Tag Archives: Exodus International

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 . . .

Conservatives Report the Story, Liberal Media Resorts to Defamation and Name-Calling

G-RebrandSticker2012-hires-300x300Undercover LGBTQ Resource Center Investigation Threatens Biased News Outlets’ Narrative

Since Voice of the Voiceless (VoV) broke the undercover LGBTQ resource center story on September 25, many media outlets have reported on the discrimination and marginalization of individuals with unwanted same-sex attractions (SSA) in state-funded Universities in Virginia. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, there has been a stark contrast in the content that has been narrated. Quite simply: conservative news outlets have actually reported the story, while liberal media has focused more on defamation, and in some cases, resorted to childish and unprofessional name-calling.

That’s right, name-calling. The Washington Post finally got around to covering the story on October 14, when Tom Jackman reported:

There continue to be people in this world who think that homosexuality is a disease or condition and that a gay person can be ‘cured.’ One such group is called Voice of the Voiceless, and in celebration of ‘Ex-Gay Awareness Month,’ Voiceless president Christopher Doyle conducted an undercover investigation in September to see if Virginia’s public universities were providing information on ways to become un-gay.

Jackman goes onto to discuss the undercover counseling session at George Mason University rather objectively, but then takes a sharp turn onto biased avenue, and actually resorts to name-calling (note the bold portion below):

The Voiceless website says the group’s mission is ‘to defend the rights of former homosexuals, individuals with unwanted SSA, and their families.’ I think we would all agree that everyone deserves equal rights. And what is SSA? you ask. Same-sex attraction. Nothing to do with that abbreviation backwards.

Yes, you read it correctly. This “news report” actually implies that I, or the abbreviation that we use to describe an individual who experiences homosexual feelings, but does not identify as gay (unwanted SSA, or SSA) as a backside. A news report…in THE Washington Post! This is not an opinion piece or some tabloid-style trash posted on Wayne “It’s ok to have sex with AIDS-infected partners” Besen’s hate blog. The amount of audacity and disrespect it takes for a reporter to use such language in this type of forum is indicative of how seriously threatened the liberal media is and how marginalized former homosexuals and individuals with unwanted same-sex attractions are in our culture. Jackman concludes his biased diatribe by saying:

So the question becomes, When is it appropriate for a public university to offer information about a thoroughly discredited belief? California and New Jersey have both banned ‘reparative therapy’ to undo homosexuality, calling it dangerous. In June, the largest group devoted to changing sexual orientation, Exodus International, shut down and its leader apologized for its misdirected work. Must the idea that homosexuality can be ‘repaired’ or ‘converted’ still be offered to students?

Again, the reporter’s lack of accuracy and objectivity bleeds through with this report. First, the notion that homosexuality is in-born, and therefore subject to change has not been discredited by objective scientists. The American Psychological Association (APA) said in 2008 that people are not born homosexual, and a biased, gay-affirming APA Task Force said in 2009 that while efforts to change sexual orientation via therapy has the “potential” to be harmful (whatever that means, since ‘potential’ is not a scientific description) there is insufficient evidence to suggest that such efforts are effective or ineffective. Second, California and New Jersey now have laws prohibiting change therapy for minors (not adults) that is currently being challenged in federal court (conveniently not mentioned). Finally, Exodus International was never a therapeutic organization that offered this therapy, but rather, a large network with ministries providing support to individuals leaving homosexuality.

To his credit, Jackman fell short of quoting Wayne “It’s ok to have sex with AIDS-infected partners” Besen, which is exactly where GayRVA went for their story. One of the lines in the original version of the story by Amber Galaviz was scratched after I challenged their editor for publishing libelous, unsubstantiated hearsay.

Below is the editor’s note they posted after the second version of the article was published:

“Editor’s Note: This story originally ran miss-labeling Doyle as having an ‘admitted past of child abuse.’ This was an inaccurate statement and a misjudgment on the editor’s part. GayRVA acknowledges the mistake was made and the line in question was removed less than two hours after the story was published.”

Unfortunately, the story quotes generously from Wayne “It’s ok to have sex with AIDS-infected partners” Besen’s hate blog, who has twisted a testimony I wrote (about overcoming childhood sex abuse) for the Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX) website to label me as some kind of pedophile/child sex abuser. Much like Besen, GayRVA is unable to defend the conduct of these Virginia LGBTQ Resource Centers, so instead, they must go after my credibility. In other words, if you can’t kill the message, kill the messenger. So much for objective news reporting from the left.

If readers prefer to view a more accurate account of the discrimination and marginalization occurring at Virginia state-funded LGBTQ Resource Centers, World Magazine, WorldNetDaily.com, and LifeSiteNews.com all ran stories that actually reported the facts. George Mason University’s student newspaper, Fourth Estate, also reported a fairly objective account of what occurred at the Fairfax, VA-based University.

Christopher Doyle is the President and Co-Founder of Voice of the Voiceless, the only anti-defamation league for former  homosexuals, individuals with unwanted same-sex attractions, and their families. For more information, visit: www.VoiceoftheVoiceless.info

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.

 

 

 

Exodus International to Shut Down (Updated)

Sadly, this comes as no surprise. The day that Lisa Ling gives Exodus International and Alan Chambers its third exclusive television show, and on the heels of their annual conference, Exodus International releases the following on their website (see below). Alan Chambers has also released an apology letter on their website, which can be viewed by clicking here.

I will be a guest today at 3:30pm EST on Dr. Michael Brown’s “Line of Fire” to react and discuss the future of the ex-gay movement, now that Exodus is seemingly withdrawing. For more information on how you can listen in, visit: http://www.lineoffireradio.com

 

Exodus International to Shut Down

Thirty-seven-year-old ministry for those with same-sex attraction marks its last national conference 

Irvine, Calif. (June 19, 2013) — Exodus International, the oldest and largest Christian ministry dealing with faith and homosexuality announced tonight that it’s closing its doors after three-plus decades of ministry. The Board of Directors reached a decision after a year of dialogue and prayer about the organization’s place in a changing culture.

“We’re not negating the ways God used Exodus to positively affect thousands of people, but a new generation of Christians is looking for change – and they want to be heard,” Tony Moore, Board member of Exodus. The message came less than a day after Exodus released a statement apologizing (www.exodusinternational.org/apology) to the gay community for years of undue judgment by the organization and the Christian Church as a whole.

“Exodus is an institution in the conservative Christian world, but we’ve ceased to be a living, breathing organism,” said Alan Chambers, President of Exodus. “For quite some time we’ve been imprisoned in a worldview that’s neither honoring toward our fellow human beings, nor biblical.”

Chambers continued: “From a Judeo-Christian perspective, gay, straight or otherwise, we’re all prodigal sons and daughters. Exodus International is the prodigal’s older brother, trying to impose its will on God’s promises, and make judgments on who’s worthy of His Kingdom. God is calling us to be the Father – to welcome everyone, to love unhindered.”

For these reasons, the Board of Directors unanimously voted to close Exodus International and begin a separate ministry. “This is a new season of ministry, to a new generation,” said Chambers. “Our goals are to reduce fear (reducefear.org), and come alongside churches to become safe, welcoming, and mutually transforming communities.”

Local affiliated ministries, which have always been autonomous, will continue, but not under the name or umbrella of Exodus.

 

 Christopher Doyle, M.A. is the Co-Founder and Acting Director of Voice of the Voiceless, the only anti-defamation league for former homosexuals, individuals with unwanted same-sex attractions, and their families. For more information, visit: www.VoiceoftheVoiceless.info

Will Lisa Ling Misrepresent Sexual Orientation Change Effort Therapy Again?

Host of Our America to Revisit Exodus International’s New Stance, Fails to Interview Therapists

Lisa Ling, host of Our America is at it once again with an upcoming show featuring Christian ex-gays. It’s an interesting topic, one that I have a great deal of interest in, since I am myself an ex-gay and a Christian. According to the show’s teaser, which can be viewed by clicking here, Ling plans to revisit Exodus International’s new branding with President Alan Chambers and a group of so-called “ex-gay survivors” who have purportedly been hurt by Exodus and similar ministries over the last forty years.

Although the sneak peak was rather short, it appears that Exodus Founder Michael Bussee, who is seemingly the poster boy for ex-ex-gays (ex-gays who no longer consider themselves former homosexuals, and have returned to the gay life), plays a prominent role in the show. In the sneak peak, Bussee angrily says to Chambers:

The organization needs to shut down. Don’t tweak it, don’t try to improve it. Shut it down!

The show appears to center around Alan Chambers apologizing to these so-called “ex-gay survivors” for the role that Exodus has played in hurting gays and lesbians with the “Change Is Possible” message over the last forty years. Sadly, Ling combines the work of Exodus and similar religious ministries that focus on prayer, deliverance, and religious devotion with Sexual Orientation Change Effort (SOCE) therapy, or what she calls “Gay-Reparative Therapy.”

Let me be clear when I say this. I like Lisa Ling. I like Our America. I also like Alan Chambers personally, although I do not agree with the direction he is taking Exodus International. But what is most troubling to me is that Ling refuses to interview actual psychotherapists who practice SOCE and/or clients who have gone through SOCE, either via individual therapy or through group therapy programs such as Journey Into Manhood. These programs differ dramatically than the Exodus programs, but the average person would not know that unless a reporter makes this distinction.

I have personally reached out to Lisa Ling’s Facebook page and offered to be interviewed. I also contacted Alan Chambers and to see if Ling interviewed SOCE therapists for the “God and Gays” program, and he told me he believes she did not. Sadly, many will watch this program and get the perception that psychotherapists who practice SOCE are really just helping clients “pray away the gay” and harming gays and lesbians in the process.

Only time will tell if Ling decides to give a complete portrayal of ex-gays and the actual therapists who help them experience real change.

Christopher Doyle, M.A. is the Co-Founder and Acting Director of Voice of the Voiceless, the only anti-defamation league for former homosexuals, individuals with unwanted same-sex attractions, and their families. For more information, visit: www.VoiceoftheVoiceless.info