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Second Annual Ex-Gay Awareness Month to Feature Fmr. Ambassador Alan Keyes

For the second consecutive year, conservative groups will be observing a month dedicated to spreading awareness of and support for those who formerly identified as homosexual. Known as ex-gay awareness month, the observance will feature events in Washington, D.C. on Friday and Saturday.

Organized by Voice of the Voiceless, an organization that advocates for the rights of former homosexuals, events will include honoring those who are supportive of the ex-gay community, as well as lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill.

Christopher Doyle, president of VoV, told The Christian Post on Tuesday that events will also include workshops and a showing of the film “Sing Over Me.”

Doyle told CP that he believes support for the ex-gay community has improved since last October, with the failure of legislation aimed at criminalizing conversion therapy for minors.

“We have stopped 14 bills in state legislatures across the country that have tried to ban therapy for minors,” Doyle asserted. “People have been telling their stories in much greater number and veracity than last year, when we were reeling from the closure of Exodus International.”

Parents and friends of ex-gays are also helping to organize events for the two-day conference on ex-gay awareness.

Two awards, one for an individual who came out as ex-gay and one for an individual who has defended the ex-gay community, will be handed out on Saturday.

Regina Griggs, executive director of PFOX, told CP that this observance “is a chance to provide support to ex-gays and their families as well as to educate the public and our elected officials.”

“The message is certainly getting out that ex-gays exist and that change is possible. At the same time, ex-gays still face those who doubt their existence,” Griggs added.

“PFOX has a long history of supporting the ex-gay community and educating the public. And conferences like this continue to raise awareness of the ex-gay community and the positive message that change is possible.”

Over the past couple years, controversy surrounding the ex-gay community and sexual orientation change therapy, have garnered large scale attention.

In the months leading up to the first ex-gay awareness month held last October, California and New Jersey passed laws criminalizing sexual orientation change therapy for minors.

Also Exodus International, at one time the largest ex-gay ministry in the United States, closed its doors in June 2013 with its last president issuing a public apology to the LGBT community.

Featured speakers for the two-day ex-gay awareness observance in Washington will include Alan Keyes, former ambassador and presidential candidate; Peter Sprigg, senior fellow for policy studies at Family Research Council; and Sandy Rios, director of government relations for American Family Radio Talk and vice president of Family Pac Federal.

Sponsors for this year’s event include the Liberty Counsel, Family Research Council, American Family Association and Defend Life, among others.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/second-annual-ex-gay-awareness-month-to-feature-fmr-ambassador-alan-keyes-127283/

Voice of the Voiceless Offers Time Magazine SOCE Aid

TO: Time Magazine

FROM: Voice of the Voiceless, Ex-gay Truth

SUBJECT: Opinion article, ‘My Hellish Youth in Gay Conversion Therapy and How I Got Out’, July 15th 2014 by James Guay

  Upon our review, Time has touted an unqualified, unsubstantiated, unbalanced and biased opinion piece intended to undermine the mental health of same-sex attracted (SSA) patients and their therapists to favor a political agenda by intentionally implying that Sexual Orientation Change Efforts (SOCE) are completely ineffective and harmful. By the American Psychological Association’s own standards, this propagandist claim remains scientifically unproven, relying solely on scant claims by a few individuals[1]. Such claims run in complete contradiction of subject matter experts.[2]

   Time Magazine undermines its journalistic credibility in editorially publishing unsubstantiated and biased claims. Firstly, Mr. Guay claims to have been treated by two psychological professionals who are never named and therefore not substantiated. Time intentionally allowed these allegations to go unchecked and unchallenged. Secondly, Time intentionally permits the notion that any Behavioral Cognitive Therapy must be 100% successful to be scientifically valid, which is not true of any standardized and scientifically accepted treatment (CBT = therapy success rate):

Disorder                                          Author (year)                 Number of Studies           CBT
Boderline PersonalityDisorder Ipser et al. (2009)                           2                           82%

Panic disorder                              Siev et al. (2008)                                5                           77%
Anger/Aggression                        Del Vecchio & O’Leary (2004)     23                     66–69%
Depression                                     Leichsenring (2001)                          6                      51–87%
Childhood Anxiety                        James et al. (2005)                         13                           56%
Chronic Fatigue                            Malouff et al. (2008)                         5                           50%
Personality Disorders            Leichsenring & Leibing (2003)        25                         47%

Generalized Anxiety Disorder       Hunot et al. (2007)                      8                          46%

Chronic Fatigue                                Price et al. (2008)                          6                           40%
Bulimia Nervosa                        Thompson-Brenner (2003)            26                      40–44%
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder     Eddy et al. (2004)                       3                       38–50%

(‘The Efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: A Review of Meta-analyses’ Table 1 – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3584580/table/T1/ Stefan G. Hofmann, Ph.D., Anu Asnaani, M.A., Imke J.J. Vonk, M.A., Alice T. Sawyer, M.A., and Angela Fang, M.A.)

Thirdly, the most important component of successful behavior change is a true desire for change which appears highly suspect in Mr. Guay’s case. One who seeks relief from unwanted anxiety issues does not turn around and campaign in favor of anxiety when they fail to successfully address those feelings as Mr. Guay is doing with his failed SOCE efforts. This is acutely highlighted in Mr. Guay’s own patient testimonies, which bizarrely fail to cite one single patient success but instead focus on either their personal “friendship” with Mr. Guay or their support of his LBGT efforts, or both, though we are greatly pleased that Heather Dawn found having Mr. Guay in her yoga class a pleasant experience:

(*Source – James Guay’s, “Living More Fully” Patient Testimonials (http://livingmorefully.com/testimonials/))

Susanne Johnson, LPC
“I have known James for a long time. He has a great deal of compassion for others and is able to connect on a deep level with those he works with. James has been brilliantly instrumental at influencing change in his community. He goes beyond the limits of his office to support the change needed to make life better for his clients and everyone else. He is the real thing; a natural. I would, without question, refer clients to him.”

Markus Dobler, LMFT
“I have known James as a professional colleague for many years. His role and tremendous engagement in many of the modern day civil right struggles for the LGBTQI community have always impressed me tremendously. With absolute dedication and fierce selflessness he worked very hard (and continues to work hard) to push for long overdue changes that ultimately improve the lives of the community. His contributions in the fight against SOCE (sexual orientation change efforts – also more colloquially known as reparative therapy) have not only improved the lives of many young LGBTQI kids; they may now very well save their lives. Marriage equality was also an issue that James fought for with absolute dedication and conviction. The community – and, of course, James’ private practice clients – can consider themselves to be very fortunate to have such a principled fighter for the just causes that he has tackled. It is without any reservation that I would recommend James Guay to any potential client. The sensibilities and dedication that James has shown in his public struggles and fights will doubtless be equally present in the therapeutic work he does.”

Domenic Ali, DPAli, PhD, MSW
“I’ve known james for some time and I find him one of the most compassionate people i’ve ever met. He cares deeply about others and their right to exist as individuals while also supporting their wishes to find ways to contribute to the world. Psychotherapy is a perfect profession for him and I’m so glad he has been successful. As a retired therapist myself, I would not hesitate in referring clients to him.”

Christian Schizzel
“I had the honor of working with James Guay in the recent past. His sincerity and compassion are phenomenal tools which greatly influenced my ability to overcome difficult circumstances. I am a better person for having had the pleasure of connecting with him and hold him in high regards, especially as I see him reach out to assist those n his community. He is a phenomenal gentleman!”

Heather Dawn, Yoga Instructor
“James Guay is a compassionate, patient, insightful and authentic person. He is completely checked in to his own self care and the caring of others, which is imperative for any good healer, like James. He is passionate about both traditional and alternative therapies as it pertains to health and well-being, enhancing his already open heart and mind. I have had the pleasure of having James in my yoga class, as well as in depth discussions with him about life. If ever you need someone to listen to you…perhaps give you a different perspective on your life..or just a little compassionate resonance, James is your guy.”

Chris Hyde
“James is beautiful person who exudes care, understanding, compassion, and empathy. His experience and wisdom provide him much to share with his clients. I highly recommend him as someone to go to for compassionate care and healing on your journey!”

Michael Bussee, Retired LMFT
“A man of integrity and sensitivity. I would recommend him to anyone in need of competent, caring and professional help.”

Jarrett Baker-Wilkinson
“I am always psychologicaly inspired by the posts from James@LivingMoreFully. Working with James Guay, LMFT, can help anyone discover their most authentic self.”

Marianne Gentile Comstock
“I have known James for quite a few years and he is always as he seems – caring, empathetic and generous with his time and his wisdom. He is a fearless fighter for civil equality. His energy is amazing and he has an innate ability to connect emotionally and spiritually with those he serves. If we are to ever reach true, complete equality for all in our nation, it will happen because of professionals like James.”

Jerry Reiter
“James Guay is a very intelligent and sensitive counselor. He is a great listener and a very wise man. I like the way he makes you feel safe sharing anything on your mind.”

 
In response, Voice of the Voiceless offers Time Magazine the opportunity of professional, experienced and scientifically factual commentary on the subject of SOCE to ensure your journalistic integrity and balance rather than trumpeting a few cherry picked stories of failure which give a false and easily disprovable innuendo.

[1] “Although sound data on the safety of SOCE are extremely limited, some individuals reported being harmed by SOCE.” ‘Resolution on Appropriate Affirmative Responses to Sexual Orientation Distress and Change Efforts’ http://www.apa.org/about/policy/sexual-orientation.aspx
[2] “The authors of the most methodologically rigorous study ever conducted on persons seeking to change from a homosexual orientation looked for evidence of harm using standardized measures of “psychological dis-tress,”21 “spiritual well-being,”22 and “faith maturity.”23 They concluded, “We found no empirical evidence in this study to support the claim that the attempt to change sexual orientation is harmful.”24 Joseph Nicolosi, A. Dean Byrd, Richard W. Potts, “Retrospective self-reports of changes in homosexual orientation: A consumer survey of conversion therapy clients,” Psychological Reports 86, pp. 1071-88; cited in Phelan, et al., p. 42.

 

A King’s pastoral therapy to a struggling teen

pastoraltherapy

Dr. Martin Luther King, that great civil rights lion and beloved the world over for standing up for the downtrodden and the disenfranchised would today have his honor stripped from him and ridiculed in the circles of enlightenment for telling a young black teen that he could change his homosexual desires. In California and New Jersey he might even be arrested. Standing up for therapy equality —whether it takes on the form of religious pastoral counseling or nonreligious therapy— is something Dr. King would be leading the charge on today. VoV adamantly believes it should remain a protected right and option for ALL Americans.

Ex-Gay Educators Caucus Report from the 2014 NEA Annual Conference

 

NEA Ex-Gay logo
Given the controversy over the homosexual issue in recent years and previous experiences of tense interactions at NEA’s Annual Meeting and EXPO over the past 10 years, I was anticipating a rough 2 days at this year’s NEA EXPO in Denver. I knew I would be alone at the exhibit for periods of time as my only other help, Sissy Jochmann (Chair of the Conservative Educators Caucus) needed to fulfill other responsibilities in addition to assisting me at the EXGAY EDUCATORS EXHIBIT. I was happily wrong!

When I arrived to set up the exhibit on Monday, I found our assigned spot in the back corner. The backdrop curtain was wrapped around a high railing and our “NEA EXGAY EDUCATORS CAUCUS” sign was entangled in the curtain hanging by one hook. A rack of clothing belonging to the dress shop exhibit next to me blocked the view of our exhibit from anyone walking down the isle. I climbed up on a chair to unravel the curtain but could not reach high enough to re-hang our sign. A young man who working as a convention staff offered to help. He finished with a hearty, “God bless you!” My anticipation began to change.

We had a wide choice of materials to share, thanks to PFOX, Dr. Raney, Rosaria Butterfield, and others. Our materials addressed bullying in schools; children being raised in same sex homes; health concerns of homosexuals; results of research studies; and other related issues.

During the next two days, teachers trickled by our exhibit, most with expressions of puzzlement and some with disgust. A few stopped to talk about the issue. The question was usually, “So what is an ‘Exgay?’” Our answer, “A person with unwanted same gender attractions who does not want to embrace a homosexual identity. Here are the personal stories and research which support our viewpoint.” I would usually make it more personal making sure the person knew this was my own history. Conversation rarely went deeper than that. People would pick up a few items, especially “EXGAY IS OK” buttons or bookmarks and perhaps a few brochures or research articles. A few returned to purchase Rosaria Butterfield’s book, The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert.

The conversations that made our efforts seem worthwhile were few but important. Several openly gay people came by to respectfully engage discussion of recent events such as John Paulk’s article in Politico, “From Gay to Straight and Back,” or the dissolution of Exodus. Such conversations always attracted a group of listeners. We affirmed the right of people to make those choices but said, “We are here to stand for the right of individuals with unwanted same gender attraction to pursue other avenues besides embracing a homosexual identity and way of life. We are not here to coerce anyone to make changes they don’t want to make.” I also was able to explain that the caucus was founded when I realized that I could be forced to teach something on this issue that was contrary to my own personal experience. We also pointed out to several that CA and NJ now have laws that prohibit mental health professionals from assisting youth to resolve their same gender attraction issues in any other way than by embracing homosexuality and we believe that is a violation of our right to pursue happiness. Many were surprised that such laws exist and seemed to agree that it infringes on freedom, even when they disagreed with our views.

We had a libertarian teacher stop by to ask if we had an exhibit last year. He had missed us and was in the habit of stopping by for any new info. He affirmed our right to be there and was supportive of our theme of personal freedom.

After a group of people walked by, a convention staff young woman stopped and asked, “Tell me about this.” Before I could get out a complete sentence, she said, “That’s me.” I replied, “It was me, too.” As I explained a bit more, she listened briefly appearing to be cautious to avoid being seen at our booth. She took some resources and promised to watch the online video by FAMILY WATCH INTERNATIONAL and slipped away as she said, “I think God is talking to me.”

All of these conversations which had a measure of reasonableness to them, were well worth the effort and expense of being there. By placing ourselves in the pathway of people who have opposing views, we are showing that we are real people representing a view that is not malicious to personal freedom but rather dignifies individual choice. It is very important that we hold the place we have carved out inside the NEA in future years as long as we are able. We deeply appreciate the support of the many individual and groups who have provided us with materials and moral support through the years. And we welcome participation at future exhibits by anyone who feels the calling to be there or feels impressed to help financially.

Jeralee Smith is the Founder of the NEA Ex-Gay Educators Caucus