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Ex-gay

Ex-gay is a term sometimes used to refer to persons who once identified as gay or lesbian, but have since turned away from such identification for religious or other reasons. Some ex-gays enter into opposite-sex relationships, while others remain celibate. While ex-gays may report a reduction in same-sex desires, they may also continue to experience same-sex attraction even though they do not identify as "gay".

When the term "ex-gay" was introduced to professional literature in 1980, Dr. E. Mansell Pattison defined it as someone who had "experienced a basic change in sexual orientation from exclusive homosexuality to exclusive heterosexuality.

The term has fallen into obscurity since the late 1990s and is rarely used by organizations today. Alan Chambers, president of Exodus International, resents the term and has publicly denounced its usage. Other than Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays, no major organization has labeled itself as an ex-gay organization.

The ex-gay movement and conversion therapy

Exodus International states that conversion therapy, specifically reparative therapy, may be a useful tool for decreasing homosexual desire. The established medical and scientific consensus is that conversion therapy is potentially harmful. The American Psychiatric Association stated "there are no scientifically rigorous outcome studies to determine either the actual efficacy or harm of reparative treatments." They issued a statement stating "some people believe that sexual orientation is innate and fixed; however, sexual orientation develops across a person’s lifetime." In the United States, the American Psychiatric Association issued a statement backed by numerous other mainstream medical organizations, which stated: "There is simply no sufficiently scientifically sound evidence that sexual orientation can be changed." The statement went on to say that positions espoused by ex-gay organizations "are not supported by the science" and that they "create an environment in which prejudice and discrimination can flourish." Later, they released a study showing "considerable fluidity in bisexual, unlabeled, and lesbian women's attractions, behaviors, and identities.

Proponents of conversion therapy argue that it is possible for a person's sexual orientation to be changed, and cite research in support of that contention. A 2008 pamphlet produced by the American Psychological Association urges that mental health organizations should respect clients' right to self-determination and "be sensitive to the client’s race, culture, ethnicity, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, language, and disability status when working with that client; and eliminate biases based on these factors. Ex-gay groups assert that the scientific community has taken its stances on homosexuality due to political, and not scientific, considerations. Tanya Erzen, an ethnologist, lived with a men's ex-gay residential treatment group in San Francisco for a year while writing her doctoral thesis. Her book Straight to Jesus (2006) chronicles her analysis of the movement.

Definition of change

Exodus describes change as "attaining abstinence from homosexual behaviors, lessening of homosexual temptations, strengthening their sense of masculine or feminine identity, correcting distorted styles of relating with members of the same and opposite gender." Some ex-gays advocate entering (or remaining) in a heterosexual marriage as part of the process. Some ex-gays in opposite-sex marriages acknowledge that their sexual attractions remain primarily homosexual, but seek to make their marriages work anyway. The president of Exodus said he agrees that people can't necessarily change their sexual orientation, but he said they can "live in accord with their beliefs and faith" by renouncing homosexuality and not engaging in same-sex relationships.

Joint statement from ex-gay organizations

In a joint coalition, several ex-gay organizations expressed their views that, for those with same-sex attractions, they support:

Personal choice in their sexual identity and behavior.

Right to know of alternatives to living a homosexual life.

Individual self-determination to seek counseling and determine the direction of that therapy

Compassion and respect to live in their choices as they see fit, without discrimination, ridicule, marginalization, or being the target of hate speech.

Policy neutrality, especially in the freedom to speak about freely chosen alternatives to homosexuality.

Equal access to public forums to raise awareness of alternative responses to a homosexual identity and lifestyle.

People

Persons associated with the ex-gay movement

Stephen Bennett is the President, Founder, and Executive Director of Stephen Bennett Ministries, Inc., an international nonprofit Christian organization that speaks out against homosexuality, assists persons seeking "freedom from homosexuality," and provides resources for parents whose children identify as gay or lesbian. Mr. Bennett is also a Christian songwriter and recording artist. He has been married since 1993 and he and his wife have two children.
Alan Chambers is the president of Exodus International. He shares his story at ex-gay events and has written several books. He is politically active, and promotes legislation against same-sex marriage.
Richard Cohen is the former president of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays and was the subject of an interview by Jason Jones on the March 19, 2007 episode of The Daily Show. After this appearance, NARTH and Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays removed all references to Cohen from their website and Exodus International issued a position statement distancing themselves from him.
Andrew Comiskey is the founder and leader of Desert Stream Ministries. Founded in 1980, Desert Stream Ministries states that its mission is to "equip the body of Christ to minister healing to the sexually and relationally broken through healing groups and leadership training for the local church." Mr. Comiskey has authored a number of books, including Pursuing Sexual Wholeness: How Jesus Heals the Homosexual and The Kingdom of God and the Homosexual.
Charlene Cothran is a former editor of Venus, a magazine for African-American lesbians. Following a Christian religious conversion in 2006, she changed the editorial policy of the magazine to support the ex-gay movement.
Joe Dallas is the Program Director of Genesis Counseling. He has written six books on human sexuality.
Rev. Darryl Foster of the Restoration Sanctuary International Church is a Christian pastor who works mainly with ex-homosexual people of color. He opposes the comparison of sexual orientation to race.
Melissa Fryrear, Gender Issues Analyst in Focus on the Family’s Legislative and Cultural Affairs Department, identified as a lesbian for ten years before her Christian conversion and subsequent years of therapy, which she says made her life "fuller and happier. She now says "I'm changed. I'm a heterosexual woman now. I'm not sexually attracted to women.
Michael Glatze is a former gay rights activist and former publisher of Young Gay America YGA Magazine. Glatze recently revealed that he had eschewed his gay identity, and he has become an outspoken critic of homosexuality.
Mike Haley, Youth and Gender Analyst for Focus on the Family, identifies as a gay man for 12 years, and at one point was arrested for gay prostitution. He began to identify as heterosexual when he was 28. After what he calls a long and painful struggle, he chose to identify as heterosexual. He is married with three children.
Dennis Jernigan is a singer-songwriter of contemporary Christian music. He describes his experience of "deliverance from homosexuality" during his concerts.
David Matheson admitted to himself that he was attracted to men when he was 22 and married. After seven years of therapy, he claims that he has changed his sexual orientation. He has since become a licensed professional counselor and focusing on "helping men who want to diminish unwanted homosexuality and feel whole as men. He is the clinical director of the Center for Gender Wholeness, co-creator of the Journey into Manhood weekend, and a director of People Can Change. He has written the Evergreen Workbook for Men, Four Principles of Growth, and has made several media appearances talking about overcoming homosexual attractions. He does claim to be completely straight, but rather "straight enough".
Alan Medinger[is a former director of Exodus International, and is the Founder and Executive Director Emeritus of Regeneration Ministies, a Christian organization which deals with pornography and homosexuality. Mr. Medinger is the author of Growth Into Manhood. * Ex-gay Watch - Collection of posts on Exodus Medinger recommends that a subject who finds him or herself attracted to someone of the same sex should "immediately look around for someone of the opposite sex... and start searching for the beauty in that person"; a subject should disentangle sexual desire from the desire for affection or affirmation; and a subject should repent and confess his or her sins.
John Paulk, then leader of Focus on the Family's Love Won Out conference and chairman of the board for Exodus International North America, was spotted visiting a Washington, D.C gay bar in September 2000 . He was photographed outside of the bar from behind by Wayne Besen, and later stepped down from the two organizations.
Sy Rogers was selected as one of '50 Up & Coming Evangelical Leaders Under 40' by Christianity Today. He has served for over two decades in ministry as a pastoral care specialist regarding sexuality. He has spoken at ex-gay conferences throughout the world.
Randy Thomas, Executive Vice President of Exodus International, was in gay relationships since he was a teenager, but stopped when he became a Christian in his mid-20s. He later stated, "I am 15 years on the other side of identifying as gay. I have had a sexual orientation shift, and I'm not gay.
Chad Thompson is the founder of Inqueery, a website addressing ex-gay issues among high school students, and author of the book Loving Homosexuals as Jesus Would. Thompson claims that there is bigotry among gays against those who do not accept their orientation. However, he has also criticized Christians who show hostility against gay rights but not compassion for gays.
Rich Wyler is the founder and executive director of People Can Change and co-creator and leader of Journey into Manhood. He established Higher Path Life Coaching and began coaching professionally in 2005. He leads telephone-based coaching group called "A Wife's Journey: Caring for Yourself and Your Family When Your Husband Struggles With Homosexuality or Addiction.

Former ex-gays

Günter Baum originally founded an ex-gay ministry in Germany. Ultimately, he formed another ministry, Zwischenraum, which helps gay Christians to accept their sexuality and to reconcile it with their beliefs.
Michael Bussee and Gary Cooper, co-founders of Exodus International, left the group and in 1979, held a life commitment ceremony together. Bussee went on to become an outspoken critic of Exodus and the ex-gay movement. He flatly rejects therapies designed to change or "cure" gay people, but recently acknowledged potential for therapy that "does not promise change, but instead offers patients help in managing their desires and modifying their behavior to match their religious values -- even if that means a life of celibacy". In June 2007 Bussee issued an apology for his part in the ex-gay movement.
Noe Gutierrez appeared in Warren Throckmorton's ex-gay video I Do Exist in 2004. This garnered some notice, as Gutierrez had previously appeared in a video for gay youth known as It's Elementary. Gutierrez later left the ex-gay movement and wrote about his experience.
Peterson Toscano is an actor who was involved in the ex-gay movement for 17 years. He performs a related one-man satire titled Doin' Time in the Homo No Mo Halfway House, and with Christine Bakke co-runs a support website for people coming out of ex-gay experiences; Beyond Ex-Gay.

Controversies and scandals

Controversies involving minors

One of the most controversial aspects of the ex-gay movement has been the focus of some ex-gay organizations on teenagers, including occasions where teenagers have been forcibly treated in ex-gay camps. A 2006 report outlined evidence that ex-gay and conversion therapy groups were at the time increasingly focusing on children. Several legal researchers have responded to these events by arguing that parents who force their children into aggressive conversion therapy programs are committing child abuse under various state statutes.

Some youths have sought emancipation from their parents due to parental attempts to force their children to undergo conversion therapy. One such case involved Lyn Duff. In 1991, at age 14, Duff came out publicly as a lesbian. Concerned about her daughter's sexual orientation, Duff's mother had her taken by force from her grandparents' home to Rivendell Psychiatric Center, a residential treatment center near Salt Lake City. Duff's placement was paid for by the State of California through special education funds on the basis of her diagnosis with Gender Identity Disorder. Her treatment reportedly included shock therapy, aversion therapy, psychotropic drugs, hypnosis, and behavioral counseling. After 168 days in Rivendell, Duff escaped. In 1992, she initiated legal action against the facility and her mother.

Love in Action is an ex-gay organization that has been involved in controversy surrounding youth. In July 2005, the New York Times ran a feature story about 16-year-old Zachary Stark, whose parents forced him to attend an ex-gay camp run by Love in Action. In July 2005, Stark was released from the camp. An investigation of the camp did not uncover signs of child abuse, but in September 2005, the camp was shut down when Tennessee authorities discovered that unlicensed staff had been administering prescription drugs to attendees.

In October 2005, the father of 17-year old DJ Butler reportedly drove his son to a Love in Action camp in handcuffs. In February 2006, Tennessee authorities, unwilling to pursue further actions against Love in Action, closed its case regarding this incident.

Other controversies and scandals

Colin Cook, founder of Homosexuals Anonymous, was in 1986 discovered to be engaging in sexual acts with his patients. He claimed that the nude massages of other men should desensitize them against homosexual desires. In 1987, he was expelled from Homosexuals Anonymous for sexual activity, and in 1995 a similar scandal happened with his newly founded group FaithQuest Colorado. Cook had engaged in phone sex, practiced long and grinding hugs, and asked patients to bring gay pornography to sessions so that he could help desensitize them against it.
Michael Johnston, an HIV-positive man who is featured in the film It's Not Gay, promoted by the American Family Association, had frequently been interviewed on U.S. television and radio regarding his claimed change in sexuality, and even featured in a national television advertising campaign in 1998 stating that Jesus Christ empowered him to leave his homosexual past. In 2002, he was exposed as having recently resumed having sex with men, and he admitted to having had unprotected sex with multiple male partners without disclosing his HIV-positive status, despite knowing he that he was HIV-positive, for over a period of two years.
Christopher Austin was an ex-gay counselor who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2007 for sexually assaulting a male client. Austin was affiliated with and gave presentations at NARTH and Evergreen International, which describes him as "a therapist specializing in homosexual and sexual addiction recovery [and] the creator of RENEW, a multi-dimensional treatment approach for men struggling with homosexuality".
Terrance Lewis was a minister and former counsellor at Providence Bible College in Winnipeg, Canada who was found guilty in February 2008 for sexually assaulting a young man who sought counselling to make him straight. The alleged victim, now 29, told court he started meeting Lewis for counselling sessions in early 2000 after his parents caught him viewing gay pornography on the family computer. The man said Lewis started a program of “touch therapy,” which included the two kissing and fondling each other and engaging in sexual roleplaying.

Ex-gay organizations

Ex-gay organizations began in the U.S. with Evangelical Christians, but have since spread to include Catholic, Church of Latter-day Saints, Jewish, Muslim and non-religious groups in several countries across the world.

North and South America

The first ex-gay ministry was formed in 1973, called Love in Action. Three years later, they joined with other ex-gay organizations to form Exodus International. Exodus is the largest ex-gay organization, and has grown to include over 120 local ministries in the U.S. and Canada. Exodus International is the largest organization under the Exodus Global Alliance. Many other ex-gay organizations have been formed to cater to a specific religious group, such as Courage for Catholics, Evergreen International for Mormons (LDS), OneByOne for Presbyterians, Transformation Congregations for Methodists and JONAH for Jews.

Other organizations have formed to meet specific needs. Witness Freedom Ministries caters to people of color with same-sex attractions. Exodus Youth is a group specifically designed for youth, and the NEA Ex-Gay Educators Caucus is a group formed to help ex-gay teachers and students. Others form after a specific technique, such as Homosexuals Anonymous which was modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous' 12 step program and International Healing Foundation was modeled after Richard Cohen's methods. People Can Change and PFOX are two other ex-gay organizations in North America. A major Web site that supports these efforts is Same-sex Attraction

In 1994, Esly Carvalho began Exodus Latino America. In 2002, Exodus Brasil separated as a separate organization under Global Exodus Alliance. Other groups in Latin America include Courage Latino for Catholics, Elías S.O.S in Argentina, and Camino de Salida in Ecuador. Es Posible el Cambio is an interdenominational group that advocates conversion therapy.

Europe

In 1975, Johan van de Sluis began EHAH (in English: Evangelical Counseling for Homosexuals) in the Netherlands. After visiting an Exodus conference in America, he combined his organization with others to form Exodus Europe in 1982. Exodus Europe included True Freedom Trust in the UK, Medvandrarna in Sweden, Til Helhet in Norway, Basis in Denmark, Aslan in Finland, Different (the old EHAH) in Belgium and Onze Weg in the Netherlands. In April 2007, Exodus Europe decided to break away from the Global Exodus Alliance because it was too affected by American thinking. These ministries are now part of LINC (Live in Christ). The United Kingdom also has Encourage for Catholics and StraightWay Foundation for Muslims.

Australia and Asia

In 1978, Peter Lane began the first ex-gay group in Australia, which is called Liberty Ministry. In 1987, it joined with other ministries to form Exodus Asia Pacific. In 1990 Frank Worthen went to the Philippines and formed Bagong Pag-asa. Other significant ex-gay groups under Exodus Asia Pacific include Liberty Christian Ministries in Australia, Rainbow 7 in Taiwan, Liberty League in Singapore and Pursuing Liberty Under Christ in Malaysia.

Ex-gay organizations in the Middle East include Atzat Nefesh for Jews and Al-Tawbah for Muslims.