Ex-Gay Watch

The long and winding runway that PFOX and its allies have traversed with the Montgomery County School Board at the expense of their taxpayers finally reached a straitaway and green light earlier this month. The controversial curriculum was approved by a Maryland Circuit Court judge on October 10.

PFOX remains unhappy and intends to “keep up the good fight”. While the curriculum addresses sexually transmitted disease and condom use, PFOX insists that specific statistics regarding homosexuality and AIDS be noted, assuming, I suppose this will scare some students into pursuing opposite sex attractions. Continuing with that logic, if you’re going to end up with a sexually transmitted disease, just make sure you get it while practicing straight sex so you’ll go to heaven when you die from it. As always, PFOX persists in their folly of insisting that ex-gay constitutes a third orientation, as if we need another one, and are either hell-bent or heaven-twisted in their demands that it be included as part of the lessons.

Jim Kennedy of TeachtheFacts had this to say regarding the ruling:

“You have to figure, the county-level school board and superintendent approved it, and then it was appealed to the state, and the state school board and state superintendent separately approved it, and then they tried to appeal that, and now the court has said no — they declined to issue a stay,” he said.
“So what is that? About five strikes?”

International Healing Foundation (IHF), the non-profit organization founded and run by ex-gay guru Richard Cohen, has been posted (scroll down) on the Freedom of Mind Center’s website under the heading of “Moon Cultural and Social Fronts.” The site further elaborates about the list in general:

This list is the latest revision of the front group list originally created in June 1981 by the Ex-Moon Organization of business names of companies owned, operated, and/or controlled by the Moon organization or Moon followers. This list is for information purposes only so the public can make an informed decision as to whether they want to do business with these companies.

Steve Alan Hassan, the man responsible for the Freedom of Mind Center, claims he is “a former member of the Moon cult” and has written books on the subject, including Combating Cult Mind Control: The #1 Best-selling Guide to Protection, Rescue, and Recovery from Destructive Cults (1988) and Releasing the Bonds: Empowering People to Think for Themselves (2000).

We believe that only you have the right to control your mind. With knowledge about how destructive cults work, awareness of the misuse of hypnosis and other mind control techniques (commonly called “brainwashing”), and effective reality-testing strategies, you will be able to determine what is best for your life.

In response to our inquiry, Richard Cohen stated:

There is absolutely no truth to this slander. The International Healing Foundation is an educational and therapeutic organization with no religious affiliations. It is a joke for anyone to say to the contrary, and all about them, and nothing to do with the truth.

According to some extensive information gathered by Dr. Warren Throckmorton, to which Hassan links, questions appear to remain unanswered surrounding the nature of Richard Cohen’s work, the IHF and Moon’s organization.

We suggest the reader peruse the Freedom of Mind Center website for other examples of their work and come to your own conclusions. They seem professional, without a particular theological bent of any kind, and have been endorsed by Philip G. Zimbardo, Ph.D., president of the American Psychological Association, 2002.

At Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s gospel concert in South Carolina this weekend, singer and ex-gay activist Donnie McClurkin had an opportunity to take the high road: Show good will and extend an olive branch toward his gay co-singers and audience members.

Instead, according to the New York Times political blog, The Caucus, McClurkin took the low road.

Read more…

From the October 26 Rocky Mountain News:

[O]ut of public view, a new generation of executives is laying the groundwork for sustaining the conservative Christian group as a cultural and political force once the 71-year-old Dobson has left the scene. And most of their efforts are concentrated not in the political realm, but in finding new ways to deliver marriage and parenting advice to a younger generation of families, many of whom distrust institutions or dislike evangelical engagement in politics.

[Focus on the Family president Jim] Daly emphasized that Focus on the Family is not backing off its public policy work, and he said the renewed emphasis on relationships is not meant to blunt criticism that the group is too political.

But if the goal is to reach younger adults, downplaying politics might be wise. The Christian polling firm Barna Group found this year that nearly half of born-again Christians between 16 and 29 believe conservative Christian political involvement poses a problem for America.

Corwin Smidt, director of the Henry Institute for he Study of Christianity and Politics at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., said Focus on the Family in the post-Dobson era will likely struggle to mobilize people politically. Smidt said developing niche products might give people what they want, but it also makes it harder to unite people around a political cause.

Already, Focus on the Family is discovering the financial implications of attracting a younger crowd. Maegdlin said that in the last year the organization has identified about 280,000 people who have been exposed to Focus on the Family for the first time through the Internet but haven’t donated.

The total number of donors has declined from 755,000 in 2004 to 564,000 as of last month, ministry officials said. Supporters are giving more money more often, but the overall numbers are still down: Focus on the Family brought in $132.5 million in donations in the fiscal year ending in September 2004 compared to $130.8 million this year, officials said.

Although the shift in focus being contemplated by the successors to Dobson’s empire appears to only be one of degree, it sheds new light on the increasing alarmism James Dobson has displayed in recent months.  If the religious right cannot find ways to stem the disillusionment of younger evangelicals , its time as a dominant political force may be near an end.

Whether these proposed changes will have any impact Love Won Out or Focus on the Family’s role in Exodus’ ad campaigns remains to be seen.

Late last week, Democratic hopeful Barack Obama was under fire for inviting ex-gay gospel singer Donnie McClurkin to perform on this weekend’s South Carolina tour. Now McClurkin himself is facing accusations that he is still practicing the homosexuality he condemns.

In an attempt to woo black evangelical voters, Obama announced last week that McClurkin would be among several gospel artists joining him on the tour, which starts in Charleston this weekend. McClurkin’s inclusion drew immediate criticism, with dissenters angry about the singer’s history of anti-gay remarks. He denies being on a “crusade” against homosexuality, and maintains he only offers help to “those who come to me and ask for change.” However, he hasn’t always been so temperate, as his comments about the “homosexual agenda” from 2003 demonstrate:

The gloves are off … And if there’s going to be a war, there’s going to be a war. But it will be a war with a purpose. … I’m not in the mood to play with those who are trying to kill our children.

Obama has resisted removing the singer from the campaign, but now says he will balance the program by inviting local gay minister Reverend Andy Sidden to deliver an invocation.

But the furore is far from over. Now allegations are rife that McClurkin is still involved in the gay “lifestyle” he has virulently rallied against. In an interview with New York journalist Clay Cane, an unidentified man claimed to have been Donnie McClurkin’s lover during the peak of his vocal opposition to gays. It was during this era that the singer wrote that the “abnormal use of my sexuality continued until I came to realize that I was broken and that homosexuality was not God’s intention,” and claimed, “I’ve … experienced God’s power to change my lifestyle. I am delivered and I know God can deliver others, too.

Nevertheless, McClurkin’s accuser, named only as “Rob,” yesterday disclosed extraordinary details about the alleged sexual encounters, which he says took place mostly in hotels, between 2001 and 2004.

Wayne Besen of Truth Wins Out has already publicly invited McClurkin to put things right, saying:

If the allegations are true, McClurkin should cancel his appearance at the Obama rally and learn to be true to himself. … We offer a helping hand to assist him in the coming out process. Truth Wins Out understands that the notion of ‘ex-gay’ is a myth and McClurkin will be conflicted until he lives honestly and openly.

Alan Chambers of Exodus International responded here to calls for Barack Obama to remove McClurkin from his tour, saying that “No individual should be excluded from participating in a political process that belongs to all Americans.” Exodus has yet to comment on the most recent allegations about McClurkin’s conduct.

Ex-gay activist and Exodus executive vice president spoke at a press conference last Friday to oppose the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

Video courtesy of People For the American Way.

Here are some excerpts.

I know what it is to be an out and proud gay-identified man … I was out and proud in the workplace …

I know what that’s like first-hand.

But I also know what it’s like to say … If I’m doing a bad job, then I definitely need correction, but if I’m not, she does. And it was taken care of right then. And I actually got promoted over her. What I’m trying to point out is this was 1990.

I do respect civil rights. I do respect Dr King. And for ENDA to create a special class, or a protected class, undercuts civil rights to the core.

As a former gay man, I see this from the perspective of knowing what it’s like to be a gay man in the workplace … But I also see it from the perspective of “I want my religious liberties protected.”

Update: Commenter Emproph provides a transcript of Thomas’ full remarks.

Thomas’ argument has no logic. His line of reasoning jumps from admitting that homosexuals can be discriminated against, admitting that it’s wrong to discriminate, to “but I want my religious liberties protected.” Which is it? He wants to have his cake and eat it.

Did he really just defend a right of Christians to commit wrongs — sins — against others?

In a follow-up to Peterson Toscano’s post outlining the various types of harm someone may experience through ex-gay therapy and ministries, he has posted a blog entry that asks those involved what it means to them. He puts out specific questions and suggestions to other ex-gay survivors, to current ex-gays, to ex-gay providers and promoters and to those who are friends, family and allies to ex-gay survivors.

For people who run ex-gay ministries, provide ex-gay counseling, promote ex-gay experiences and refer to people to ex-gay programs, to folks who, like Warren Throckmorton, who are trying to come up with therapeutic guidelines for those who want to suppress their sexual orientation, you need to sit down, shut up and listen.

I don’t mean to be rude, but too many of you have immediately gone on the defensive and shut your ears. Warren Throckmorton, Alan Chambers, Jason Thompson, PFOX and Focus on the Family have each publicly downplayed the harm that ex-gay survivors say they experienced. Some say that no scientific proof exists that harm occurs. That is because no one has taken the time and the care to effectively study the harm. The recent study by Yarhouse and Jones fails miserably.

Source: Peterson Toscano’s Blog

In a rather self-congratulatory post to his personal blog, James Phelan claims to have picked a fight with a pro-gay man* during a recent public event.

They had several huge rainbow banners all lined up, seen for yards and yards away. As I passed the group, I yelled over that, in my opinion, they were there just to “push their gay agenda”. My opinion was they were using the large public event (which had nothing to do with homosexuality) to pollute it with gay politics. Well, one runner, a huge muscled-type, didn’t like me doing this and thought he’d teach me a lesson, unexpectedly shoved the heck out of me practically knocking me to the pavement, an act of violence and physical attack against my person. Of course, little did the fool know I was a trained fighter having served in an elite force of the US Army. So, I one-two drop kicked the hell out of him and got into a immediate fighter’s stance ready to take more of him. Naturally, the coward backed down and ran away.

Phelan is a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) and a scheduled speaker at their upcoming annual conference. He is also a member of Exodus, and PATH, and is “certified as a sexual re-orientation coach” by the International Healing Foundation (Richard Cohen) . He is also co-president of Transforming Congregations ministry and a prolific contributing author for Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality (JONAH). He claims to be a Christian and wants to help gay people, saying he can identify with their struggles. From this it appears he is also quite a bully, and may have some deep issues of his own to resolve.

If all this happened as Phelan claims — and like other recent events we have no real proof that it did — then certainly the other person should not have become physical in response to Phelan’s heckling. However, one must question the motives of a man who claims to be a psychiatric professional and yet apparently spends his free time baiting gay people so he can become physically violent “with the fool” and “drop kick the hell out of him.”

We are waiting for a promised response from Exodus, but sincerely call on NARTH, PATH, Richard Cohen, JONAH and Karen Booth to distance themselves and their organizations from Phelan. At the very least, his clients should know about his issues and the prospect of abuse.

Update: Alan Chambers has commented on Phelan’s post here. We are still waiting for his official statement.

* (6.54pm ET): Mr. Phelan has not responded to our requests for clarification, but in a comment reply on his own blog about an hour ago he said that he didn’t know the sexual orientation of the man with whom he fought. His original account clearly implies that the man was gay, however since this all seems a bit confusing we are contacting the gay organizations represented in the marathon and will ask each one just what happened, including any information available on the man in question. Anything we find will appear in a new post and linked here.

The New York Times and Washington Post report that U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will tour South Carolina with gospel singers including ex-gay advocate Donnie McClurkin.

The name of Obama’s tour? “Embrace the Change.”

Author and activist Keith Boykin profiles McClurkin here. Previous XGW coverage of McClurkin is here.

Hat tip: AmericaBlog

Exodus Youth has launched a new initiative, the Allies, Too project, whose stated goal is “to build a community of tolerance and respect.” As Focus on the Family reports,

“We hope most of all to bridge the gap between Christian and GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered) students that has been created by the promotion of false tolerance,” said Mike Ensley, youth analyst for Exodus. “Our goal is to embolden and educate students to make a stand for real tolerance – treating each other with dignity and respect in the midst of debate.”

While dignity and respect are certainly laudable goals, Ensley’s notion that the “gap between Christian and GLBT students” is somehow the product of gay-straight alliances and other efforts to combat bullying and discrimination begs the question of when Christian students (at least those likely to side with Exodus) were ever on friendly terms with GLBT individuals, and when and how gay activism allegedly destroyed this bygone utopia.

It also begs the question of what “dignity and respect in the midst of debate” look like to Ensley. Will Allies, Too work to educate Christians on how to treat others with dignity and respect, or will it and Exodus continue to stand by as their allies portray “unrepentant” gays as abominations, pedophiles, destroyers of families everywhere or just plain stupid?

Will Allies, Too speak up when Exodus leaders side with anti-gay extremists? Will it correct its political allies when they use false statistics and twisted or distorted research?

Given the religious right’s history of demanding respect without showing any to its opponents, Allies, Too will hopefully be understanding of the skepticism it’s bound to encounter. And given that the resource list in its Leadership Packet consists entirely of websites that promote a single viewpoint (including NARTH) and fails to offer any materials to instruct students in how to conduct meaningful dialogue, that skepticism would appear to be well founded.

Allies, Too has scheduled its national campaign for the week of November 5 (scheduled to coincide with the Gay and Lesbian Straight Education Network’s (GLSEN) Ally Week), so we won’t have long to wait to see whether this new initiative represents a sincere effort at reaching out to GLBT individuals or just another salvo in the culture war that it claims to deplore.