts of the conference on video.

The Day of Silence Draws Fire from the Religious Right

Friday, April 15th was the National Day of Silence, an annual event sponsored by GLSEN in which students take a day-long vow of silence to bring attention to anti-LGBT bullying. Given the pervasive anti-LGBT bullying reported in schools, as well as numerous high-profile cases of LGBT youth suicides linked to bullying, the Day of Silence is more relevant than ever.

Unfortunately, some Religious Right groups have used the Day of Silence as an opportunity to disparage the LGBT community and downplay bullying against LGBT youth. People for the American Way highlighted these efforts in their recent article, "Big Bullies: How the Religious Right Is Trying to Make Schools Safe for Bullies and Dangerous for Gay Kids." I'd also like to list some of the Religious Right counter-initiatives on the Day of Silence to remind readers that homophobia and transphobia are very much alive.