Ex-Gay Watch

Readers may have noticed the casual claims by Exodus president Alan Chambers and vice president Randy Thomas concerning the success rates of “change” and perhaps even vague references to an ongoing study. These have led to an increasingly common, though entirely unsubstantiated figure of 30% “real change in orientation.” A statement on the Exodus International website goes even further:

On the statistical side, careful reviews of research studies on sexual orientation change suggest that real change is indeed possible. Studies suggesting change rates in the range of 30-50% are not unusual, although “success rates” vary considerably and the measurement of change is problematic.

A link follows to further studies but we could find none there. We have discouraged the use of these figures in posts to avoid the “Paul Cameron Effect” whereby junk science becomes the de facto standard after repetitive use without attribution to any authoritative sources. So far, Exodus has done little to qualify the term “change” in this setting, much less substantiate any figures. That may change soon. Read more…

Beyond Ex-Gay has posted apology letters from Vonnie Pitts, Wendy Lawson and Kim Brett, former leaders of ex-gay ministries in Australia. According to the press release, Pitts, Lawson and Brett were inspired by the public apology issued in June by Darlene Bogle, Michael Bussee and Jeremy Marks.

The press release also mentions that former ex-gay Anthony Venn-Brown will be appearing on the Australian version of Sixty Minutes this Sunday, August 19.

Additional coverage: Box Turtle Bulletin, Soulforce, and Beyond Ex-Gay.

We are trying a new look (yes again!) and there are some minor features missing (author listings on posts for one). This will be corrected in the next few days if we decide to stick with this one. In the mean time, register your likes/dislikes here. Thanks!

Update:  We’ve gone back to our original look.  Thanks for your comments.  If you saw the new one and still want to comment here, that’s fine.

We recently reported about our serious concerns over the violent messages on a group of websites owned by Brian Wyant, GLBT Center Coordinator for Rainbow Outreach in Omaha, Nebraska. Most disconcerting was the lack of response from anyone we could find connected with Wyant or Rainbow Outreach. The story made it to a number of other blogs, and was reported by the Christian Post.

A couple of days ago we were were able to contact Michael Gordon of Citizens For Equal Protection of Nebraska. He seemed genuinely alarmed and shared our concerns over the violent entries, especially fearing that someone impressionable or troubled might confuse Wyant’s sites with something officially sanctioned and feel empowered to act accordingly. The following Press Release is a direct result of this contact and CFEP’s efforts.

Statement by the boards of Citizens For Equal Protection of Nebraska (CFEP); Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Omaha Chapter and Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) Omaha Chapter:

Contacts: Bob Dorr, PFLAG, 402-333-7064; Michael Gordon, CFEP, 402-714-3810

“While CFEP and the PFLAG Omaha and GLSEN Omaha Chapters respect the spirit of freedom of speech, we do not condone violence in any way, shape or form. Any web site statements that suggest violence as an option in responding to injustice against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are absolutely inappropriate, unconscionable and beyond the pale.

“We have met with the developer-owner of GayLibrary.com and of several related web sites and expressed our concerns about some material on those sites. The developer-owner has cleansed the sites of language that, we believe, could encourage violence. We will help the developer-owner stay vigilant to make certain that no such language reappears. We are discussing what further action we might take such as contacting other groups to relay our concerns.

“The GLSEN Omaha and PFLAG Omaha Chapters and CFEP have worked hard for many years to end bullying in our K-12 schools, and particularly to end bullying and harassment based on real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity and expression. We believe in safe schools for ALL students, faculty, staff and patrons. Members of PFLAG Omaha, GLSEN Omaha and CFEP serve as presenters and panelists in an Omaha-area program that promotes safe school environments for all youths. Our Safe Schools program reaches 50 or more audiences each year, including many college classes of future teachers. Our groups always have advocated staying within the rule of law and wouldn’t dream of deviating from that principle.”

We are relieved that those involved with the major GLBT organizations in Omaha have addressed this issue and have pledged to monitor Wyant’s activities. His involvement with youth at the Rainbow Outreach GLBT Center continues to concern us as well, and we hope that this can be changed quickly. XGW is satisfied that the proper local authorities are aware of the situation and we will maintain periodic contact with Gordon to see how this progresses.

While some may have originally lunged into this for the wrong reasons, what we found underneath that story required us to go further. This was both a matter of conscience and responsibility. No one can do it all, but we each have to be ready to do our part to ensure the safety of others. Thank you to those who supported us in this effort.

InterVarsity Press is a widely respected publisher of Christian themed books, so it struck us as rather amazing when we found a new edition of ex-gay guru Richard Cohen’s book Gay Children, Straight Parents: A Plan For Family Healing on their upcoming book list for July 2007. While some may not appreciate the difference, one can normally expect a line between Cohen’s work and that from a traditional, solid publisher like IVP. Perhaps this is why Cohen normally self-publishes.

However, when we checked back to write this story on the release, there was no sign of the book on the IVP site. Even Cohen’s site, which for a time reflected the new version listed at IVP, now shows the older version published by his International Healing Foundation. The only evidence left of the IVP edition is this Amazon link, which still shows a July availability date, but offers only pre-orders.

We contacted IVP about a week ago to ask what happened, but they did not reply. We can only hope that they realized that their reputation would suffer if they published something from the likes of Cohen and pulled the book. If not, they could end up not only damaging their own reputation, but conveying undue legitimacy to Cohen and his bizarre ideas.

According to their conference schedule (PDF), the troubled former gay youth activist turned ex-gay Michael Glatze will be speaking at the next annual conference of the National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH). Glatze announced a couple of months ago that he was no longer gay, believed homosexuality was death and was baptized into the Mormon Church.

By any analysis, the various statements of Glatze and his former partner, Benjie Nycum (audio 7-9-2007), lead us to believe he has some serious issues having nothing to do with homosexuality. However, the speed at which the ex-gay and anti-gay pundits embraced him initially must have seemed too much even for Glatze, and we’ve heard little from him in recent weeks.

His scheduled appearance at the upcoming NARTH conference would indicate that Nicolosi must see something in Glatze’s story which confirms his pet beliefs about what makes someone gay. From what we have heard so far, there is a lot in there to chose from. Hopefully, before it’s too late, this tormented young man will find someone to help him who isn’t also interested in dissecting his life to use as a template for others to “escape homosexuality.”

Many people, even those involved in countering the ex-gay movement, have probably never heard of JONAH (Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality). In a field that is dominated by Evangelical Christianity, JONAH seems to stand alone as the only ex-gay group targeted specifically at Jews.

First, I feel I should explain a little bit about Judaism and homosexuality:

• There are 4 main “flavors” of Judaism, which I list here from most liberal to most conservative: Reconstructionist, Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox (which also includes what are known as Chasidic communities).

• Reconstructionist and Reform Judaism fully accept GLBT members and ordained rabbis. Conservative Judaism came to a compromise solution: Homosexuality is both accepted and rejected; it is up to the individual synagogue to decide. GLBT Rabbis are ordained. Orthodox and Chasidic communities outright reject homosexuality.

• The Torah (first five books of the Jewish Bible, the “law” or the teachings of Moses) does not define any form of sexuality as an identity. Homosexual acts are condemned- not the homosexual identity.

In what I call our own version of “love the sinner, hate the sin,” Jews who oppose homosexuality insist that God does not condemn the homosexual orientation, only homosexual acts. This means, of course, that in their eyes there are two options for gay Jews: be celibate, or go straight- achieving the latter possibly with JONAH’s help.

But JONAH’s credentials seem less than reassuring. At a time when it seems nearly all ex-gay groups are purging their websites of any mention of ex-gay, ex-Moonie, and ex-licensed reparative therapist Richard Cohen, JONAH refuses to jump ship. Cohen has his own page in their online library, featuring three of his articles.
In JONAH’s page for suggested questions for a Prospective Therapist or Counselor, six questions from Cohen’s book “Coming Out Straight” are prominently presented.

Oh, and by the way, Cohen is also an ex-Jew.

Because JONAH is a minority as a Jewish ex-gay organization and not a Christian one, it has become very close to the “secular” ex-gay think-tank NARTH. Pseudo-science from NARTH’s own library is what fills out JONAH’s. One example is an interview of Jungian Psychotherapist and ex-lesbian Diane Eller-Boyko, R.N., L.C.S.W. by Dr. Joseph Nicolosi. Nicolosi says his male clients want to connect and bond,

“But they want to have that bonding in a more exciting, physical kind of way. The masculine approach is more like, ‘We’re going to go climb a mountain and wrestle together.’”

Eller-Boyko responds,

“…some of the women I know– writers, movie makers–are finding this connection through the women’s movement. There is something there that is offering them richness. If we’re going to work with women, we have to understand why they’re so pulled to this movement, instead of pooh-poohing it as being nothing more than a group of man-haters.”

So apparently when you climb aboard with JONAH, you subscribe not only to the outdated theories about gender identity touted as “science” by ex-gay groups – you find yourself on the opposing side of Feminism. (And, in an aside, I think that Nicolosi should use caution when one of his struggling gay clients tells him that he’s going to bond with other men in an “exciting, physical way” by deciding to go “wrestle together.”)

I also want to note that even with its associations with “secular” NARTH, JONAH seems to be lacking in research and documentation conducted by Jewish doctors and scientists. Even the Jewish authors in the online library quote extensively from research conducted by Evangelical Christian colleagues. Upon reading featured therapist Janelle Hallman’s article, you would never know she is a devout Christian. However, a link to her personal website is provided, and upon arrival you are immediately greeted with the tagline “A private practice in Christian counseling, pastoral ministry, public speaking, resources, and education.”
Even roundly discredited Evangelical Christian propagandist Dr. Paul Cameron is cited, as I mentioned in a previous article.

Jews who come to JONAH in the hopes of finding a purely Jewish response to homosexuality will no doubt be met with some disappointment.

Saturday’s edition of The Tennesseean features interviews with ex-ex-gays Darlene Bogle and Christine Bakke and with pastor Bob Stith, the Southern Baptist Convention’s first national strategist for gender issues. Bogle and Bakke flew to Nashville last week to share their stories in front of the SBC’s headquarters.

For his part, Stith does express deep concern about the message that many churches continue to send to the gay community:

Stith’s interest in ex-gay ministries began a dozen years ago, after a fire-and-brimstone sermon about homosexuality.

“I asked myself, ‘Would someone who struggled with this issue come to you after they heard you preach like that? And the answer was no,” Stith said. “When I realized what my attitude had been, what I was doing, it just about broke my heart.”

Unfortunately, Stith’s own message appears to consist of the same ex-gay doublespeak that Exodus and Focus on the Family have been using for years:

“I have seen many people walk away from the homosexual lifestyle. And they were so joyful, so thankful for what God had done in their life,” Stith said. “If you have a strong enough motivation, it is possible.”

While those well-versed in ex-gay talking points will recognize that “walk[ing] away from the homosexual lifestyle” merely means a change in behavior (usually to a celibate lifestyle), most readers are likely to come away with the impression that any same-sex-attracted person who fails to change their orientation simply didn’t try hard enough. The accompanying video interview with Stith, despite a call for “compassion,” does nothing to correct that misperception.

If Stith truly wants to stop the verbal abuse that many of his fellow Southern Baptists continue to inflict on the gay and lesbian individuals around them, his message will require a considerable amount of refining.

A few days ago we reported on a website dealing with gay issues which included some very disturbing verbiage. Part of our report centered on the reaction of some prominent ex-gays who were treating the site, GayStraightAlliance.org, as if it represented the official GLSEN Gay-Straight Alliance effort. We were in the process of investigating the issue more thoroughly when it became necessary to remark on those posts. In the mean time, we have continued our efforts and would like to report the results so far.

The GayStraightAlliance.org website is part of a group of sites registered to Event Horizon Publications, and more specifically Brian Wyant of Council Bluffs, Iowa. The single page EHP site contains the following text:

Overseeing one of the largest education networks, Event Horizon has directly improved the quality of life for millions of human beings. Now and in the decades to come, we will continue toward our goal of becoming one of the most influential companies on Earth.

All the domains we could find have been registered since early 2000 so this is not a new operation. Wyant and EHP also published a couple of role playing books in the late 1990s. While our concern began with the text quoted in our first article, we found a lot more that needed to be explained. Our investigation was impeded by the fact that all the sites we found by Wyant were set to block all search engines and archiving of any kind. This put up an immediate red flag; who would publish an informational and educational network of sites, but intentionally prevent anyone from finding them? And this was not a recent move either because the only scant search engine listings we could find were links placed on other sites, perhaps three or four, where search engines were not blocked. Keeping a large network of websites off the record that long is quite an achievement. Read more…

As I’ve discussed here before, strict adherence to the letter of the law can produce odd results.  By reducing the Bible to a rulebook, we run the risk of either binding ourselves to all sorts of regulations that have no context in real life other than “God said so,” or of resorting to cherry-picking to weed out those commands that we would rather ignore.

Fortunately we have precedents in church history for placing the spirit of the law ahead of the letter of the law, even when doing so appears (on the surface) to place us in violation of what had previously been accepted as a direct command from God.  Remarriage following divorce is the most obvious example of this, but there is another that demonstrates this principle even more clearly.  The sin of usury was once strongly and universally condemned by the Christian church (Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant alike), yet today some Christians aren’t even familiar with the term. Read more…