Monthly Archives: July 2013

Archbishop of Canterbury Selects Gay Activist Group Stonewall for Bullying Education

At the July sitting of the Church of England’s General Synod, the Archbishop of Canterbury Rev. Justin Welby, announced that there was going to be a major effort to stamp out homophobic bullying in the Church of England controlled schools. Associated with this announcement is the fact that the Archbishop, along with some Catholic schools, has approached the gay rights group Stonewall. Many people will applaud the Archbishop’s initiative, but there will is a concern with the involvement of Stonewall, whose position on homosexuality is at odds with the traditional teaching of the Church of England.

Stonewall was started in the UK in the 1980s and has grown to be seen by many as the moderate voice of the gay rights lobby. Most recently, they have run the billboard campaign “Some People Are Gay – Get Over It” and were involved with the “Schools Out” project to tackle homophobic bullying. So far so good, but they were also the major mover to have Core Issue Trusts “Ex-gay and Proud” campaign removed from the side of buses in London, claiming this was “offensive.”

Some_People_Are_Gay._Get_Over_It_Double_Decker_Bus_Ad_-_London_UK

Stonewall’s Public Campaign: “Some People Are Born Gay. Get Over It!”

Stonewall disagrees with the evidence, and nominated Bishop of Winchester Michael Scott-Joint for the “Bigot of the Year” award for taking this position during a debate on gay marriage in the House of Lords. The church of England is also against gay marriage, and is officially exempt from having to offer gay marriages under the new legislation in England. Yet the director of Stonewall, Ben Summerskill, is not only pro-gay marriage but also against the Church of England being exempt. So much for religious freedom!

So why did the Archbishop turn to Stonewall? For the simple reason that they, and the gay rights movement, are often the only people tackling homophobic bullying. Unless we get more courses like Acception (www.Acception.info) which includes students that are not only gay but also have unwanted SSA and seek change, we will not be able to reclaim the ground that we have lost to organizations like Stonewall. Until then, we can only  ask whether focusing on homophobic bullying is appropriate for the majority of Church schools, which are for pupils aged 8 to 11, as there is sadly no other alternative. 

Phelim McIntyre, N.L.P.M.P. is a professional counselor and life coach specializing in issues concerning masculinity, including sexual orientation, based in the South of England. He is an ex-homosexual, having come out at the age of 13 and now overcoming SSA. He has now been straight for over 10 years.

 

Former Homosexuals Exist in South Africa, But Who Are They?

_60149039_saflag Discussing the subject of Homosexuality, to say the least, it is one of the most controversial and politicized subjects to be discussed in our day. However, a discussion that is needed and very seldom, if ever discussed is the matter of people coming out of homosexuality, and those who live with unwanted same-sex attraction. These are referred to as former homosexuals.

People with political driven agendas want us to believe that former homosexuals do not exist, because, according to them, people are born gay and cannot change. Persons who do not identifying themselves as gay, are often labelled as people with internalized homophobia, liars, pretenders, frauds, fakes and more. The truth is that we do exist. We are right here in South Africa. We are here to stay, and people will have to get use to it.

Who is a former homosexual?

It is important that we first define what we understand a gay person to be. The term “gay” is a social-political term. It refers to that population of people in society who believe they are born homosexual and identify themselves as such. To them homosexuality is innate. They believe they are born homosexual and cannot change.

Not so with former homosexuals. Former homosexuals do not believe that homosexuality is innate, have left the homosexual life and believe change is possible. Many have experienced complete sexual orientation change, but some still have same-sex attractions. Therefore, it may be difficult for them to identify as heterosexual. However, they do not identify as “gay.” They are stuck in the middle, especially for those who choose to live lives of chastity but have remaining same-sex attractions.

Talking about change, needs more clarification, seeing that there are very often contradicting opinions about sexual orientation change. Change should not be seen in strictly categorical terms, where change is an all-or-nothing-experience. NARTH points out:

“When change is viewed in absolute terms, then any future experience of same-sex attraction (or any other challenge), however fleeting or diminished, is considered a refutation of change. Such assertions likely reflect an underlying categorical view of change, probably grounded in an essentialist view of homosexual sexual orientation that assumes same-sex attractions are the natural and immutable essence of a person.  What needs to be remembered is that the de-legitimizing of change solely on the basis of a categorical view of change is virtually unparalleled for any challenge in the psychiatric literature.”[i]

Change should rather be seen as something occurring on a continuum.

“This is in fact how sexual orientation is defined in most modern research, starting with the well known Kinsey scales, even as subsequent findings pertinent to change are often described in categorical terms. NARTH affirms that some individuals who seek care for unwanted same-sex attractions do report categorical change of sexual orientation.  Moreover, NARTH acknowledges that others have reported no change. The experience of NARTH clinicians suggests that the majority of individuals who report unwanted same-sex attractions and pursue psychological care will be best served by conceptualizing change as occurring on a continuum, with many being able to achieve sustained shifts in the direction and intensity of their sexual attractions, fantasy, and arousal that they consider to be satisfying and meaningful.”[ii]

 To read more, click here.

André Bekker is an Advisory Board Member of Voice of the Voiceless and a Theological Counselor with New Living Way Ministry in South Africa, ministering to people with Unwanted Same-Sex Attraction, their families, and loved ones.

World Magazine Covers Ex-Gay Pride

Threats stall event for ex-gays

 

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MatStaver


Mathew Staver, answers reporters questions outside a federal courthouse in Richmond, VA (Associated Press/Photo by Christopher Breedlove/Liberty University).

WASHINGTON—Organizers of a reception for ex-gays have postponed the event after homosexual activists phoned and emailed a dozen threats.

Voice of the Voiceless (VoV), a group formed this year to defend the rights of former homosexuals, had planned a reception later this month at the Family Research Council (FRC) in Washington, D.C., to celebrate July as the first-ever Ex-Gay Pride Month. The group has rescheduled the event for September at an undisclosed location.

“I don’t want this event to be one of these things that we make public and then all these extremists show up and get the press and get their 30 seconds of fame,” said Chris Doyle, president and co-founder of VoV.

Doyle told me the Huffington Post and other liberal news sites inaccurately tied VoV to FRC, which sparked the controversy. He said he doesn’t usually shy away from controversy—“we deal with this fairly regularly”—but he didn’t want protestors to steal the spotlight or intimidate the guests and speakers. Mat Staver, founder of Liberty Counsel, is one of the scheduled speakers at the event, where he will accept the first Ex-Gay Pride Freedom Award.

Doyle called it “unfortunate” that gay extremists want tolerance only for people who agree with them: “Those who preach tolerance the most afford it the least.” Click here to read more . . .

 

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DL Foster: “Gay activists react Klan-style to EXhomosexual awareness event”

Second in a series during EXhomosexual awareness month highlighting the continued challenges faced by EXhomosexual Americans.

ITALY-GAY-DEMONSTRATIONHomosexual activists are a textbook example of circular hypocrisy. Their grandstanding requires that they lie so much they have long lost the realization of the vicious cycle of their lies.  Then again, history has a regressive way of repeating itself. The times may change, but the tactics of hate remain the same.

Case in point, two EXGLBT advocacy organizations  declared July as “Exgay Pride Month” and consequently planned a celebration event to highlight the contributions and ongoing struggles of American citizens who are EXhomosexual.  They made no demands on the gay community and asked nothing of them. In fact this was just a group of people who felt the need to encourage themselves and their families. Fair enough? Nope, not for homosexual activists. The announcement set off a frenzy of attacks. From the Boston Edge to jittery RightWingWatch, the online gay allied world exploded with numerous reports, blogs and oped peices about the event. Even NBC News mentioned it!  The stories were jammed with missiles named mockery, condemnation, bullying, discrimination, judging, unwarranted name calling, bigotry, intolerance and all the detestable vices homosexuals claim have no place in a fair and equal America. But it became very clear that in the eyes of homosexuals, they are the only ones who can simultaneously engage in such vicious behavior while at the same time pretending to decry it.

Click here to read more . . .

Ex-Gay Pride Still Alive Despite Anti-Ex-Gay Extremism

Due to some anti-ex-gay extremism that has occurred since we first announced Ex-Gay Pride 2013, the July 31 Lobbying Day on Capitol Hill and Evening Dinner/Reception at the Family Research Council has had to be moved and postponed to an undisclosed location in September. The harassment has caused several security threats which has forced us to change plans, and that is unfortunate. However, we are committed to holding an alternate event in late July as well as supporting some other initiatives that our allies and fellow ex-gays are planning for July. These events are still in development and will not be announced until late next week. For all of our supporters that have made travel plans to attend the July 31 event, we sincerely apologize for having to change plans, but we thought it was in the best interest to ensure the safety and security of all participants and speakers.

On the bright side, this harassment and anti-ex-gay extremism has reminded us just how intolerant some individuals and organizations are about the existence of ex-gays and former homosexuals. So much so, that we believe it is necessary not only to hold events in July for Ex-Gay Pride, but also to declare September as the First Annual Ex-Gay Awareness Month. Ex-Gay Awareness Month in September will be a time to reflect on the discrimination and marginalization that former homosexuals and ex-gays experience in the public at large. It will also provide some much needed exposure to students in secondary schools and colleges across the country to learn about the plights, challenges, and tribulations facing ex-gays in our culture.

For years, LGBT activists have made in-roads into the mainstream educational, psychological, and medical communities by instituting awareness months, seminars, and curriculum that highlights the need to protect sexual minorities from discrimination. Unfortunately, they have refused to include ex-gays within those sexual minorities, and organizations such as Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX) have had to sue private trade associations like the National Education Association (NEA) in order to achieve legal recognition for former homosexuals in the public at large.

Due to legal actions such as the 2009 Superior Court Ruling in Washington, D.C. (that has now given discrimination protection to ex-gays in Washington, D.C.) the road to legal protection and recognition of ex-gays has been paved. Now it’s just a matter of us claiming our rights and demanding to be heard. This is precisely how the LGBT lobby has achieved so much over the last forty years – tirelessly chipping away at the legal system and patiently working within powerful educational, psychological, and medical communities, thereby creating allies and support. So must ex-gays do the same. We have long realized that LGBT organizations will not be our allies. We are routinely marginalized by organizations such as the American Psychological Association (APA) who routinely shut us out of the debate and refuse to give us a seat at the table.

That being said, it’s time that former homosexuals, individuals with unwanted SSA, and their families and allies stand up and demand to be heard. July’s First Annual Ex-Gay Pride Month is only the beginning. September’s Ex-Gay Awareness Month in schools across the country is only a start. Our voices will be heard. We will no longer be shut out. We will no longer hide in the shadows.

We hope you enjoy this Ex-Gay Pride and Ex-Gay Awareness Video! To view Ex-Gay Pride 2013, click here.

Special thanks to Trace McNutt, who gave us permission to use segments of his video. We applaud Trace for his courage to speak out and share his amazing story of transformation from death and destruction to new life! We would also like to thank the band, ReNew, for allowing us to use their song “Redeemed” that is featured at the end of this video.

For more information on “Redeemed” go to:

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/music/artist/ReNew?id=A2n4jew7acmfgzcxu3tqvrzzcji

and/or iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/re-new/id509141234

For more information on the First Annual Ex-Gay Pride Month in July and the First Annual Ex-Gay Awareness Month in September, visit: www.VoiceoftheVoiceless.info and www.EqualityandJusticeforAll.org. To schedule an interview with Christopher Doyle, Co-Founder and President of Voice of the Voiceless, call 571-379-4546 or e-mail [email protected].