Ed Brayton is a freelance writer and speaker. He is the co-founder and president of 
The LA Times reports that three former leaders of the ex-gay movement, including the co-founder of Exodus International, held a press conference and apologized publicly for their past activities and for the immense pain and difficulty that often accompanies attempts to "pray away the gay." I know people who have gone through similar attempts to change who they are and I've seen the damage it can do. Growing up gay and coming to terms with their sexuality can be difficult enough in a world that is still largely anti-gay, but when you combine that with the tactics used by the ex-gay groups it's far worse. They are told that if they only pray hard enough and have enough faith, God will change who they are. But when that doesn't happen, all it does is increase the self-loathing already built in by societal pressures. After all, if the message of the ex-gay movement is true and they aren't cured, it means they don't have enough faith or they just aren't good enough to warrant God helping them overcome it. It's all nonsense and dangerous nonsense at that. Jim Burroway has video interviews with the 3 former Exodus leaders as well.
Comments
It is an uphill battle for anyone coming out of the Ex-Gay movement. The community needs to be understanding and realize that many of these people endured decades of indoctrination. Thanks Ed for the note about these three cases that remind us all that being gay isn't a sin or an abnormality.
Posted by: Rusty Allen | April 18, 2008 6:56 AM