New York State Takes First Step to Ban "Ex-gay" Therapy

Following the lead of California and New Jersey, New York State has taken the first step to ban "ex-gay" conversion or reparative therapy - a form of therapy condemned by every legitimate medical and mental health association in America.  As noted before, the only proponents of "ex-gay" therapy are the Christofascists who utilize it to (i) raise money by preying on tortured gays and their families and (ii) dupe ignorance embracing politicians - generally Republicans.   The legislation still must pass the state senate where Republicans will seek to kill it, but it is clearly a step in the right direction.  Here are some details from The New Civil Rights Movement:

The New York State Assembly late this afternoon passed a bill that would ban so-called “ex-gay” or “reparative” therapy to be attempted on minors. The legislation, sponsored by Assembly Member Deborah J. Glick and Democratic State Senators Brad Hoylman and Michael Gianaris, passed in an 86-28 vote. The Senate has until Thursday to pass the bill before the session ends. If the bill passes the Senate, Gov. Cuomo is expected to sign it into law, making New York the third state — after California and New Jersey — to pass landmark legislation of this kind.

“It shall be professional misconduct for a mental health professional to engage in sexual orientation change efforts upon any patient under the age of eighteen years,” the legislation reads.

“We’re thrilled by the rapid progress and bipartisan support this bill has earned during this session. We are hopeful that we can see this legislation signed into law this year. We call on the New York State Senate to follow the example of their Assembly colleagues, as well as leaders in New Jersey and California, the medical community, and public opinion, by passing this bill now so we can put it on Governor Cuomo’s desk for a signature.” said Empire State Pride Agenda Executive Director Nathan M. Schaefer in a statement.

 Sen. Hoylman called today’s passage “a major step towards banning so-called conversion ‘therapy’ on LGBT youth by licensed mental health professionals. Being an LGBT young person isn’t an illness that needs to be cured. Thanks to the leadership of Assembly Member Glick and Speaker Silver, we’re one step closer to joining New Jersey and California in protecting our kids from being subject to this dangerous practice and their parents from being victims of a proven scam.”

I can already hear the shrieks of the "ex-gays for pay" at PFOX and other Christofascist front organization who make tawdry whores look virtuous in comparison. 

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North Carolina GOP Anti-Gay Equality Candidate Was Oncea Drag Queen

The bizarre insanity of today's Republican Party took a new twist as news broke that a Republican candidate in North Carolina who is vociferous in his denunciation of gays and gay marriage was once a drag performer.  No doubt, Steve Wiles (pictured at right) will claim that he "accepted Jesus," was "saved," and is no longer gay.  Pretty much the same storyline of lies that John Paulk spewed for years during his "ex-gay for pay" days.  The Advocate looks at this truly bizarre story.  Here are excerpts:

A North Carolina State Senate candidate who opposes marriage equality once worked as a drag performer in a gay bar and identified as gay at the time, the Winston-Salem Journal reports.

Steve Wiles, a 34-year-old real estate agent who is running for office as a Republican, worked at the now-defunct Club Odyssey in Winston-Salem in the early 2000s, the club’s former owner told the paper in a story published Saturday. He performed in drag under the name Mona Sinclair and emceed a drag show there, and also was a promoter of regional pageants within the Miss Gay America system, the paper reports.

For the past three weeks, the media has been questioning Wiles about his alleged drag past, and his responses “have ranged from categorical denial to tacit admission,” the Journal reports. This week he told the newspaper, “I have already apologized to the people who matter most to me for the things I did when I was young” and “I do not condone the things I did when I was young.”

“Why would you want to get into that knowing your past?” said Randy Duggins, the former co-owner of Club Odyssey. “He’s a hypocrite.”

 Asked if he considers himself “ex-gay,” he told Business Insider, “I really won’t make any comments on that.” When Business Insider asked if he left the Miss Gay America system because he objected to “the gay lifestyle” (the website’s wording), he said that was indeed the reason. The Journal, however, reported that he was suspended from the organization for misconduct.

He blamed political rivals for the Journal article.

 Only in today's bizarre, dysfunctional GOP.

Virginia Christofascist Oppose Efforts to Ban "Ex-Gay" Therapy

With the Virginia General Assembly in session, not a day seems to go by when Christofascists in Virginia, typically lead by the hate merchants at The Family Foundation, do not oppose any and every legislative proposal that would lessen anti-gay bigotry in Virginia.  Among the bills that have been introduced are bills that would ban ex-gay therapy for minors.  As previous posts have made clear, such therapy is nothing less than child abuse and, in addition to banning the practice, if I had my way I would add criminal penalties for parents that try to subject their children to the fraudulent, witch doctor like therapy.  The Washington Post looks at the ongoing battle, including the typical lies rolling off the lips Victoria Cobb, president of The Family Foundation.  As noted many times, sustaining the "ex-gay" myth is a key lynch pin to the Christofascists' anti-gay political propaganda and they will engage in every conceivable lie and subterfuge to block legislation that would ban the harmful therapy.  Here are story highlights:

RICHMOND — Apryl Prentiss was raised a faithful Christian, and she loved church. So when she realized she was a lesbian, she was terrified and ashamed.  She sought out reparative therapy for gays who wanted to be straight. The years she spent there, followed by two in a Christian ex-gay program in Virginia Beach, were “the darkest of my life,” she said Monday during a news conference at the Virginia Capitol. “I absolutely detested myself.”

That’s why she’s supporting a bill from Del. Patrick A. Hope (D-Arlington) to ban the practice of reparative or conversion therapy by mental health professionals trying to “cure” minors of being gay.  The practice is increasingly seen as anti-gay at a time when more and more Americans view sexual orientation not as a choice or lifestyle, and see gays as a group deserving of legal protection.

The ban would not affect religious counseling that does not involve licensed therapists or adults who seek out the therapy on their own. It would bar professional therapists from practicing conversion therapy, which the American Psychiatric Association opposes, on children younger than 18.

It’s “a very shadowy arena,” said Victoria Bragunier, the director of public policy for the Alliance for Progressive Values.

California and New Jersey have enacted similar bans, both of which have withstood legal challenges.
Social conservatives argue that the ban would intrude on the rights of therapists and families.

“It’s astonishing that the party that claims to defend choice and free speech [is] bent on limiting both for counselors, parents and kids struggling with their sexuality,” Family Foundation President Victoria Cobb said in a statement.

Virginia Democrats are pushing several gay rights initiatives, capitalizing on an area in which public sentiment has moved dramatically during the past decade — and forcing Republicans to take positions on an issue for which their party’s base is out of step with most Americans.

Hope acknowledged Monday that it would be hard to get the bill through the House of Delegates, which is Republican-dominated. But he suggested that it was the right time to begin debate on the issue, even if the legislation does not pass this year.

As for Victoria Cobb, in my opinion, the vilest, nastiest, tawdriest whore has more honesty and integrity than Ms. Cobb.  The woman is pure evil and seeks nothing less than special rights - including the right to abuse children - for Christofascists.  If she could, she would overthrow both the Virginia and U.S. Constitutions. If there is a Hell, in my view, Ms. Cobb has a reserved seat.

New York State: Legislation Introduced to Ban "Ex-Gay" Therapy

At least three states now have seen bills introduced to ban the use of "ex-gay" therapy on minors: Virginia, Maryland and now New York.  The hate merchants at groups like PFOX, Family Research Council, American Family Association, not to mention the faux experts at NARTH must be having apoplexy.  Should these bills pass, they would do much to further expose the fraudulent nature of "ex-gay" or reparative therapy which is not only ineffective, but also dangerous.   The practice is still around for basically two reasons: (i) reparative therapy is the lynch pin to Christofascists' false politically motivated claims that being gay is a "choice" and that sexual orientation can "change," and(ii) so-called "ex-gay ministries" - like that of Marcus, a/k/aMarcis Bachmann - rake in a lot of money preying on the ignorant and gullible.  Here is information on the bills which are needed to protect LGBT youth from psychological and physical abuse via Empire State Pride Agenda:

Trying to change someone’s true identity through so-called therapy is a dangerous practice that can seriously harm our LGBT youth.

This legislation would protect lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) minors from psychological abuse at the hands of so-called medical professionals who try to change their sexual orientation or gender identity. These dangerous practices can seriously harm our LGBT youth by not only denying their true identities, but by trying to change who they are.

That’s why we’re working with Assemblymember Deborah Glick (A.6983) in the State Assembly and Senators Brad Hoylman and Michael Gianaris (S.4917) in the State Senate to pass a law that would ban this damaging practice. To date, California and New Jersey have passed similar legislation.

The vast majority of associations of mental health practitioners and researchers all acknowledge the detrimental effects that this damaging practice has on minors. The American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association oppose this practice and are joined by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the American Counseling Association Governing Council, the American Psychoanalytic Organization, the American School Counselor Association, the National Association of Social Workers and the Pan American Health Organization.

In June 2013, after 36 years of leading the “ex-gay” movement, Exodus International disbanded amid growing skepticism of its top officials and board members that sexual attractions can be changed.

Indeed, Alan Chambers, the last president of Exodus International, admitted that 99.9% of those who went through "ex-gay" therapy failed to change their sexual orientation or attractions.  

 

Second "Ex-Gay" Group Challenges Virginia Colleges Over Lack of Fraudulent "Ex-Gay-Therapy"

With every legitimate mental health and medical association condemning "ex-gay" reparative therapy, the states of New Jersey and California outright banning the practice for those under 18 years of age (additional states may follow suit), and Exodus International closing and admitting that few if anyone was actually "changed" by the witch doctor like "ex-gay" therapy the group promoted, hate group backed "ex-gays" are apparently getting desperate to find a way to remain even remotely legitimate.   Hence the recent move by two "ex-gay" groups to try to intimidate Virginia colleges and universities into providing "ex-gay" information to students.  One can only hope these colleges and universities - or perhaps more importantly, their liability insurance carriers - refuse to knuckle under to these threats and intimidation.    Promoting a discredited and dangerous "therapy" that is based solely on religious dogma would seem to be a liability lawsuit waiting to happen.  Again, with more and more Americans recognizing that the "choice" and "change" myths promoted by Christofascist are lies, fraudulent "ex-gay" ministries are desperate to try to change the playing field to regain a shred of legitimacy.  GayRVA looks at these efforts to intimidate public colleges and universities.  Here are highlights:

Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX) is asking Virginia legislatures to stop funding “gay-transvestite centers at Virginia’s public universities,” claiming state funds are being used to “indocronate” youth into changing their faith.

Today’s announcement comes as a response to an undercover investigation produced last month by the ex-gay group Voice of the Voiceless which concluded that LGBTQ resource centers at Virginia state universities are discrediting the ex-gay community.

In a press release by PFOX their executive director Regina Griggs said these centers deny change is possible by refusing to accept ex-gays exists.

“Virginia taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to fund hatred and discrimination against ex-gays and people of faith,” Griggs said in the press release. “These biased and discriminatory lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender/questioning centers hide ex-gay resources and insist that students adopt a ‘gay-only’ mentality that rejects those who have changed their orientation from gay to straight while celebrating those who have changed their gender identity.”

Griggs said PFOX provides ex-gay brochures urging tolerance to these resource centers at many Virginia state universities but these LGBTQ centers refuse to make these resources available to students seeking guidance.

Ric Chollar is Associate Director for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning (LGBTQ) Resources at the Northern Virginia college of George Mason University (GMU).
GMU was specifically criticized by Voice of the Voiceless when Chollar, who is also a licensed clinical social worker, told the undercover investigator to seek a Metropolitan Community Church and read, “The Lord is my Shepherd, and He Knows I’m Gay.”

“It wasn’t that I directed him to go just there,” Chollar said. “All throughout the interview I was trying to be very careful as I think all of us are in not giving advice or direction but instead presenting options and linking whatever suggestions and whatever possibilities come from the piece of himself that he is talking about.”

“The value we place is around encouraging students towards mental health, and towards happiness and towards success as students,” Chollar said about there being no evidence of ex-gay therapy being successful.

The American Physiological Association has publicly state ex-gay therapy does not work, and often is more harmful than anything else. A report was released in 2009 that detailed the results of their work.

“Contrary to claims of sexual orientation change advocates and practitioners, there is insufficient evidence to support the use of psychological interventions to change sexual orientation,” said Judith Glassgold, Psy.D., chair of the APA task force that examined sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE). “Contrary to the claims of SOCE practitioners and advocates, recent research studies do not provide evidence of sexual orientation change as the research methods are inadequate to determine the effectiveness of these interventions.”

If one does their homework, it quickly becomes clear that PFOX is funded almost solely by anti-gay hate groups and its national board of directors includes a who's who of hate merchants, some of whom make a plush living peddling lies.  In my opinion, "ex-gay" therapy needs to be banned nationwide.  In my view, the nastiest whore has more integrity than the folks at PFOX and Voice of the Voiceless.  If students are conflicted by their sexual orientation, they need to get legitimate therapy and over come the sick religious brainwashing that the Christofascists and their minions disseminate.

This situation also underscores why Mark Herring must be elected as Attorney General.  If his religious extremist opponent, Mark Obenshain is elected, Obenshain would likely pressure Virginia colleges and university to provide fraudulent "ex-gay" materials to students.  Countless young lives could be damaged as a consequence.

President of Exodus International Offers Apology to Gays

One of the favored myths that the Christofascists seek to perpetuate is that being gay is "a choice" and that through accepting Jesus - and typically paying thousands of dollars to some bogus "ex-gay" ministry - one can somehow be miraculously "cured" and suddenly sexually aroused by those of the opposite sex.  It, of course, doesn't work as I know from trying to be "cured" for over 37 years and the only beneficiaries are the "ministries" who pocket the cash and the far right which parades out pathetic "ex-gays" as a demonstration why gays need no legal protections.  A leader in this quackery in the past has been Exodus International.  Yesterday, Exodus issued an apology for its past deliberate lies and misdeeds.  Here are highlights:

Several months ago, this conversation led me to call Lisa Ling to take another step on this messy journey.  I asked if she would, once again, help us add to the unfolding story by covering my apology to the people who have been hurt by Exodus International.  Our ministry has been public and therefore any acknowledgement of wrong must also be public.  I haven’t always been the leader of Exodus, but I am now and someone must finally own and acknowledge the hurt of others. I do so anxiously, but willingly.

It is strange to be someone who has both been hurt by the church’s treatment of the LGBT community, and also to be someone who must apologize for being part of the very system of ignorance that perpetuated that hurt. Today it is as if I’ve just woken up to a greater sense of how painful it is to be a sinner in the hands of an angry church.

It is also strange to be an outcast from powerful portions of both the gay community and the Christian community.  Because I do not completely agree with the vocal majorities in either group and am forging a new place of peaceful service in and through both, I will likely continue to be an outsider to some degree.
We have done wrong, and I stand with many others who now recognize the need to offer apologies and make things right.  I believe this apology – however imperfect – is what God the Father would have me do.

I have heard many firsthand stories from people called ex-gay survivors. Stories of people who went to Exodus affiliated ministries or ministers for help only to experience more trauma. I have heard stories of shame, sexual misconduct, and false hope. In every case that has been brought to my attention, there has been swift action resulting in the removal of these leaders and/or their organizations. But rarely was there an apology or a public acknowledgement by me.

And then there is the trauma that I have caused. There were several years that I conveniently omitted my ongoing same-sex attractions. I was afraid to share them as readily and easily as I do today. They brought me tremendous shame and I hid them in the hopes they would go away. Looking back, it seems so odd that I thought I could do something to make them stop. Today, however, I accept these feelings as parts of my life that will likely always be there.

I am deeply sorry. I am sorry for the pain and hurt many of you have experienced. I am sorry that some of you spent years working through the shame and guilt you felt when your attractions didn’t change. I am sorry we promoted sexual orientation change efforts and reparative theories about sexual orientation that stigmatized parents. I am sorry that there were times I didn’t stand up to people publicly “on my side” who called you names like sodomite—or worse. I am sorry that I, knowing some of you so well, failed to share publicly that the gay and lesbian people I know were every bit as capable of being amazing parents as the straight people that I know.  .  .  .  .  I am sorry that I have communicated that you and your families are less than me and mine. 

There is more, but you get the drift.  I can only imagine the spittle eruptions and shrieks and convulsions that these very true statements are causing amongst the "godly Christian" folk at hate groups like Family Research Council, The Family Foundation here in Virginia, the National Organization for Marriage, all of whom disseminate lies and untruths daily.  

The "Choice Myth" - Denial and Life in the Closet

As this blog notes frequently, one of the linchpins to the Christofascists' anti-gay agenda is promoting the lies that homosexuality is a "choice," that gays can "change," and that "ex-gays" number in the hundreds of thousands (even though they never seem to be able to produce anyone except the same old "ex-gays for pay").  Their motivations are both political - if homosexuality is a choice, then no legal protections are needed for gays - and religious.  I continue to believe that on the religious front, gays are viewed as a lethal threat to those who, out of fear, fully embraced ignorance and perhaps psychological issues, need the Bible to be inerrant.   They simply cannot handle uncertainty or anything that requires thoughtful consideration and that one make their own judgment.  Thus, if the Bible is wrong about homosexuality, then they are forced to ask what else is it wrong about.  In short, their entire simple minded world view begins to collapse and their sense of superiority and self-satisfaction is threatened.  

Meanwhile, of course, the "choice myth" and claims that gays can "change" inflicts untold misery on those like myself who as a teen realized that I did not fit the pattern of what was "normal" and struggled for decades to deny reality and be something that I could never be.  Jonathan Rauch has a new ebook, Denial: My 25 Years Without a Soul, that recounts his experiences that resemble many of my own.  Huffington Post has a three part series that looks at excerpts from Rauch's book.  Here are some excerpts from the third installment:

My thinking for a long time, as I struggled with my baffling fixation on muscles, was as follows. I was just a little boy: a child. I had a kind of kink in me which made no sense whatever, but this was all right. The reason it was all right was that it would go away.

I could only imagine, as a prepubescent boy, the relief I would feel when nature finally flipped that hormone switch, when at last I would begin to slaver and tremble over pictures of boobs in dog- eared copies of Playboy, stashed lovingly under my bed. I looked forward to it.

Reader, I do not doubt that you will be as surprised and dismayed today as I was then when I tell you that this is not what happened. Or, as I saw things then, it was not yet what happened.

What in the world was I? I pushed the question away. It pushed back. I pushed it away harder. It came back with redoubled force. I could only conclude, if I concluded anything, that I was a freak of nature. I had no sexual feelings, but instead was madly obsessive. I could not be a homosexual: I was not effeminate, I had no desire to be touched sexually by a man, indeed the concept mildly revolted me. But I was not behaving the way heterosexuals behaved. If I thought about it, I saw that there was no place on earth for me. I was otherworldly.

So, understandably, I tried not to think about it. Instead I did what has since become known as compartmentalizing. In one compartment was my rock solid belief that I had no sexual feelings at all. In the other compartment was: Paul. Day in, day out, Paul. Paul was a standing reminder that I was nothing like normal  .  .  .  .  

I am always bitterly amused when I hear people say that homosexuality is a choice. Even many otherwise thoughtful people maintain that the homosexual is a heterosexual who perversely ignores, or at least somehow represses, his natural cravings. I say "otherwise thoughtful" because I know of no position which collapses more quickly, under even a moment's examination, than this one. Never mind the obvious question of why anyone would choose homosexuality, with all the inconveniences and confusions and difficulties it poses. Let us suppose, for argument's sake, that there are people who declare: "Actually, I would prefer to be (probably) childless, to face a hundred kinds of social difficulties, to disappoint and maybe horrify my parents, to risk alienating myself from some of my friends and many of my peers, to be an object of disgust and scorn to many millions of people. Sure. Sounds fun."

Let us also overlook, again for argument's sake, that many homosexuals, far from embracing their condition, struggle desperately to change or suppress it, even to the point of suicide. No: imagine that homosexuality is something many people contemplate and choose. Now arises the question: suppose (I want to ask heterosexuals) you decided, at age 14, to fall desperately in love with a classmate of your own sex. How would you go about doing it? How would you talk your temples into throbbing and your throat into constricting? How might you arrange to get a stone hard erection, all out of nowhere, whenever you touch the image of a certain young man's strong hand?

What hormonal levers would you pull? "Choose" to spend days in school and nights in bed thinking about, dreaming about, gazing upon Paul? Just so does the dragonfly choose the winds that whip it in a hurricane. Amid the storm, the only thing I knew, my only certainty, was that whatever was happening to me was driving me relentlessly, mercilessly, away from any hope of love.

What distresses me the most about the Christofascists is that in their selfish, psychologically disturbed need for "moral certainty" or "superiority," they don't give a damn about the harm they do to others.   It is ALWAYS just about them and their needs.  And sadly, this same pattern carries over to minorities, those of other faiths, and the ever derided "liberals."   Despite their protestations to the contrary, no one is more selfish than the Christofascists.

Gay Suicide and Pastoral Malpractice

I do not hold back on expressing my view that over the course of history I believe that religion and religious belief have likely caused more harm than good and are directly responsible for countless deaths.  While some Christian denominations seem to be trying to move away from their toxic and often deadly pasts, others like the Roman Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention appear to be moving in the opposite direction and increasing their vitriol against non-believers and those they claim their  myth based dogmas condemn.   It goes without saying that LGBT individuals of all ages continue to be a preferred target for hatred and stigmatization by the self-congratulatory, self-anointed  godly folks.  A piece in Religion Dispatches looks at the phenomenon in the wake of the suicide death of 17 year old Josh Pacheco, who killed himself because of constant anti-gay bullying.  Bullying that is encouraged and made respectable by the incessant mantra coming from far too many pulpits.   And bullying that  isn't restricted to physical violence.  Truth be told, most LGBT individuals experience persistent psychological violence - again almost exclusively because of the anti-gay jihad of fear and hate based religious denominations such as the Catholic Church and the Southern Baptists and, of course, the Mormon Church.  Here are some excerpts:

I don’t know Josh or his family. And I’ve never even been to Michigan.  But every queer person knows Josh Pacheco. Josh was a junior in high school and had just told his mother that he was gay. Like so many mothers, she wasn’t too surprised and was very supportive of her son. What did surprise her—what she didn’t know until very recently—was that Josh was the victim of persistent physical bullying and verbal harassment at school. Her son was a victim of violence.

“Queer” is not synonymous with “suicide,” as it has begun to seem. Not every queer person is on the brink of despair and self-destruction. Not every queer person is bullied by their peers or rejected by their parents. Not every queer person is vulnerable to depression or has a suicide plan at the ready.
But queer suicide should alarm us. It should keep us up at night. 

Violence against queer people runs much deeper than physical bullying, verbal harassment, or even hate crime murder. It is a violence that takes place at the level of the psyche, the soul—at the very level at which our sense of “self” is constructed within our relation to society.

It is a type of violence that cannot be assessed by examining bruises. Violence against queer people in any form is an ideologically aggravated, theologically intensified violence— legitimated by a discourse about queer people that is already embedded in the lives of both attacker and victim.
Insults like “fag,” often combined with physical assault, name the queer self as sick, sinful, or an object of disgust and derision—images that swirl in social consciousness long before blows are brought to bear upon a queer body.
 
Every queer person knows Josh Pacheco. Not every queer person grew up being pushed into lockers and teased at school like Josh. Not every queer person contemplates suicide. But the effects of insult and hatred that write themselves onto our bodies mark the life of every queer person. Every one of us is familiar with the kind of violence that psychiatrist Marie-France Hirigoyen so aptly calls “stalking the soul.”  Josh’s last note read, “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to be strong enough.”

As I said in a Religion Dispatches article after the spate of highly publicized bullying-related gay teen suicides back in 2010, anti-gay bullying is a theological issue. But, to be clear, queer suicide is more than a theological “issue.” It is an indicator of rampant ministerial malpractice.

By ministerial malpractice, I mean the negligent attitudes of clergy and congregations concerning the violence being enacted upon queer lives—not just the violence of bullying, but the persistent injury to the bodies, psyches, and souls of queer people.

By ministerial malpractice, I mean the youth minister who invites representatives of “ex-gay” ministries to speak to teenagers because these “practices of love” are theologically responsible, despite evidence of their destructive power.

By ministerial malpractice, I mean the pastor who knows the realities of violence enacted upon queer lives and is deeply concerned, but who, nevertheless, avoids any mention of sexuality in the pulpit so as not to upset parishioners.

By ministerial malpractice, I mean the theological scholar who prevaricates in public when asked about concerns of justice for queer lives—not even out of a sense of personal conviction on the matter, but in order to protect a public career: speaking invitations, book deals.

By ministerial malpractice, I mean the congregation that skirts around open discussions of queer affirmation, inclusion, and justice because they don’t want to become a “gay church” or (more liberally) they don’t want to be “defined by that one issue.”

The difficulty is that I know these people and these churches, and so does every reader of this article. More difficult is the realization that those of us who live and work in a religious context are the only ones capable of providing accountability for ministerial malpractice. 

I for one will not hold my breath waiting for anti-gay churches and congregations and the insidious professional Christian class to cease their violence both physical and psychological against LGBT people.  Instead I will try to educate people about the truth about those of us in the LGBT community and, with luck, more and more of these people will do what seems to be the trend with the "nones" and younger voters: see religion for the evil that it too often is and simply walk away. 

PFOX Files Complaint Against Montgomery County Schools Superintendant for Correctly Call "Ex-Gay" Propaganda Bogus

In an obvious attempt to intimidate the Montgomery County, Maryland, School System into distributing the fraudulent and potentially dangerous lies and garbage like propaganda that PFOX routinely disseminates.  Candidly, if the school system were foolish enough to allow PFOX to have its way, they would be courting even more serious legal liability.  EVERY legitimate medical and mental health association in America condemns the ex-gay myth and labels so-called "reparative therapy" as dangerous.  Let one or two students be harmed by the PFOX garbage - or worse yet, commit suicide - and you are talking about huge potential liability judgments.  How do you justify distributing propaganda that ALL legitimate experts call bogus?  Talk about making one's insurance carrier go berserk.  Christian News Wire reports on PFOX's latest batshitery.  Here are highlights of the batshit craziness:

Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX) has filed a sexual orientation discrimination complaint with the Montgomery County (Maryland) Board of Education against its School Superintendent Joshua Starr.

After PFOX distributed ex-gay flyers to high school students as part of the schools' flyer distribution program for non-profit organizations, Superintendent Starr publicly denigrated PFOX and former homosexuals by calling the actions of PFOX "reprehensible and deplorable" and labeling the flyer's sexual orientation content as "a really, really disgusting message." 

"PFOX's flyers provided information on unwanted same-sex attractions, discouraged student name calling and labeling, and urged tolerance for former homosexuals," said Regina Griggs of PFOX.

"Starr does not respect diversity and is creating an unsafe school environment. As School Superintendent, Starr's actions make it impossible for Montgomery County public schools to provide an atmosphere where differences are understood and appreciated, or where everyone is treated fairly and with respect free of discrimination and abuse, as mandated by its Nondiscrimination Policy ACB."

 "I have suffered more discrimination and intolerance as an ex-gay than I ever did when I was gay. Please stop hating us. Follow your own Non-Discrimination Policy. If you stop hating former homosexuals, our students will not learn to hate either. Starr's behavior proves that our schools need diversity training on tolerance for the ex-gay community." 

As noted before, the money behind PFOX comes from a who's who of anti-gay hate groups and utterly dishonest "family values" organizations who are striving to keep the "choice" and "change" myths alive at all costs.  As for the self-professed "ex-gays'?  In my opinion, they either (i) need serious mental health care or  (ii) are willing to lie and prostitute themselves in exchange for a pay check.  In my opinion, the most tawdry whore is virtuous in comparison to "ex-gays."  And those views do not even begin to touch on the inappropriateness of injecting religious beliefs and bigotry into the public schools.  As for the PFOX statements, if you want to experience discrimination, come to Virginia.

Exodus Cancels Next ‘Love Won Out’ Conference Due to Lack of Interest

I have long been a critic of the fraudulent "ex-gay" programs and first became involved in LGBT rights activism when I worked with Wayne Besen to expose former national level "ex-gay" Michael Johnston (pictured at right) as an utter and complete fraud.  For those unfamiliar with Johnston, in 1998 he was one of Jerry Falwell's proteges and appeared in a national ad campaign financed by a who's who of the Christianist organizations.  Like many of the "ex-gay for pay" crowd, Johnston claimed that he had accepted Jesus and been cured of his homosexuality.  The problem is that he wasn't and was sleeping around the Hampton Roads area - where he is originally from - under a false name and having un-safe sex even though he was HIV+.  In my view, it is long past time that the public realize that these programs are frauds and are motivated by either (i) money in the form of fleecing the ignorant and gullible or (ii) politics were keeping the "change myth" alive is important for the Christianist political agenda.  Ex-Gay Watch reports on the cancellation of Exodus' conference:

In what seems like the logical extension of the recent trend, Exodus International has decided there were not enough people interested in attending their Love Won Out conference scheduled for later this month to justify the expense. Conference attendance has been trending downward, with their last conference bringing in barely 400 people. This is down from nearly 1000 in Exodus’ headier days.

The cancellation of this conference, the first time we know of since either Exodus or Focus on the Family held the event, appears to provide more evidence of their decline.

In the email (see below) sent out to would be attendees barely two days ago, Exodus’ Senior Director of Events David Fountain suggests that they might “Automatically convert all or part of your registration fees into a tax-deductible gift to support the ministry efforts of Exodus International.”

Joe Jervis at Joe.My.God has very apt comments on the development:

The "ex-gay" industry has been rocked to its core this year. First the head of its most infamous group announced that not one person had ever actually been "cured." Then the researcher who authored the most widely cited "ex-gay" study recanted his findings and apologized to the gay community. So maybe it's not surprising that nobody wants to attend an "ex-gay" convention.

"ex-gay" therapy is a con job, a scam, a cash-cow designed to separate self-hating homosexuals from their money. It's sort of brilliant, really. You're never "cured" so you just have to keep paying and paying and paying. It's like Jenny Craig, but without the delicious cardboard aftertaste.

French Protest American Ex-Gay Program

I've noted many times in the past the efforts of the American Christian Taliban to export the ex-gay myth overseas, particularly to largely uneducated populations in Africa. But the effort is not limited to third world nations. Even countries like France are seeing the effort to import lies and false "experts" in order to denigrate gays and promote the myth that sexual orientation is changeable. Fortunately, the Christianist efforts are meeting with considerable opposition and outcry as recently demonstrated in Toulouse, France. Jim Burroway at Box Turtle Bulletin has details. Here are highlights:

Organizers of Rainbow Toulouse had hoped that maybe a hundred people at the most might to show up in front of a small Evangelical church to protest a planned ex-gay seminar. Instead, they were pleasantly surprised to see between 200 and 300 protesters turning out.

The scheduled seminar, scheduled for last weekend, is affiliated with Andrew Comiskey’s Living Waters program in the U.S. Comiskey, a former president of Exodus International, has been aggressively expanding his Desert Stream Ministries and its Living Waters program in Canada and Europe. Former ex-gay leader Vonnie Pits issued an apology for her role in a Living Waters-based program she set up in New South Wales, Australia.

In 2005, DSM moved to Kansas City where Comiskey announced he was partnering with Dominionist theologian Mike Bickle (organizer of Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s crusade in Houston) and the International House of Prayer. DSM reportedly uses “extreme methods that involve forms of exorcism (deliverance/healing prayer) and rely on teachings that believe that people become gay through demonic influences and the sins of ancestors.”

You can see a video testimony of an ex-gay survivor of Living Waters here.

These "ex-gay" ministries and the quacks who make a comfortable living peddling lies need to be shut down. State regulators need to start revoking licenses and/or instituting prosecution against the quacks who are knowingly defrauding the desperate and vulnerable.

Conservative House of Delegates Candidate Admits Past Lesbian Affair with Student and Claim's She's No Longer Gay

I guess Lisa Miller isn't the only woman in Virginia who claims that "Jesus" made her straight. It turns out that Linda Wall, a conservative running for a House of Delegates seat from Appomattox, is putting out the same kind of "ex-gay" bullshit that Miller has blathered about in her high profile split up with Janet Jenkins and her subsequent kidnapping of her daughter. If Wall is peddling ex-gay claims, that ought to disqualify her from office because she's obviously a liar on a scale worse that that of most politicians, especially those of the conservative ilk. Wall also blames "heavy pot smoking" as a cause of her sexual affair with one of her underage students. I could perhaps buy a heartfelt plea of "I made a foolish mistake" far more easily than the ex-gay lie and a insane marijuana excuses. Not surprisingly, Wall has connections to The Family Foundation which always eats up ex-gay lies and bullshit. Here are highlights from the Daily Press:

A conservative independent seeking a House of Delegates seat from Appomattox says when she was a junior high teacher 40 years ago she had an affair with a female student but that she was a "different person" back then.

"I've never tried to hide that I was in homosexuality. If anybody Googles me, they would find that out there," Wall said. "Forty years ago I was a different person. I was a heavy pot smoker with … impaired judgment and made some bad choices," she said.

She credits a Christian conversion years ago with turning her from drugs and changing her sexual orientation. She also has lobbied Virginia's General Assembly on behalf of the conservative Family Foundation, a staunch opponent of gay marriage, adoption by same-sex couples and abortion.

Wall resigned from the school after the district superintendent confronted her about the affair, according to the transcript deposition. She was never criminally charged.

The disclosure came two weeks before the election in which Wall, Democrat Connie Brennan and Republican Matt Fariss are vying for the vacant seat of Del. Watkins Abbitt, an independent from Appomattox who is retiring after 26 years in the House.

Michele Bachman Again Proves She's An Idiot

Michele Bachmann has previously demonstrated that she's a idiot when it comes to history and geography. Now she's demonstrated that she's an idiot when it comes to knowing the Bible and its various sub-plots. As Mother Jones is reporting, Bachmann is now holding herself out as the modern day equivalent of Jonathan - son of King Saul and likely lover of King David. As usual, the laugh is on Bachmann for her own stupidity. Nothing is more dangerous than someone who refuses to recognize their own intellectual limitations. Bachmann seems hell bent to prove to the world that she's an utter cretin - not that such reality will deter many of her equally mentally challenged followers. Here are some highlights from Mother Jones:

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) has a habit of breaking out Old Testament references when she speaks to religious audiences. . . . . now, with her presidential campaign on the ropes, the Minnesota congresswoman seems to have picked a new Biblical alter ego; we're not sure she really thought this one through. Via MinnPost, this is what she told the conservative activists at RightOnline . . . .:

"I want to call to mind in remembrance a hero of mine. And he's from ancient Israel. And from history we know, in the recorded annals of time, that this was someone considered more inconsequential, but to me he had an inspiring, powerful story. His name was Jonathan. . . . .

Then, as the story goes, Jonathan and a comrade scaled the cliff and defeated the entire Philistine army by themselves. If the story ended there, that would be a fantastic metaphor for what Bachmann would like to accomplish as a candidate. The story of Jonathan does not end there, however.

But there's another twist: Jonathan's mostly famous because of his very close personal relationship with David, with some scholars going so far as to suggest that they might have been lovers. Jonathan and David have been cited by gay rights activists as proof that gay rights are biblically enshrined, as well as by Oscar Wilde—at his trial for homosexuality. The Book of Samuel describes the relationship thusly: "The soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul." Their friendship led to a falling out between Saul and his son, after Jonathan pleads with the king to stop trying to kill David.

Dartmouth religion professor Susan Ackerman wrote a book about it. Here's how she synthesizes the "Jonathan and David were gay" (or at least bisexual) argument, seizing on the pair's falling out with Jonathan's father: [A]s Schroer and Staubli particularly argue, the language Saul uses in his diatribe is extremely sexually charged, so much so that we may be meant to interpret it also in sexual terms; that is, to understand this charged language is used in Saul's insults because Saul perceives his son's misdeeds to be sexual as well as political. According, then, to Schroer and Staubli, Jonathan has not only engaged in "the political scandal of a royal son betraying father and kingdom for the sake of a stranger, but also the effrontery of homosexual love."

One can only wonder what Bachmann's husband and "ex-gay" quack, "Marcia" Bachmann thinks of his wife's homosexual hero. :)

Top Bachmann Donor Asks School Board To Maintain Pro-Bullying "Neutrality" Policy

With a veritable bullying suicide epidemic in schools in Michele Bachmann's home district, one would think that Bachmann and her fellow hate merchants would try to keep a somewhat lower profile in their anti-gay jihad. But such is not the case. Leading the charge to keep LGBT students targets for anti-gay bullying is Barb Anderson, a top Bachmann donor, who was instrumental in advocating for the Anoka-Hennepin School District's "neutrality" policy which bars any discussion of homosexuality and any support for LGBT students. As Think Progress reports, Anderson and her husband, George Anderson of Crown Iron Works, have donated $13,400 and $9,200, respectively, and Crown Iron Works ranked as Bachmann’s 12th largest donor over her political career with $26,850 in total contributions. Here's more from Think Progress on the effort to continue to give anti-gay bullies free rein in the Anoka-Hennepin school division:

Andy Birkey reports that the Parents Action League (PAL) — a group that advocates for ex-gay reparative therapy — is now “circulating a petition to the Anoka-Hennepin School Board asking it to maintain a policy that limits discussions of LGBT issues in the classroom.” The Minnesota school district has some of the highest suicide rates in the country and is currently involved in a lawsuit alleging that its policy of not discussing homosexuality has contributed to severe bullying against LGBT students. “PAL’s petition asserts that LGBT people suffer ‘life-threatening health risks’ and a flier by the group warns of a ‘radical homosexual agenda,” Birkey writes. Below is the text of the petition:

Whereas homosexual behavior exposes participants to many life-threatening health risks; and whereas the classroom environment needs to be solely focused on academics; Therefore, we the undersigned citizens of Anoka-Hennepin School District No. 11 do whole heartedly support and desire that the School Board adhere to the following statement in the AH District 11 Sexual Orientation Curriculum Policy: ‘Teaching about sexual orientation is not a part of the District adopted curriculum; rather, such matters are best addressed within individual family homes, churches, or community organizations. Anoka-Hennepin staff, in the course of their professional duties, shall remain neutral on matters regarding sexual orientation including but not limited to student led discussions.’

PAL spokeswoman and representative Barb Anderson has previously blamed gay groups for the bullying encountered by LGBT students. “They are creating an environment where these children that are sexually confused suddenly become affirmed as a homosexual or that they are born that way, and then these kids are locked into a lifestyle with their choices limited, and many times this can be disastrous to them as they get into the behavior which leads to disease and death in some cases.” She added, “So, it’s really… They are the ones that are contributing to an atmosphere that can even increase bullying as more kids get into this kind of a lifestyle.”

I sincerely believe that if there is a God, it's Bachmann, Anderson and haters like them, not LGBT individuals, who will find they have reserved seats in Hell for all the horrors they have helped create and perpetuate.

Hate Groups and Extremists Rally Behind Bachmann "Ex-Gay" Clinics

Not surprisingly the leading champions of hate, ignorance and intolerance in this country - including Southern Poverty Law Center certified hate groups - have leaped to the defense of Marcus Bachmann's witch doctor like "ex-gay" clinics. This effort to defend the indefensible is crucial to the Christianist effort to continue to dupe members of the larger public into believing that sexual orientation is a "choice" and something that can "change." The haters know that once the ex-gay myth is dead all they have left is their clearly exposed effort to force their religious beliefs on everyone in society. Think Progress has a round up of some of the batshitery flowing in rivers from the usual suspects. Here are highlights:
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“pro family groups” and even some media outlets jumped to defend the Bachmanns and their ex-gay therapy clinics. Rather than condemning these dangerous and discredited techniques, conservative groups either questioned the integrity of the under cover investigation — which revealed that therapists were telling gay patients they could become straight through prayer and therapy — or defended the practice:
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– FOX NEWS: “This undercover video is just a hit piece. They’re in there trying to get him to say something or to say or to screw him.” [The Five, 7/12/2011]
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– CHRISTIAN BROADCASTING NETWORK: “If you’ve watched the mainstream media’s reporting in the last day or so you’ve seen these tapes, which suggest that changing sexual orientation is not possible, in fact at least one major study shows that it is possible.” [Report, 7/13/2011]
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– FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL: “Apart from Washington, D.C., and homosexual interest groups, the majority of the country will view Marcus’s work for what it is, a ministry of hope. Pointing men and women who struggle with same-sex attractions to God isn’t ‘a discredited form of therapy,’ it’s the path to sexual healing.” [Tony Perkins, 7/13/2011]
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– AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION: Director of Issues Analysis Bryan Fishcer defended and promoted ex-gay therapy in the aftermath of the Bachmann report on his radio show. [Right Wing Watch, 7/13/2011]

– NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MARRIAGE: “We’ve been following with concern the organized efforts by gay activists to demonize Michele Bachmann’s husband. Greg Quinlan, President of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays and Executive Director of Equality and Justice For All comes to Mr. Bachmann’s defense — and to the defense of others who are not given a voice.” [NOM Blog, 7/13/2011]
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– TRUTH ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY: “Folks, it sure didn’t take long for the liberal media to go into Christian-bashing mode against GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann (R-MN).” [Peter LaBarbera, 7/13/2011]

Marcus Bachmann's Silver Daddy's "Profile"

Someone obviously has a great sense of humor and, after hearing Michele "Crazy Eyes" Bachmann's lisping husband ranting about gays being "barbarians," it doesn't seem all that improbable that good old Marcus in his heart is lusting for some hot man on man action. The photo above is via Joe.My. God. This is the link to Bachmann's faux profile which reads in part as follows:

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Hi, I am a fun over-forty flamer who just wants to try IT ALL! I'm looking for some CRUDE BARBARIANS who will put me in my place, honey! Spank me, Spank me, and don't forget to thank me! I am just a "gal" who can't say no! Professionally I am a psychologist, which is funny because I am really into "mind games". My hobbies include doing Ethel Merman imitations, antiquing, and wearing my wife's clothes when she isn't around! If any of this interests you, please "ring my bell"! I'll have lots of time on my hands as my wife Michelle will be traveling a lot this year!

Apple Appears to have Pulled Exodus iPhone Application

UPDATED: As the tweet above confirms, Apple apparently decided being in bed with an anti-gay propaganda affiliate of the Christian Right that pushes therapies condemned by the American Psychological Association and other legitimate mental health and medical experts was bad for business.

No company announcement seems to have been released, but it looks as if Apple has realized it made a huge mistake getting involved with Exodus International - an organization that attempts to "cure" gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. The move may have been triggered by the fact that more than 144,000 people have reportedly signed a petition started by Truth Wins Out demanding that Apple remove the offensive iPhone app launched by Exodus International. As Wayne Besen noted, "This is not a question of free speech, but stopping a virulently anti-gay organization from peddling false speech at the expense of vulnerable LGBT youth."

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As more details are available, this post will be updated.

The Fruits of Ex-Gay "Ministries"

I often slam ex-gay "ministries" and their snake-oil merchant advocates such as James Dobson, Peter LaBarbera and a host of other money grubbing liars. One of the things that infuriates me the most - other than the fact that they are peddling the scientifically refuted lie that gays can "change" - is that they care ABSOLUTELY NOTHING for the straight spouses and the children of gays who marry and live to see the entire "straight world" house of cards collapse. These individuals and "ministries" continue to disseminate the lie that gays can marry and be something other than what God made them to be. My own life, marriage, divorce and the emotional carnage it engendered for all involved is a testament to the damage that arises from trying to be straight when one is not. And I am likely only one of millions of LGBT individuals who married and tried to live the lie. Our motivations often were totally pure. But the damage done to others is not lessened by our good intentions. I came across a blog (warning NSFW) today that, in responding to a reader's question, had a good description of the outcome of following the hate, monetarily and politically motivated ex-gay lies. Here are some highlights:
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While I don't regret some of the decisions I've made, because they brought me two great things in my life - my kids - I do regret that I am somewhat stuck in the life I've created. Yea, I could "come out of the closet" or reveal my indiscretions to my family and kids, but that would defeat what I think is more important, and that is the stability of my kids lives. I've decided to sacrifice my happiness for that of my kids.
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But, if I knew then what I know now, that this "thing", this "feeling" wouldn't go away, and would cause me such inner conflict, then I think I would probably preferred to have not gotten married or to have married someone who I could be totally honest with about my sexuality. That would be ideal.
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Did I have feelings about men? Yes. Should I have gotten married? uh, probably not. . . . My point is, I would never suggest or encourage someone to be like me. It's not ideal. It's not fun. It's not healthy, and ultimately..it's not good
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It is a sad summary of many, many lives. It truly sickens me that so many lies are damaged because of the religious based bigotry, greed or political cynicism (or a mixture of all three) that motivates the continued lies of the ex-gay industry. One can only hope that in time the APA and regulatory agencies will in time stamp out all efforts at reparative therapy and to make people other than as they were born to be.

Family Research Council Scrubs Rekers from Website and Claims Lack of Affiliation

Click image to enlarge.

I have long viewed Family Research Council among a small group of utterly dishonest and untruthful anti-gay organizations. Lies and disinformation are the norm and the bombshell of George Rekers being caught with a 20 year old rent boy has seen FRC resort to its usual tactics: lie and issue disingenuous statements that its spokesmen know are false. Trying to conduct damage control FRC released a statement on the Rekers scandal to Talking Points Memo. Even though Tony Perkins claims little knowledge of Rekers, a 2008 screen shot of FRC's webpage via Towleroad shows that Perkins knows all about Rekers. Here are highlights from the FRC statement from TPM:
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The Family Research Council sends over a statement on George Rekers, a co-founder of the group and leader of the ex-gay movement who was caught hiring a male escort. The council's president, Tony Perkins, denies his group has had any contact with Rekers over the past decade.
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In the past 24 hours FRC has received calls regarding Dr. George Rekers and his connection with the Family Research Council. After reviewing the historical records we did verify that Dr. Rekers was a member of the original Family Research Council board prior to its merger with Focus on the Family in 1987.
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Reports have been circulating regarding Dr. Rekers relationship with a male prostitute. FRC has had no contact with Dr. Rekers or knowledge of his activities in over a decade so FRC can provide no further insight into these allegations.
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While we are extremely disappointed when any Christian leader engages in the very activities that they "preach" against, it is not surprising. The Scriptures clearly teach the fallen nature of all people.*
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Believe that story? If so, I have a bridge I want to sell to you.

Coming Out of "‘Situational Heterosexuality’

Joe Jervis has a quote at Joe By God from Former "ex-gay" evangelical minister Anthony Venn-Brown. Brown, now one of Australia's leading LGBT activists, where he says that gay men in heterosexual marriages engage in the opposite of the situational homosexuality found in prisons and other all same gender settings. Having been in a heterosexual marriage myself for 24 years , I think that Venn-Brown is on to something. Those of us gays who married and tried to do "what was expected" by family, society and/or our religious upbringings in effect engaged in straight relationships even thought that was not our true sexual orientation. We either did not know what else to do, wanted to have children, or simply could not admit to ourselves who we really were. Thus, you try to make it work even though in your heart you know its not complete and you continue to suffer from those pesky attractions to other males. You become the actor on the stage playing a role until the point comes where you simply no longer have the energy to keep up the performance either inwardly or outwardly. Here are some of Venn-Brown's comments on the phenomenon:
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"‘Situational heterosexuality’ is a term I’ve used for several years when people have asked how I could have been married for so many years and yet be gay. This term has also helped people gain a clearer understanding of what really happens when someone who is homosexual marries someone of the opposite sex and claims change. Confusion about what really happens in these situations still exists and often wrongly reinforces the ‘homosexuality is a choice’ and ‘homosexuals can change’ concept.
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"How often have you heard someone say something like this ‘They couldn’t be gay, they’re married’. When someone says that to me, I just remain silent for a while with a smile on my face (having been a gay man in a heterosexual marriage) and wait for what I’m actually thinking to sink into the consciousness of the person who made the naive statement."
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As much as "ex-gays" may seek to deny it - even to themselves - they have not changed their sexual orientation. Instead they have suppressed it at least for a time. That does not equate to permanent change.