News and analysis of exgay politics and culture.
From The Washington Post: A Catholic lay panel found that 4 percent of the nation’s Catholic priests who have served since 1950 were at one time or another accused of sexually abusing minors. Let’s crunch some statistics, and see whether the crisis can be blamed on homosexuality per se: 20 percent of those alleged or [...]
In the news briefs section of its Feb. 2 CitizenWatch electronic newsletter, Focus on the Family cheered the Kansas appellate court ruling against Matthew Limon. Focus describes the 18-year-old, developmentally disabled Limon as a “man who sodomized a minor,” ignoring the voluntary (statutory) nature of the offense, and inaccurately asserts that the court rejected “a [...]
Following its decision in Lawrence v. Texas, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the Kansas Court of Appeals to reconsider the conviction of gay teen-ager Matthew Limon. (Previous XGW coverage. Focus on the Family defended the sentencing.) In a ruling published today, the Kansas Court of Appeals upholds the state’s discriminatory sentencing of gay teen-agers and [...]
XGW has previously commented on the Matthew Limon case: June 28: Gay Teenager’s Prison Term Voided Sept. 17: Kansas AG Distorts, Misleads, Inflames Oct. 1: Focus/Family Wants Gay Kid Imprisoned 17 Years On Dec. 3, the Lawrence, Kan., Journal-World reported: Judge ridicules underage sex law State’s harsher sentences for homosexual partners criticized in appellate hearing [...]
XGW commented two weeks ago on the case of Matthew Limon. Last week, Focus on the Family reminded its CitizenLink readers that it wants the kid locked up for 17 years because he had sex with a male three years younger than him. Limon had just turned 18; his partner was almost 15. Had Limon’s [...]
Matthew Limon was convicted of having consensual but criminal sex with a nearly-15-year-old boy when he was 18 and both lived at a group home for the developmentally disabled. He was sentenced to a 17+ year prison term despite a Kansas “Romeo and Juliet” statute — which sharply reduces penalties for sex between a sub-16-year-old [...]
In an interview with Christianity Today, Exodus spokesman and ministry manager Randy Thomas warns that the Supreme Court ruling against sodomy laws will shape public policy. “This ruling gives validity to the gay community,” Thomas said. In addition to potentially redefining the family, it further solidifies their position as a political and social force.” Earlier [...]
Exodus spokesman Randy Thomas protests XGW’s reflections on the Michael Johnston tragedy here. My response: Thomas neglects to mention that, after he blogged about his personal reservations over the criminalization of sodomy, he reversed himself: Sodomy Law Challenge set before Supreme Court When I first mentioned this in the Spotlights last year, I wrote that [...]
We are unlikely to see ex-gay activists call for that. Because, despite the desire of Exodus leaders and the religious right to see the nation’s homosexuals made prosecutable on sodomy charges, it appears they do not wish for their own activists to be held accountable to the same laws. (Nor do Exodus and the religious [...]
In 2000, 18-year-old Matthew Limon was sentenced to prison in Kansas for having voluntary oral sex with someone three years younger. Both teen-agers were developmentally disabled. Heterosexual teen-agers would have been sentenced to a maximum of a year and three months, and possibly just probation. But because Limon and his sex partner were both male, [...]
Norm says:
I was among those that were banned from RHN's Facebook. ...
Emily K says:
Yeah, I thought evangelical Christianity specifically (and Protestantism in general) was...
Patrick Fitzgerald says:
Ben: So they’re admitting there IS harm, but its just exaggerated.
Anthony Venn-Brown (@gayambassador) says:
Love your work Mike....good article. strange word “Antinomianism”
antinomian "one who...
Ben in Oakland says:
So they're admitting there IS harm, but its just exaggerated. Hmmmmmm.