Ex-gay

The ex-gay or exodus movement is a movement, usually religious in nature, which claims that individuals may choose to change their sexual orientation from homosexuality or bisexuality to heterosexuality, with the assistance of counseling, prayer, and other techniques (see also reparative therapy). Most ex-gay organizations also target people who identify as transgender, on the basis that they consider such feelings or behaviour to be related to homosexuality, and/or express concerns that disassociating gender identity from physical sex also necessarily means disassociating sexual orientation from physical sex.

Ex-gay groups

Love In Action

Love in Action, or LIA, was founded in 1973 by John Evans and Rev. Kent Philpott. It was the first group to publicize cases of homosexuals who had allegedly been converted or learned to abstain from homosexuality or homosexual feelings. After Evans' friend Jack McIntyre committed suicide out of despair concerning his inability to change, Evans left the project and denounced it as dangerous. He was quoted by the Wall Street Journal (April 21, 1993) as saying: "They're destroying people's lives. If you don't do their thing, you're not of God, you'll go to hell. They're living in a fantasy world."

Related Topics:
John Evans - Wall Street Journal - April 21 - 1993

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Shortly after founding the group Philpott wrote The Third Sex?, which claimed that his patients had successfully changed their sexual orientation through prayer. Some of his patients challenged these assertions; however, Philpott stated it was God's will that the book be written. Four members of the group, including Evans, filed suit for misrepresentation. Shortly after, Philpott had the book removed from the market.

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In July 2005 Evans wrote a letter to current LIA director John Smid regarding the controversial activies of LIA.

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On September 12, 2005 the Tennessee-based Love in Action facility was determined by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health to have been operating two "unlicensed mental health supportive living facilities." http://www.washblade.com/2005/9-16/news/national/lia.cfm LIA was given until September 30 to apply for a license as a mental health facility.

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Exodus International

Founded in 1976, Exodus International is an interdenominational organization which, according to its own description, "has grown to include over 100 local ministries in the USA and Canada" and is "linked with other Exodus world regions outside of North America, totaling over 135 ministries in 17 countries." Exodus promotes a system of support comprising a church, a therapist and a support group.

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Exodus International had its biggest scandal in 1979 when co-founder Michael Bussee left the group with Gary Cooper, a co-organizer of 1976 conference that led to Exodus' inception. Bussee and Cooper had both worked at the local Exodus ministry, and later held a life commitment ceremony. Their story is one of the focuses of the documentary One Nation Under God (1993), directed by Teodoro Maniaci and Francine Rzeznik.

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Like Love In Action, Exodus recovered from the scandal. Their website and literature today contain testimonials such as this one by Bob Davies (excerpt):

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:"God continued to work in my own life. Much to my surprise, I discovered that homosexuality was not my "real" problem. The illicit same-sex desires were only an outward symptom of deeper emotional wounds that needed healing. Through LIA's support group, I was able to openly confess such struggles as insecurity, fear and envy of other men.

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:Because I had never "acted out" my homosexual feelings with other men, there were some struggles to resist the allure of the unknown. I heard many stories of other people's involvement in sin. Quite frankly, some of their illicit adventures sounded like fun. I had to resist thoughts like, "You got tired of so much impersonal sex? I wish I could say the same thing. Then I'd be ready to give it up!"

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:God also opened my eyes to see the tremendous devastation that sin had brought into these men's lives. Unknown to all of us, some of them were already infected with the HIV virus." (Exodus International online).

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Davies says he has found comfort in warm hugs from heterosexual men -- this kind of male hugging has been perceived by some as a substitute for homosexual activity among self-described ex-gays. Finally, Davies describes how he met and married a female member of his church. While he fears that "many more battles" are ahead, he believes that he can overcome these battles with the help of God.

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Homosexuals Anonymous, Quest Learning Center

Seventh Day Adventist Colin Cook founded the groups Quest Learning Center and Homosexuals Anonymous in 1979 and 1980 respectively. In 1985 he wrote Homosexuality, and Homosexuality: An Open Door. In 1986, he was discovered to be engaging in sexual acts with his Quest patients. He claimed that the nude massages of other men should desensitize them against homosexual desires.

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In 1987, he was expelled from Homosexuals Anonymous for sexual activity, and in 1995 a similar scandal happened with his newly founded group FaithQuest Colorado. According to the Denver Post, Cook had engaged in phone sex, practiced long and grinding hugs, and asked patients to bring homosexual pornography to sessions so that he could help desensitize them against it. The Seventh Day Adventist church eventually severed all ties with Cook. Homosexuals Anonymous survived without Cook.

Related Topics:
Denver Post - Phone sex

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Courage Trust (United Kingdom)

Courage Trust was formed in 1990 with a stated aim "to heal homosexuals". It ceased to exist in that form in 2001 when the group's founder, Jeremy Marks, wrote in the journal Lesbian and Gay Christians, "I have come to the conclusion that we have been quite wrong to dismiss all same sex love (other than platonic) as sinful." At that time the group was holding weekly meetings in London for about 150 men.

Related Topics:
1990 - 2001 - London

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Courage Trust is not defunct, but, following the realisation of Jeremy Marks that none of the people his group had counselled seemed to have changed orientation, has undergone a serious change of direction in recent years. Mission statements by Marks on the Courage website (http://www.courage.org.uk/articles/wayforward.shtml) clarify this change of course:

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A Change of Heart is the Priority

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While recognising the social pressure to become 'normal' (i.e. heterosexual), fifteen years experience has revealed that God's primary concern is not to change the sexual orientation of his gay and lesbian disciples, but to help them find wholeness in Christ-becoming secure, assured of his love and acceptance, set apart to follow Jesus faithfully and responsible in building relationships with one another.

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Courage Trust is unusual in that the group appears to have changed its outlook on both the efficacy of counselling and on the relationship between Christianity and homosexuality.

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True Freedom Trust (United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland)

True Freedom Trust was a founding member of Exodus International Europe.This Liverpool-based group was formed in 1977 by Canon L. Roy Barker and Martin Hallett, a Church of England cleric and a layman who renounced homosexual sex on scriptural grounds. On the effective collapse of Courage Trust in 2001, it was the remaining ex-gay group operating within the Church of England. The body claims to have 1200 supporters and 13 support groups for gay men and lesbians and their families in Britain and Ireland.

Related Topics:
Liverpool - 1977 - 2001 - Church of England

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