Tag Archives: sexual orientation change efforts

Sound Science (Not Politics) in the Post Exodus Era

CPlittlelogoBy Christopher Doyle, CP Guest Contributor

This commentary is in response to Gregory T. Angelo’s opinion editorial, “Gay Rights in the Post Exodus Era” (9/30/2013). In his article, Mr. Angelo opines on a number of issues surrounding the science of homosexuality and Sexual Orientation Change Effort (SOCE) therapy (pejoratively known as ‘conversion therapy’), neither of which he is qualified to do so as a politician. Such misinformation from gay activists, as was seen in Mr. Angelo’s article, is responsible for the present clouding between science and politics.

Mr. Angelo incorrectly cited Exodus International as the “standard-bearer” and Alan Chambers as the “poster boy” for SOCE therapy. However, Exodus International never existed as a therapeutic organization, but rather, a network of faith-based ministries providing support for individuals seeking to leave homosexuality. One must be very careful to distinguish ministerial and pastoral care from professionally trained psychotherapists and psychologists that provide therapeutic services for those who experience unwanted same-sex attractions.

Furthermore, to label Chambers, a man with no therapeutic or psychological training, the “poster boy” of the ex-gay movement, especially in light of the fact that he never received psychotherapy to overcome his own same-sex attractions, is disingenuous. It is no secret that Chamber’s poor leadership and lack of resolve to do his own therapeutic work played a significant role in the implosion of Exodus. Neither can Chamber’s or John Paulk’s personal failures speak for the many that have experienced change from a homosexual to a heterosexual orientation.

Angelo goes on to justify the unprecedented laws in California and New Jersey that are prohibiting the rights of minors to undergo SOCE therapy by citing Dr. Robert Spitzer’s retraction of his 2003 study: “Can Some Gay Men and Lesbians Change Their Sexual Orientation?” But Angelo failed to include a proper context for why Spitzer retracted this study, namely, that the esteemed Columbia University professor had literally been harassed for a decade by gay activists because of this work, and suffering from an advanced stage of Parkinson’s disease, caved to their demands. To read more, click here . . .

South Africa’s Mambaonline Distorts the Truth About Former Homosexual Awareness Campaign

 

In response to the “FORMER HOMOSEXUAL AWARENESS CAMPAIGN” launched in South Africa, Mambaonline diverts the attention from the truth of the campaign to their politicized propaganda.

1005108_10152312769357524_1537315400_nOn Thursday, Mambaonline alerted the gay community via e-mail about the launch of the FORMER HOMOSEXUAL’S AWARENESS CAMPAIGN. In what started as a very factual summary, halfway through turned into a report diverting the attention of the readers away from the facts.

Very conveniently, the reporter mentions only the name of America’s National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) as a reference which was quoted in the article. He then goes on to discredit NARTH. However, he fails to point out that the American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, and even gay rights activist, Peter Thatchel, were also referenced. He also fails to mention that all who were quoted came to the same conclusion: “There is no compelling evidence that anyone is determined from birth to be born homosexual.”

The reporter continues by saying: “Bekker’s latest campaign comes despite warnings from South African and leading international psychiatric groups that efforts to change people’s sexuality can be harmful, especially among desperate people and vulnerable minors.”

He continues: “It is not illegal to offer members of the public a ‘gay cure’ or reparative therapy services, however, the South African Society of Psychiatrists says that it ‘opposes any psychiatric treatment such as ‘reparative’ or ‘conversion’ therapy designed to change a person’s sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual. It has also warned that this kind of therapy ‘runs the risk of harming patients by causing depression, anxiety, and self-destructive behavior’.”

The South African Society of Psychiatrists’ warning is not based on the scientific evidence. All they do is echo what the rest of the world is saying. However, it is out of line with the American Psychiatric Associations’ findings in their 2009 Task Force report, entitled “Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation,” which contains a prominent section on sexual-orientation change efforts (SOCE). On page 83 of this report they conclude: “There are no scientifically rigorous studies of recent SOCE that would enable us to make a definitive statement about whether recent SOCE is safe or harmful and for whom.”

On July 30, 2013, Dr. Nicholas Cummings, a former APA president, recently wrote an article  in USA Today and  submitted an affidavit on June 30, 2013 to the New Jersey Superior Court opposing the lawsuit filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center, who is running a hate campaign against ex-gays, confirmed that hundreds of his client’s were successful in changing their sexual orientation and that it is unethical to deprive a client of his freedom of choice.

In his article, Cummings wrote: “Accusing professionals who provide treatment for fully informed persons seeking to change their sexual orientation of perpetrating a fraud is not accurate. Such a tactic serves only to stigmatize the professional and shame the patient. A political agenda should not be permitted to prevent gays and lesbians who desire to undertake sexual reorientation efforts from exercising their right to self-determination.”

To further detract from the point, Mambaonline’s reporter then went on to close with Alan Chambers’ closing down of Exodus as another reason to oppose former homosexuals. For some years it was known that Exodus leadership was heading in the wrong direction. Seeing that Exodus was only an umbrella organization for a multitude of other ministries, these ministries one-by-one withdrew themselves from Exodus. Other Umbrella organization like Restored Hope Network and Hope For Wholeness came into existence to accommodate these ministries. The closing down of Exodus is not a major setback, but rather the ashes of a diminishing organization, with a leader that was not big enough to step down from his leadership, when his views were no longer in line with that of the organization he was leading.

Rather than report the campaign and science correctly, Mambaonline proved itself to be just another propaganda-spewing, pseudo-media outlet with an agenda.

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.