Ex-Gay Watch

Time is running short to register for The Ex-Gay Survivor’s Conference to be held June 29-July 1, 2007, in Irvine, California.

Why hold a conference of former ex-gays? As the conference web site states: Creating a communal space for ex-gay survivors to tell their stories allows us to share what led us into an ex-gay lifestyle and ways we have been able to recover from it.

Workshop facilitators and speakers include:

• Christine Bakke, ex-gay survivor and co-founder of Beyond Ex-Gay
• Darlene Bogle, former Exodus leader and author of A Christian Lesbian Journey: A Continuation of Long Road to Love
• Jim Burroway, founder of Box Turtle Bulletin
• Jason Cianciotto, research director for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
• Musicians Jason & deMarco
• Rev. Phil Lawson, United Methodist minister and veteran of the 1960′s civil rights movement
• Jeff Lutes, MS, LPC, executive director of Soulforce and licensed psychotherapist
• Jallen Rix, Ph.D., ex-gay survivor, Doctor of Education in Sexology and musician who focuses on healthy sexuality and recovery from ex-gay experiences
• Peterson Toscano, ex-gay survivor and performance artist
• Rev. Nancy Wilson, moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches

Topics include:

• Building Healthy Relationships after an Ex-Gay Experience
• Telling Our Stories Creatively: Writing, Blogging, Video, etc.
• What the Bible Says & Doesn’t Say About Homosexuality
• Courting Justice: Ex-Gays and the Law
• Mental Health Professionals Round Table: Best Practices from the Ex-gay Survivor’s Conference
• Impacting the Media: Successful Strategies for Sharing Your Story with Confidence

There will be a film forum hosted by directors, including:

• God and Gays (Luane Beck & Kim Clark)
• For Such a Time as This (Lisa Darden)
• This is What Love in Action Looks Like (Morgan Jon Fox)
• Fish Can’t Fly (Tom Murray)
• Me and God (Esteban Rael)

I will be attending the conference as an audience member and supporter. I am eager to meet many former ex-gays, their families and friends, and the readers of XGW. We can look forward to a weekend of personal journeys of struggle and personal and spiritual renewal.

For more information and to register, visit Beyond Ex-Gay.

Addendum: Related Media Coverage

Ex-gay or just exploited?
By Marla Jo Fisher, Orange County Register, June 17, 2007