The Star, a major newspaper in Malaysia, published a package of stories about exgays on Jan. 12:

Helping homosexual persons resolve long-standing issues 

Circumstances may lead to homosexuality

Homosexuality more about politics than biology

Changing sexual orientation through reparative therapy

The series relies almost entirely upon anecdotes from anonymous exgays affiliated with Real Love Ministry, an exgay organization in Malacca that is headed by singer-composer Edmund Lawrence Smith. RLM’s web site says it is an offshoot of Choices Ministry (exgay) of Singapore.

The RLM exgay counseling program consists of a four-step process — re-education, celibacy, dating, and opposite-gender marriage.

While XGW respects the struggles of the individuals (should they, in fact, be real people), the anecdotes in the Star articles and on the RLM web site sadly consist of tired cliches and stereotypes about gender and sexual orientation that most gay people will find trite, unconvincing, and unappealing.

Based upon those stereotypes, the articles then proceed to promote exgay cures. Only one exgay advocate in the articles — Grahame Hazell, founder of Lifeline Ministries in France — is quoted acknowledging that a turn away from homosexuality does not mean a turn to heterosexuality. Where XGW perceives this as a change to asexuality, Hazell insults gay readers by asserting that, in leaving homosexuality, "one achieves wholeness as a person."

The articles neglect to obtain any direct input from reputable medical authorities; instead, they rely heavily upon RLM’s oversimplifications and distortions of the scientific work of Kinsey, Spitzer and others.

The articles also neglect to offer any perspectives from Malaysians who were not helped, or who were harmed, by their participation in exgay programs.

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