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statement we have heard over and over again is that 1,000's have left the "homosexual lifestyle". Claims have even been made that there are 100,000's.
But we have never been able to find these 1,000's of people or are they too afraid to come out as "ex-gay"?
Statements about large numbers "leaving homosexuality" have been boldly declared regularly by religious leaders and organizations such as Focus on the Family, Family Research Council, Exodus, Charisma Magazine, Frank Worthen - Love in Action, Parents and Friend of Ex-gay (PFOX) – to name a few.
Here in Australia the same claims have been made by Rev Fred Nile of the Christian Democratic Party, Bill Muehlenberg, Ron Brookman – Living Waters, Peter Stokes – Salt Shakers and Margaret Court
People have been exiting the "ex-gay" closet by the back door for decades as they come out in their 40's, 50's and even 60's; finally admitting that nothing ever changed and they have accepted the fact that they have always been and always will be gay. The impacts on former spouses and children when the marriage becomes unsustainable can be devastating.
It is public declarations made by high profile people like John Paulk, Michael Bussee (one of the founders of Exodus), John Smid former Director of the ex-gay residential program Love in Action that cause the "ex-gay' tent to deflate the most. Even Exodus's current leader Alan Chambers admitting that 99.9% of people he'd met had never changed their orientation.
The same thing has been happening in Australia with former"ex-gay" leaders for some time.
Yesterday, American Family Radio’s Sandy Rios spoke to Ex-Gay Pride Month organizer Christopher Doyle about today’s ex-gay lobby day on Capitol Hill. Doyle, who was organizing the since-cancelled Ex-Gay Pride banquet at the Family Research Council, complained in an interview with the Christian Post that “un-American” LGBT rights advocates have “shut us out,” explaining that “because of all this homo-fascism and indoctrination in the media, ex-gays aren’t given a fair shake.”
Rios confidently predicted that “thousands of ex-gays are descending” on Washington for a press conference planned for today at the Supreme Court. She lamented that when she led Concerned Women for America the media refused to hear “our ex-gay friends” because it “undermined the whole effort of the homosexual lobby.
Doyle told Rios that “tens of thousands” of ex-gays exist but are “in the closet because of fear, shame and threats from gay activists. They're just too afraid to identify themselves. And I hope they can receive hope from people like me, and people who are going to be out there trying to give them a voice," he said.
Clearly their hope and strategy didn't work. Despite the expectation that “thousands of ex-gays” would partake in Ex-Gay Pride Month, fewer than ten people showed up for the big event. And on the YouTube video they had to highjack unsuspecting tourists to promote their cause.
But we have never been able to find these 1,000's of people or are they too afraid to come out as "ex-gay"?
Statements about large numbers "leaving homosexuality" have been boldly declared regularly by religious leaders and organizations such as Focus on the Family, Family Research Council, Exodus, Charisma Magazine, Frank Worthen - Love in Action, Parents and Friend of Ex-gay (PFOX) – to name a few.
Here in Australia the same claims have been made by Rev Fred Nile of the Christian Democratic Party, Bill Muehlenberg, Ron Brookman – Living Waters, Peter Stokes – Salt Shakers and Margaret Court
People have been exiting the "ex-gay" closet by the back door for decades as they come out in their 40's, 50's and even 60's; finally admitting that nothing ever changed and they have accepted the fact that they have always been and always will be gay. The impacts on former spouses and children when the marriage becomes unsustainable can be devastating.
It is public declarations made by high profile people like John Paulk, Michael Bussee (one of the founders of Exodus), John Smid former Director of the ex-gay residential program Love in Action that cause the "ex-gay' tent to deflate the most. Even Exodus's current leader Alan Chambers admitting that 99.9% of people he'd met had never changed their orientation.
The same thing has been happening in Australia with former"ex-gay" leaders for some time.
Yesterday, American Family Radio’s Sandy Rios spoke to Ex-Gay Pride Month organizer Christopher Doyle about today’s ex-gay lobby day on Capitol Hill. Doyle, who was organizing the since-cancelled Ex-Gay Pride banquet at the Family Research Council, complained in an interview with the Christian Post that “un-American” LGBT rights advocates have “shut us out,” explaining that “because of all this homo-fascism and indoctrination in the media, ex-gays aren’t given a fair shake.”
Rios confidently predicted that “thousands of ex-gays are descending” on Washington for a press conference planned for today at the Supreme Court. She lamented that when she led Concerned Women for America the media refused to hear “our ex-gay friends” because it “undermined the whole effort of the homosexual lobby.
Doyle told Rios that “tens of thousands” of ex-gays exist but are “in the closet because of fear, shame and threats from gay activists. They're just too afraid to identify themselves. And I hope they can receive hope from people like me, and people who are going to be out there trying to give them a voice," he said.
Clearly their hope and strategy didn't work. Despite the expectation that “thousands of ex-gays” would partake in Ex-Gay Pride Month, fewer than ten people showed up for the big event. And on the YouTube video they had to highjack unsuspecting tourists to promote their cause.
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| The 1,000's who showed up for the Ex-gay Pride event, Washington |
Anthony Venn-Brown
Twitter: @gayambassador
Website: www.gayambassador.com
Email: info@gayambassador.com
Anthony Venn-Brown is the co-founder and former leader of Freedom2b, Australia’s largest network of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) people from Christian backgrounds. He is also an educator and consultant on LGBT/faith issues and leader in deconstructing the ‘ex-gay’ myth. Anthony’s autobiography 'A Life of Unlearning', details his journey from married, high profile preacher in Australia’s mega-churches to living as an openly gay man. Anthony has been twice voted ‘One of the 25 Most Influential Gay and Lesbian Australians’ (2007 & 2009) and was one of four finalists for the 2011 ACON Community Hero Award. He is also the founder and director of Ambassadors & Bridge Builders International.
My wife and I are both ex-gay and have been married for over ten years. We chose not to be "therapized" into heterosexuality, rather we let God do all the work, meaning it is not by our own efforts that we have been redeemed, but we give glory to Abba Father alone, lest "the rapist/therapist" take credit. We feel as if we have been rescued into a sort of "Abba's witness protection" program. Without being too overly melodramatic, we know that we are a sub-minority of a minority of people to whom this new life has been gifted. It is NOT easy. None of our so called "friends" from either of our past lives has continued, and none of our friends of our new lives knows the truth about us, because we already know they would not understand. We will not attend church because most of them are under judgement due to their 501(c)3 status. Neither are we married in the "legal" sense, because we feel that we do not need the state's "validation" of what Jesus has freely given us.
ReplyDeleteThat does not mean that we are worry or struggle free. By no means. We both still have "issues" that have nothing to do with orientation. Because both of us have bad role models as parents, as well as neurological disorders, we have no children. We do not feel that we are in any sort of "closet" from which we need to emerge. We find that we do not "fit" into any sort of category, and here's the really strange part, in either world, gay or straight. Statistics, though flawed, report that gay men have had hundreds or more "lovers" in their lifetimes. That was never the case with me. I just wanted to let you know that we exist. We live somewhere on the west coast. Because of the sensitive nature of this subject, even in 2014, we feel as if our privacy is more important than "flaunting" our freedom. To those who are redeemed, we will see you there. Maranatha!