Posted on 11/20/2004 11:53:34 AM PST by Lindykim
FROM CONCERNED WOMEN FOR AMERICA Critic Ignores Whole Truth About Ex-Gays By Warren Throckmorton, Ph.D. 'Gay' activist claims change doesn't last, but the facts prove otherwise.
"The founder of every ex-gay ministry in America has proved to be an extraordinary failure. The two founders of Exodus International [the world's largest 'ex-gay' organization] divorced their wives to move in together." – Wayne Besen, as quoted in an October 8, 2004, article by Natalie Troyer of The Washington Times.
The article containing the above quote was titled, "Film Depicts Gay Reorientation" and discussed the recent documentary I Do Exist, which explores the lives of people who have changed from gay to straight. However, columnist Wayne Besen, a gay man and critic of ex-gays, staked out a different perspective. He made two claims in this quote: First, all ex-gay ministry founders have reverted to a homosexual life and, more specifically, that the founders of Exodus International left their wives and became homosexual partners.
Are these claims accurate? Let me cut to the chase. Mostly, they are not true. In fact, after investigating the matter, I found that of the original board members of Exodus International, only one reverted to homosexuality. Furthermore, one of the two men referred to by Mr. Besen was never in leadership with Exodus. Here are the details. Exodus International is a distinctly religious organization offering services and referrals to people who are in conflict with their sexual feelings and Christian beliefs. However, detractors often say that the message of Exodus is compromised due to the failure of the co-founders of the organization to remain heterosexual. In a recent Cleveland Plain Dealer article, also on the subject of sexual orientation change, Mr. Besen claimed that Michael Bussee and Gary Cooper were the co-founders of Exodus International. He noted again that the men became gay partners.
The second claim is true. As documented in the 1992 film One Nation Under God, the two men did indeed leave their families in 1979 and engaged in a commitment ceremony in 1982. However, the first claim is false. Mr. Cooper and Mr. Bussee were not the co-founders of Exodus International.
Why do Mr. Besen and others (including the above-mentioned film, One Nation Under God) claim they were? While I cannot judge motivation, it appears to be a deliberate effort to discredit the concept of sexual orientation change. In no way can Gary Cooper be considered a founder of the organization. Mr. Cooper, who died of complications from HIV/AIDS in 1989, was a volunteer with Mr. Bussee's ministry, called Exit (Ex-gay Intervention Team) based in Anaheim, California. By all accounts, he was never on the Exodus board. Mr. Bussee however, did help arrange a meeting of ex-gay leaders that eventually came to be considered the first Exodus conference. According to Exodus incorporator, Ron Dennis, Mr. Bussee was one of the people who saw the need for a collegial relationship between independent ex-gay ministries.
The original board of Exodus included five formerly gay-identified people, including Mr. Bussee. The incorporators of the group included Frank Worthen, Ron Dennis and Greg Reid. None of these men have returned to homosexuality and two of the three are still in ex-gay ministry. One other original board member, although still straight, requested his name not be included in this article. Let's do the math: Four out of five of the original board members have not returned to a gay identity.
The truth is that some people who were ex-gay ministry leaders or participants have reverted to a gay or lesbian identity. Ex-ex-gays exist. However, the majority of people who began with Exodus have not returned to a gay identity. Speaking of Exodus, Mr. Besen and those detractors who say all ex-gay leaders are "extraordinary failures" are simply ignoring the whole truth.
Just so this is clear, let's re-cap. Gary Cooper was not one of the co-founders of Exodus. Michael Bussee was on the original board. The men were involved in an ex-gay ministry in Anaheim, were married, left their wives and children and returned to a public gay identity. Of the five formerly gay men on the original board of Exodus International, four have not reverted to homosexuality. Frank Worthen and Ron Dennis continue to lead ex-gay organizations. The other two original board members were rumored to have returned to a gay identity but, according to both men, this is not true. Thus, 80 percent of the original Exodus board members are still ex-gay after 30 years.
Why are these facts important? Most people involved with Exodus and other ministries report that ex-gays can experience lasting change; it matters for our understanding of sexual orientation and human nature to know the whole truth. Although critics-for-a-living such as Mr. Besen may not be able to change their thinking, others may not be so close-minded.
Warren Throckmorton, Ph.D., is associate professor of psychology and director of college counseling at Grove City College (Pennsylvania). His articles have appeared in over 50 newspapers and he is a contributing columnist with Crosswalk.com. Dr. Throckmorton is the producer of a recently released documentary titled I Do Exist concerning sexual orientation. Concerned Women for America 1015 Fifteenth St. N.W., Suite 1100 Washington, D.C. 20005 Phone: (202) 488-7000 Fax: (202) 488-0806 E-mail: mail@cwfa.org CLICK HERE FOR CWA Back to Table of Contents
ping
I read the failure rate was 28 percent in Encyclopedia Britannica. Homosexuality is reversible and this was done in a non-religious setting.
Homosexual Agenda PING:
The evidence is there. The evidence is overwhelming. Homosexuality IS reversable, just like any other addiction.
Homonazis and their enablers in the MSM wish to keep these facts silent. Let us not allow them to win this battle.
(If you want on or off the ping list, let me or littlejeremiah know!)
This is overwhelming evidence?
bttt
I am a sceptic of sorts
The Ex homosexuals that I have seen inteviewed still seem limp wristed to me
It is common for gay people to suppose that the cause of their orientation is essentially biological and that they can't really affect it. But the political forces that caused homosexuality to be removed from the list of mental illnesses also stopped research into psychological or psychoanalytic explanations of homosexuality. From what I've read, these explanations are the best explanations of homosexuality. The biological explanations are found wanting now; "gay gene" research was failed to be replicated. (Dean Hamer, who claimed the original "gay gene" in the early 1990s, has now gone on to find a gene that predisposes people to be religious. He calls this the "God gene", naturally.)
To their credit, some gay writers acknowledge that some gays can change. They now say that people should not be expected to follow either path and should be left alone. If a man decides to try the ex-gay path, they are willing to support him. However, I have friends for whom this simply couldn't work; they're in long-term relationships, and I'm not one to issue a blanket condemnation of gay people whose behavior is responsible (avoiding drugs, promiscuity, etc.). They will face God one day, and so will I.
I read an older edition of Encyclopedia Britannica. The study was done in the 1970s I believe. I read about the gay gene and it was only found in men, not women.
And your point is?
bump
By all means, use anecdotal evidence to form your opinions of the world. All the squirrels in my backyard are black in color, therefor I remain "skeptical" that brown ones truely exist.
That's because the only therapy available to homosexuals is faith based, if the patient isn't motivated by religion then there is an ethical problem forcing them to change. If the tyranny of the APA's didn't exist you'd see cognitive/behavioral therapy used by accredited psychologists/psychiatrists with much better results than the faith based therapies available now.
The founder of every ex-gay ministry in America has proved to be an extraordinary failure. The two founders of Exodus International [the world's largest 'ex-gay' organization] divorced their wives to move in together."
"Homonazis and their enablers in the MSM wish to keep these facts silent. Let us not allow them to win this battle. "
Homonazis. Wow, first time I've seen it, and actually really noticed it. And, of course, it fits. See about the Pink Swastika HERE:
http://www.mega.nu:8080/ampp/pinkswastika.hold/book.html
There are plenty of very active self-identifying homosexuals who are far from limp wristed. You must not have spent much time in San Francisco. I have. Many homosexuals are very butch, very uber-masculine appearing and acting.
The whole idea that homosexuals are always effeminate is completely inaccurate. Many are, but many are not.
And apparently effeminate mannerisms do not necessarily denote sexual perversion. Some men are just more meek mannered or dorky. No big deal.
Maybe you should read the whole article and find out what it's really saying.
I did. ;)
I recall reading that Hamer and his colleagues did some preliminary research, doing surveys of men and women. They found out that women seem to be more variable in their sexuality, more likely to happen to switch from same-sex partners to opposite-sex partners or back. But according to their research, men are much more likely to stay in the one orientation or the other. Sexuality researchers speak of the "Kinsey scale" of 0 through 6 (where 0 means you're completely straight, 6 means you're completely gay). Hamer found out that the distribution is bimodal (U-shaped): there are lots of men who are 0 on the scale, and some men who are 6 on the scale, but not so many in between. This suggested to Hamer & company that homosexuality in men (but not women) is a trait, something that's possibly genetic. So they then employed standard techniques for finding genes (techniques used to locate genes for genetic disorders, etc), and homed in on one particular gene. Very interesting work, but as I mentioned before, other researchers weren't able to replicate it.
Other lines of investigation strengthen the psychological explanations. I recall reading that youngest sons are somewhat more likely to turn out gay. I also recall reading about a study that tracked boys identified by their peers as "sissies" -- 75% of them turned out to be homosexual when they reached adulthood. Evidently, things that interrupt or interfere with the social development of boys amongst their peers sets the stage for the development of homosexuality.
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