Ex-Gay Watch

If James Dobson ruled the ex-gay movement with an iron fist, and if the opening scene of The Devil Wears Prada were to peek inside a political empire instead of a fashion magazine, then what might Dobson’s morning arrival at Focus on the Family look like?

[Elevator doors open onto the executive floor. James Dobson dons his glasses, steps from the elevator, and barks orders at his female personal assistant, who takes notes.]

Tell Alan I’m not going to approve that young man that he sent me for the youth layout. I asked for sexy, serious, and ripped; he sent me chaste, smiling and bleached. And RSVP yes to Peter LaBarbera’s party, I want the driver to drop me off at 9:30 and pick me up at 9:45, sharp.

[Dobson rounds a corner of the corridor to his office, his assistant stumbling behind in high heels and a long skirt.]

Then call Warren at Grove City and tell him no, for the 40th time, no, I don’t want “sexual identity guidelines,” I want “the road to godly masculinity through baseball.” Then call Newt’s ex-wife and remind her to stay out of the limelight. Then call Newt’s ex-ex-wife. Ask her to please be “out of the country” before Thompson’s next gig with that show that Russert hosts.

[Passing through his office foyer, Dobson tosses his jacket on an assistant's desk.]

Also, tell Nicolosi I saw all the videos that he sent for that panel presentation on divorced ex-gays and their new girlfriends, and they’re all so deeply unconvincing. Is it impossible to find a virile, amorous, eligible ex-gay divorcee? Am I reaching for the stars here? Not really.

[Dobson enters his inner office.]

Also I need to see all the things that Randy has pulled for Michael Glatze’s second try at Love Won Out. I wonder if he’s lost that ’70s moustache yet.

[Dobson sees a fawning female visitor, Estella.]

Who is that?

Hat tip: Miranda Priestly

When I learned of the following ad from Right Wing Watch, I was immediately disgusted at the advertisers.

And so were two ex-gay activists.

The ad, for a San Francisco S&M fair for glbt and heterosexual people, did not target impressionable family audiences and it is apparently hard to find in print, even in San Francisco.

But no matter: It turns a cherished and peaceful religious celebration of unity and brotherhood into a carnal display of certain medically dangerous behaviors. It also portrays gay people as the antithesis of Christians — in other words, as antichrists.

While there may be a role for controversial art in society, such for-profit advertising at the expense of people of faith — including gay people — can serve no legitimate, civil, or constructive purpose. Gay people of faith can and should join others in thwarting prurient advertisers who capitalize upon the denigration of peaceful religion and brotherhood and who promote certain medically condemned activities among at-risk populations.

Unfortunately, as I will demonstrate momentarily, people like ex-gay activist Stephen Bennett apparently do not want helpful allies and they do not really want to solve problems. Like so many pro-lifers and pro-choicers, Bennett seems more interested in the cultural warfare itself, than in resolving issues or affirming shared community values.

Exodus’ Randy Thomas, on the other hand, reacted with admirable restraint — perhaps an unnecessary degree of restraint, given the severity of the offense.

Read more…

Ex-gay Canadian Bill Whatcott is a fringe candidate for mayor and former prostitute who believes he is qualified to police the morals of Edmonton, Alberta, and Regina, Saskatchewan.

But if he listened to some potential allies at Exodus, he might reconsider both his candidacy and his warlike attitude toward same-sex-attracted persons.

Read more…

From Gregory Herek, Ph.D:

Q: What does the president of Iran have in common with certain antigay activists in the United States?
A: Both maintain that homosexuals don’t really exist.

While Exodus executive vice president Randy Thomas calls for President Maumoud Ahmadinejad to “go home,” some of his past and present allies might feel somewhat differently. Among those who agree with the Islamist leader’s redefinition of homosexuality are Paul Cameron (as noted by Herek), Joseph Nicolosi, and a variety of followers who assert that there is no such thing as a true homosexual, only a heterosexual with a homosexual problem.

I’m grateful to Thomas for expressing opposition to Ahmadinejad… though Thomas’ remarks are strangely limited to the president’s anti-Semitism. Hmmm.

Mel Seesholtz assesses the weaknesses of the recent ex-gay study by Stanton Jones of Wheaton College and Mark Yarhouse of Regent University.

The Thomas Project: A study designed for specific results

A well-known, peer-reviewed research study of ex-gays that was conducted by Robert Spitzer in 2001 made fundamental mistakes of methodology, according to those peer reviewers: telephone interviews, no physical monitoring, slanted definitions of “success” and “change,” biased pool of subjects — in a single round of 45-minute telephone interviews. Was it really worth Jones and Yarhouse’s effort, and Exodus’ money, to spend five years repeating the same mistakes — this time conveniently skipping the peer review?

It is puzzling that Exodus and Focus on the Family claim to be pleased by study findings that — at best — only 11 percent of ex-gay program participants report a modest degree of bisexuality after 5 years. Who do they believe they’re fooling with talk of “change” in sexual orientation when — according to Christianity Today — nearly all the “successes” are bisexuals* who acknowledge they are constantly fighting off same-sex urges?

Seesholtz sums up the selectivity of the study, which appears to have utilized ex-gay activists ex-gays recruited by Exodus as subjects of the study:

A weak methodology that included only participants likely to yield the desired results: junk science encouraging potentially harmful “therapeutic” practices.

The study failed to provide objective scientific evidence of true change in sexual orientation. Seesholtz concludes:

That being said, should individuals have the right to seek “ex-gay” therapy? Yes: caveat emptor. Before entering into such programs, however, those offering such “treatments” should be required — ethically and legally — to tell prospective clients the scientific, medical facts.

At the religious-right’s misnamed “Family Impact Summit,” two spotters for Right Wing Watch recorded their observations of Exodus youth activists Mike Ensley and Scott Davis, and the anti-Christian appeals of Christine Sneeringer, who leads an Exodus-affiliated group called Worthy Creations.

According to the observers:

The session drew attention to efforts by Exodus and others to put a friendly face on its anti-gay message. In response to pro-tolerance and anti-harassment campaigns by pro-equality students, like the Day of Silence, Exodus is promoting a product called “Truth and Tolerance,” (truthandtolerance.net) designed to put anti-gay students on record against bullying (alliestoo.org), and calling for tolerance of students who want to make the case that gay youth need to be straightened out by God.

The session was moderated by Scott Davis from Exodus’ youth division. Davis, a former campus minister, blamed homosexuality on the sexual revolution and broken families, and said that young people are searching for intimacy. He said young people need to be taught a “biblical view of gender” and called on participants to help rescue teens by teaching and modeling “correct” genders, mentoring, and giving them a reason to be pure – a deep intimacy with God. (Some “reparative” therapies work on turning gays straight by making the women wear makeup and use purses, while men play football and learn to fix cars as the first step to becoming “real men.”)

Mike Ensley, also affiliated with the Exodus youth section, called himself a “former homosexual” who “never wanted to be gay.” Ensley said relational ministry has helped him correct his “misperceptions” of gender and that Exodus “rescued” him, though he said change is not a 180 degree turnaround but an “ongoing process.” Ensley, like many other conference speakers, also argued that hate crimes laws are being used to “silence” Christians.

Christine, a young woman who leads Worthy Creations, a “recovery” ministry affiliated with Exodus, said she was homosexual at age 15. She criticized church leaders who don’t want to talk about homosexuality, saying pro-gay “propaganda” is everywhere. Like other conference speakers, Christine said there are new reasons for teens to be involved in homosexuality.

In contrast to “classic lesbianism,” to use Ensley’s terminology, where women who experienced abuse or were taught that men aren’t safe, girls are now becoming lesbians because of a “try it out and see if you like it” mentality. Christine’s message to young women who try it and like it is that their conclusion shouldn’t be that they are gay, but that “everything works” physically: “Even very unhealthy relationships can feel good,” she said, drawing a parallel to some abused children she said experience pleasure from sexual abuse.

Christine argued that there are four types of homosexuals that need to be dealt with:

1. Militant – Christians need to defend against activists without attacking gays.
2. Moderate – gays who are not ‘out and proud;’ Christians should reach out to them as ambassadors for Christ.
3. Repentant – people who are struggling with being gay or “coming out of homosexuality” and attracted to groups like Exodus. Kristine says she is appalled that some Christians don’t offer them more support.
4. Gay and Christian – sincere but part of “the deception” because they are believing a lie.

Despite an open invitation, Exodus has not adequately explained how its 1950s-era lipstick-and-football trivialization of gender is “biblical,” nor has it documented how U.S. federal hate-crime laws are being used to silence anyone besides violent racist felons. Sneeringer’s anti-Christian rhetoric, meanwhile, is a disappointment. In her anti-New-Testament view, advocates for tolerance, justice, and mercy are “militant,” and Christians who reject her political correctness are part of a vast conspiracy known as “the deception.”

Exodus’ war against Christianity saddens me.

Right Wing Watch is monitoring a growing rift between James Dobson, co-founder of Focus on the Family, and a faction of evangelical Christians over the U.S. presidential candidacy of Fred Thompson.

Thompson supports a constitutional amendment to allow states not to recognize other states’ gay marriages. In an e-mail to religious-right leaders that was leaked to the media, Dobson accused Thompson of being “opposed to a Constitutional amendment to protect marriage.”

In other words, Thompson’s antigay position wasn’t vicious enough for Dobson. Or, seen yet another way, those who differ in small ways from Dobson are somehow guilty of failing to “protect marriage.”

But Thompson already had the support of Richard Land, head of the public-policy section of the Southern Baptist Convention. Land called Dobson’s rant a “gross mischaracterization” of Thompson’s position and a “harsh and unwarranted” smear against a person of faith.

Dobson and his followers regularly mischaracterize gay people’s calls for justice and mercy, and they issue harsh and unwarranted smears against gay-tolerant people of faith as a proven method of religious-right fund-raising. Are some evangelicals finally waking up to Dobson’s greed and selfishness?

While a handful of evangelicals line up behind Thompson, Newt Gingrich hopes for Dobson’s blessing.

Addendum: According to People for the American Way, Gary Bauer has joined Land in corralling support for Thompson while quietly encouraging the unelectable Sam Brownback and Mike Huckabee to withdraw.

Former ex-gay Peterson Toscano brings us up to date on the appearances of former ex-gays on ABC’s 20/20 and on CNN.

In July, antigay political groups including Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX) filed papers in Maryland state court to stop implementation of a board-approved and popular sex education curriculum in grades eight and ten in suburban Washington, D.C., schools.

This week, the Montgomery County Public Schools responded by asserting that the anti-tolerance activists were abusing certain legislative rules (which were intended to preserve status quo) to actually alter the status quo and deny Montgomery County families the up-to-date, intelligent, balanced, and age-appropriate sex-education curriculum that local parents have sought for years.

Teach The Facts, a local parents group, does its best to make sense out of the odd logic of PFOX and company — and the school district’s measured response. Among other things, the district found errors of biology and material fact in the antigay activists’ filings.

Quite simply, the district demonstrates that the sex-ed curriculum doesn’t say any of what antigay activists claim it says. The district further asserts that antigay activists’ effort to obstruct the local community’s call for improved sex education is contrary to the public interest.

There is nothing we could add to this except the hope that members of both parties would have such courage.

Full Story in LA Times