Ex-Gay Watch

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3501440730972344004YouTube Link

In response to GLSEN’s “Day of Silence” where gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth remain silent to protest the silencing effect discrimination and harassment has on LGBT youth, the far right Alliance Defense Fund created a “Day of Truth” one day after the pro-gay “Day of Silence.”

This video, written and narrated by former XGW author Daniel Gonzales and released by Truth Wins Out, examines the real motives behind the Day of Truth and the organizations surrounding its promotion.

Source: Truth Wins Out

Earlier this month Alan was on Anderson Cooper 360 and made some very interesting statements about “change” in three weeks, gay Christians, and his own reasons for leaving homosexuality. Rest assured I’ve done my homework and found Alan and Exodus’ track record on these things don’t match up. Most dramatic is Melissa Fryrear’s claim she’s met exgays who changed instantaneously. Oh yes… we have audio of her saying that at Love Won Out Phoenix. Just watch the video.

Video on YouTube / Google Video

Transcript after the jump.

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Here’s my latest video. A great deal has been said about the Spitzer Study but much of it is difficult to understand for people unfamiliar with the ex-gay movement. The purpose of this video is to examine the methodological flaws of the Spitzer Study and highlight how the study is being abused and misinterpreted by anti-gay political groups.

Link Google Video. Since the video is over 10 minutes in length I’ve split it into two parts for placement on YouTube. (Part 1 / Part 2)

Transcript after the jump.

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Randy Thomas (membership director for Exodus International, the largest “ex-gay” group in the country) was interviewed recently on the Adam Carolla radio show and claimed nobody is ever forced to attend an “ex-gay” program against their will. This video examines Randy’s claim and Exodus’ track record on the matter.

I thank Peterson Toscano (a survivor of the Love In Action “ex-gay” program) for bringing this issue to my attention on his blog last week. Peterson provided a great deal of inspiration and assistance in creating this video.

Chambers made that bizarre statement on NPR’s Fresh Air this morning (alternate link 1 / alternate link 2). I created the following video to document that claim and examine some real statistics about how America views anti-discrimination laws.

I’d like to thank Jason at National Gay and Lesbian Task Force for helping me with the kickass statistics used in the video.

10/10/06 Update: Chambers is evidently too lazy to track down the Gay and Lesbian Task Force pride survey himself after “a friend emailed” him about this video. Chambers issued a pretty lame “clarification” essentially calling the study anecdotal, trying to place it on the same level as his own personal experience. Here’s that link to the Task Force’s entire survey. Maybe Alan’s “friend” will “email” it to him.

I knew something had to be done with the images from the recent exgay protest at the APA convention. The two groups who organized the protest (NARTH and Exodus) hold far more radical views than the protest presented. The first image shows the original message and is followed by my interpretation of what these organizations actually believe.

Such a book actually exists.

Exodus has a section of its website devoted to fighting the civil rights of former clients/patients.

When Focus goes after transgender issues it’s both sad and comical how little they appear to know. This time they’re all worked up about a transgenderd 5 year old beginning kindergarden in Broward County, Florida. From Family News In Focus on 7/11/06:

(To be clear, Family News in Focus is a radio broadcast. I just took the audio and added a photo montage.)

First let’s have some fun with Paulk’s statement. I’m not sure what testosterone has to do with anything. Does Paulk think testosterone is an exclusively male hormone? If that’s what he was implying then he’s wrong, testosterone is present in both sexes. Here’s a handy diagram that should clear things up:

Paulk predicts the child will only become more and more confused. Perhaps Paulk should actually read the DSM:

Only a very small number of children with Gender Identity Disorder will continue to have symptoms that meet criteria for Gender Identity Disorder in later adolescence or adulthood.

What really bothered me about Focus’ broadcast is how they would have you believe the APA’s “treatment” is some sort of “fix” that magically makes people folk fall back into line on gender conformity. Sorry but that’s not the case. First, host Bob Ditmer makes a comment about “gender dysphoria” and then plays a clip of Warren Throckmorton talking about “gender identity disorder.”

Note to Bob, those are not the same thing. Here’s a little history on the current revision of the DSM.

Gender dysphoria alone isn’t the same as being diagnosed with GID according to the DSM. Gender identity disorder has two two primary criteria for diagnosis; 1) a persistent cross-gender identification and 2) the resulting dysphoria or mental discomfort.

The standards of care outlined for childhood GID by the Harry Benjamin Standards of Care dictates therapy should focus on:

Reducing distress the child experiences from his or her gender identity problem and other difficulties. The child and family should be supported in making difficult decisions regarding the extent to which to allow the child to assume a gender role consistent with his or her gender identity.

Contrary to what Focus would have you believe, the accepted treatment sides with the child being able to express their gender in a way which will reduce the child’s dysphoria or mental discomfort. I somehow doubt that’s the treatment Family News in Focus listeners had in mind.

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Last week I received a rather bizarre email from a woman identifying herself as Carrie informing me DesertStream.org (an exgay ministry) had shut down their online forum “because of all of the posts being made by pro gay advocates.” The nutty part went on to accuse XGW, “how dare you [XGW?] take away their right and support to interact with other people who do not believe people are born gay.” Carrie goes on to say, “last I checked we are not living in China.” I checked Desert Stream’s discussion board and found this posted:

We have had to temporarily shut down our sexuality forums because of the overwhelming interest by the gay rights advocates. Unfortunately they have decided that our content is too offensive for their taste and are reacting against it. The forums will reopen at a later date.

Who exactly is acting like the Chinese government? Seems to me it’s the exgays shutting down and censoring forums. Here, let’s have a look:

Since the inception of the Exodus: Live Out Loud blog (which has essentially become the new media blog) there has been a blanket ban on dissenting comments, no matter how articulate, respectful or factually correct they may be. Comments that make it past Exodus censors are pretty sparse causing the “discussion” to come out feeling like a lobotomized love-fest.

But Exodus’ online dissent policy is hardly alone.

In a post made earlier today I mention Straight Talk Radio appears to be moving to a subscription based service. But prior to the discussion boards going “members only” blogger Joe Brummer managed to get himself banned from the site.

DL Foster has deleted comments:

I have so much compassion, I am deleting your comment out of deep concern for anyone who may be damaged and wounded by it. I have compassion for you. You are apparently lost and extremely out of touch with real life.

Permission to reprint is granted to all.

From Alan Sears, president of the Alliance Defense Fund:

“Day of Truth” participants will hand out cards of their own, offering to share a candid, loving, fact-based counterpoint to the unspoken assertions of the advocates for homosexual behavior. While making their case from a Christian perspective, the “Day of Truth”ers will confront with compassion — not condemnation — and restrict their discussions to the periods before, after and between classes. [emphasis added]

The t-shirt pictured above was made by Tyler Chase Harper and worn to school in response to the Day of Silence. The school reacted and Harper quickly became the poster-twink for the Day of Truth and his photo is plastered on their website. Let’s contrast Sears’ message with that of Harper’s shirt. On the front:

BE ASHAMED
OUR SCHOOL EMBRACED WHAT GOD HAS CONDEMNED

On the back:

HOMOSEXUALITY IS SHAMEFUL

To top it all off, the Exodus Live Out Loud blog has linked to Sears’ article over at Baptist Press.

Having grown weary of picking on internet satirists, Liberty Counsel has paired with PFOX to kick off the “Change is Possible Campaign.” PFOX’s press release accuses “homosexual activists” of “using youth to advance an agenda.” The press release goes on to encourage youth to advance PFOX’s own agenda:

Students are asked to distribute literature and put up posters with the message that ex-gays exist, and then report to us the results of their efforts. We also encourage them to start Gay to Straight Clubs, and ask that the ex-gay viewpoint be included in all diversity day presentations that discuss homosexuality. We provide the students with a Students’ Rights Brochure, sample graphics to use to create their own literature, health statistics, and a list of organizations that affirm a person’s decision to leave homosexuality.

Having grown weary myself of picking on Exodus, I decided to make a little infographic imagining what one of PFOX’s Gay to Straight clubs might be like. (click image to view full size)

Major thanks to Peterson for much of the writing you see there. In case you’re wondering where the “blame Satan” came from, I didn’t just make that up. Have a look here or here. If you like the logo I have created you can download a PDF of it which can be scaled to any size without a loss in resolution.