Ex-Gay Hysteria

UPDATE!

The video below was pulled by YouTube. I guess it was just too humiliating for the ex-gay movement.

Pam has the scoop at the Blend!
Ex-gay Randy Thomas torches ex-gay 'therapist' Richard Cohen

Yipes. Is there a catfight? After "conversion therapist" Richard Cohen's embarrassing, clownish appearance on The Daily Show demonstrating his techniques on how he frees men from homosexuality (the clip was yanked by YouTube, photos below from my post on it), Exodus International's Randy Thomas couldn't take it any more. He had to unload on Cohen for making the movement look bad.

OMG! This made me laugh so hard I almost blew coffee out my nose!

Wayne Besen featured on the daily show with a smackdown of "Certified sexual re-orientation coach" and author of "Coming Out Straight" Richard Cohen.

I wonder where one gets certified as a "sexual re-orientation coach" I would like to get certified so I can re-orient a couple of straight guys (namely Brad Pitt and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers).

The authentic life - choose wisely

The Spokane gay community has been giving the CPR (caring, preventing, restoring homosexuality) a lot of press and rightly so. There was much debate in the community, once the document was circulated, whether to give it some air time and expose the “ex-gay” ministry for the myth that it is or just let it go. I have to admit I was originally on the “just let it go” side and hope it fades into the ancient past like the rest of the fundamentalist-anti-gay-social-conservative ideals and be done with it.

Then I read the heart wrenching stories of Anderson, Mahieu and ‘Lisa’ in the Stonewall. The damage inflicted on these individuals as a result of their attempt to repress that portion of their lives into submission is intolerable. Why should we “just let it go” when the ‘ex-gay” movement causes so much pain, anguish and self hatred in direct contradiction of modern psychological precedents?

So, publish it wide and expose it for the myth that it is and the harm that it causes. The minds behind the madness of this outrage are preying on the most vulnerable in our community and at what price?

The primary premise behind the CPR document is that homosexuality is a choice. On this point I completely agree. Being gay or being straight is a choice. But not the choice you might think. The choice is not to be gay or be straight, the choice is to live life or live a lie.

It is time to reframe the debate over choice.

The so called ex-gays never “cure” themselves they choose to suppress the core of their being and go through life as half of a person, a divided psyche. To live with a divided psyche is harmful at best, causes suicidal tendencies at worst. Anyone who suffers this divided life has made a choice. The choice was not to suddenly be straight, for this is impossible; the choice is to beat that aspect of the self into suppression. In doing so the psychological damage can be severe, all reputable psychologists agree on this point as the APA maintains.

At some point in our lives, either gay or straight, all of us have faced with a duality of self. We put on the false self to meet new people, our defenses go up in strange environments, we act completely differently when alone than in public. The harm comes when a core aspect of our personhood is brutally suppressed out of shame, fear, bigotry or hatred. The only place where these traits of shame, fear, bigotry and hatred exist is in society as a whole, perpetuated by the eternal diatribe of religious fanatics.

Many of us know from personal experience how it feels to live a divided life. Inwardly, we experience one imperative of our lives, but outwardly we respond to quite another. This is the human condition, of course – our inner and outer worlds are never in perfect harmony. But there are extremes of dividedness that become intolerable, when one can no longer live without bringing one’s actions into harmony with one’s inner life. When that happens inside of one person, then another, and another, and another, in relation to a significant social issue, a movement may be conceived. -Dr. Parker J. Palmer from The Courage to Teach.

The ex-gay movement establishes an “intolerable dividedness” that requires action. Only by being true to themselves can gays and lesbians live an authentic life. Being an authentic individual merely means being a person who is honest and has an awareness of self that supersedes the false exterior. To force a person into a mold of humanity that is not their own or of their making, under the threat of eternal damnation, is abuse in its most intimate form.

No, the community should not remain silent about the “ex-gay” ministry; in fact the gay community should rise up and denounce it!

Being out is living life as we are predisposed to live it. Being out is loving ourselves unconditionally as we are. Being out is the only way to live without fear, without self loathing, without internalized homophobia. Being out is being authentic.

It is time to reframe the debate over choice.

It is true that being gay is a choice. The choice is to live the life authentic or live the life of lies.

If you read nothing else today...

You MUST read this!

A covert operation and infiltration of the "Love Won Out" was accomplished by Jim Burroway of the Box Turtle Bulletin.

It is a must read for anyone who wants an honest opinion of the "Love Won Out" ex-gay conferences that take place annually.

An excerpt:

"We advise fathers, if you don’t hug your sons, some other man will."

With that, a very painful groan rose from the audience. This was probably the second-most effective line delivered that day (I’ll get to the most effective one in just a little bit). I looked around and saw heads shaking, couples looking at each other, and a general sense of horror filled the room. My cheeks flushed as I wondered how many of those groans came from fathers and mothers themselves who made up a sizeable chunk of the audience.

Jim has a 2 part series up regarding his honest and truthful feelings regarding the "Love Won Out" conference. I was surprised by some of his conclusions and actually feel my heart go out to those participants who are in such turmoil and pain over the issue of a family members homosexuality.

Jim's essays are inspiring, emotional and horrifying all at the same time. So if you read nothing else you must hop over to Box Turtle Bulletin and read the essays on "Love Won Out".

An "ex-gay" must read!

As Good As You takes satire to a new level!

'Ex-gay' hopes for gay gene; Gay Gene wishes 'ex-gays' would just let him live in peace

Speaking at an event at the University of California, Santa Barbara, "ex-gay" speaker Chad Thompson is quoted as saying:

“I think it would be cool if a gay gene were discovered. Then God would get more glory when it is treated”

Mr. Thompson's logic, of course, comes courtesy of that noted scientific journal:

And of course evidence that God would do as Mr. Thompson says can be found in that popular Biblical passage:

Eugenics, 4:12 For I shall make you one way and then later proclaim, "Just kidding!" and reshape you as a morally chaste heterosexual, for while world creation and controlling mankind are fun and all, my true calling is genetic engineering.

Ex-Straight Therapy

We see over and over again the controversy about ex-gay therapy and those self hating homo's who are conflicted between their faith and their feelings. Take Ted Haggard for instance, married Evangelical pastor getting his groove on with a male prostitute for four years! He gets 'outed' by his boy-toy, goes into three weeks of therapy and comes out cured of all homosexual desires. It's a miracle! Praise Jesus!

So then I come across this article from the NY Times:

Some Tormented by Homosexuality Look to a Controversial Therapy

This is the story of Corey Larsen, who, like many gays and lesbians, is conflicted between the teachings of his conservative religion and the feelings of same sex attraction and feelings of "the love that dare not speak its name".

My favorite quote from the article is this:

“There’s not a debate in the profession on this issue,” said Dr. Jack Drescher, a New York psychiatrist and former chairman of the Committee on Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Issues of the American Psychiatric Association. “This is like creationism. You create the impression to the public as if there was a debate in the profession, which there is not.”

I think we should start and Ex-Straight program. We could, through rigorous therapy and prayer, change around those harmful opposite sex attractions. After all, what kind of life can a straight person look forward to? It is quite fashionable to be gay these days. In fact, just look at fashion trends alone! The ex-straight movement could push straight men into a healthy lifestyle. Get away from the couch potato, beer belly, hairy back syndrome affecting so many of our straight brothers and get them into the gym, a good pampering manicure, back waxing and get rid of that horrific uni-brow!

Thousands could be saved! Broken relationships ending in messy divorce and thousands of dollars of alimony would be a thing of the ex-straights past. After all, if you can't get married your can't get divorced!

If sexual orientation can be successfully changed by pseudo-therapy and prayer then we should start enrolling straight men and women in the ex-straight movement right away.

In fact, I Google search brings up an Ex-Straight ministry out of Los Angeles that is every bit as credible as Exodus and NARTH and the other so called ex-gay programs.

Ex-Straight Ministries at the Sunset Junction

Four Myths of Heterosexuality
1. Heterosexuals have no choice about their sexual preferences.
In fact, heterosexuality is learned at home, in school, and from the media. And it can be unlearned. In prison and in our program, for example.

2. The Bible does not condemn heterosexuality.
In fact, the Bible is replete with grim moral lessons about incest, rape, betrayal, and even murder committed by heterosexuals to satisfy their lust!

3. Heterosexuals do not want to ruin society.
In fact, all you have to do to know that this is a myth is watch the news, or take a look at the heterosexual media and schools! Moreover, there is an organization that actively enforces a het-only policy and has a nuclear arsenal that.s ready to destroy the world right now.the U.S. armed forces.

4. A practicing heterosexual can be right with God.
In fact, God hates lust and adultery. And if God loves heterosexuals, what’s with original sin?

So all of those straight sinners out there YOU CAN find peace, happiness and eternal love through ex-straight therapy. Sign up today!