Posted on 10/15/2002 3:37:41 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Subway ads ask people to ‘respect their choice’
"I think that watching how these ads fare in the next month will tell us a lot about who really believes in tolerance."
— Regina Griggs, executive director of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays
Pro-homosexual vandals have defaced at least two of 10 colorful advertisements featuring former "gays" that are being installed in Metro subway stations in Washington, D.C. The ads, which have the headlines "I Chose To Change" or "It’s My Choice To Change," challenge people to respect those who have left homosexuality.
"We had the ads made in response to the hate directed against ex-gays," said Regina Griggs, executive director of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX), which erected the ads. "With all this talk of ‘diversity,’ we thought it was time to alert people to the need for tolerance of ex-gays and the possibility of overcoming homosexuality."
At least two of the ads were immediately vandalized with graffiti on the glass covering.
An employee at Viacom Outdoors, which installs ads for the Metro system, said five anonymous telephone callers had left messages "saying they didn’t like the ads." Asked if other Metro ads are routinely defaced, the employee, who asked not to be named, said, "Never." The employee noted that the vandalism was temporary, since it was done on the glass, which can be cleaned. Metro has 1,500 wall ads and nearly 1,000 dioramas, which are glass boxes that are backlit. At any given time, 60 public service ads run at 10 locations each and are left for 30 days.
Earlier, the Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League (SMYAL), a group that promotes homosexuality to teen-agers, had run Metro ads without incident.
"It’s time that people trapped in homosexuality know that they have a choice," said Robert Knight, director of CWA’s Culture and Family Institute and a PFOX board member. "Homosexual activists have peddled the unsubstantiated ‘born-that-way’ notion and left people without hope. The ads feature real people and real hope."
One PFOX ad features a young man, Chris, under the headline: "I Chose To Change." It reads:
"I make choices everyday … Where to eat. What to wear. Who to see. But as a gay man I never thought I could change WHO I was. Until I realized change was a choice…and I chose to change from gay to straight. It may not be a decision you want to make, but you should know thousands of us already have. Please respect our choice."
The other ad features a young woman, Amy, with a pierced eyebrow, under the headline quote: "It’s My Choice To Change." It continues:
"If someone changes their address, maybe changes an attitude, or even changes their job, you’d still respect them, right? So why not respect me when I decide to leave homosexuality? I chose to change from gay to straight. If that choice isn’t for you, at least change your mind about me."
VANDALS DEFACE IMAGES
Someone at the Columbia Heights station spray painted an orange mustache on the ad featuring the man. At the bottom was scrawled: "I chose to have pride." A "speech bubble" from the man’s mouth reads: "I think tomorrow I’ll be lefthanded."
The PFOX ad at the U. Street/Cardoza metro stop had also been defaced. A "speech bubble" from the mouth on that one said, "Pat Robertson is hot!"
The ads, which are 3.5 feet by 5 feet, are in the following Metro stations this week: Anacostia, Benning Road, Columbia Heights, Congress Heights, Deanwood, Georgia Avenue — Petworth, Judiciary Square, Potomac Avenue, Stadium/Armory, and U Street/Cardozo. The ads are slated to remain for 30 days.
"‘Tolerance’ should mean just that," Griggs said. "I think that watching how these ads fare in the next month will tell us a lot about who really believes in tolerance."
Homosexual activists such as those with the group GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) have worked hard to pressure the media to reject ad campaigns featuring former homosexuals. In 1998, when a coalition of pro-family groups including Concerned Women for America sought to place TV ads featuring ex-gays. Homosexual activists led by GLAAD pressured TV stations not to run the ads, and then celebrated their success when the ads were rejected.
TAKE ACTION
To learn more about the ads — or to acquire a copy of either ad to run in newspapers or other venues in your local area — call Regina Griggs of PFOX at 703-360-2225 or email her at: pfox_exgays@hotmail.com. You can also visit www.pfox.org/.
" 1. I wish they would admit that many people are not happy with their homosexuality or lesbianism, and that this conflict is internal, based on legitimate, intelligent religious and moral convictions--not just the result of a so-called "homophobic" society which is forcing guilt upon people who don't conform to a heterosexual ethic.
Stop throwing out the cheap, inaccurate labels like "internalized homophobia" to explain our motivations.
2. I wish they would acknowledge that homosexuals and lesbians can experience significant change in their sexual feelings and desires, even though they may never be totally heterosexual in their sexual thoughts and feelings.
Be honest enough to admit that such change is significant and genuine, even if it isn't complete.
3. I wish they would acknowledge that many former homosexuals and lesbians have found a greater measure of peace and satisfaction after leaving a gay or lesbian lifestyle than they ever experienced while embracing homosexuality.
Not all "ex-gays" are miserable, plotting how to secretly fulfill their homosexual lusts without being caught.
4. I wish they would acknowledge that many former homosexuals and lesbians have genuine joy in their marriages.
Most former gays and lesbians don't get married in a futile attempt to "escape" homosexuality; they marry as a natural consequence of resolving that issue in their lives.
5. I wish they would acknowledge that all people have as much right to pursue a heterosexual lifestyle as they do to pursue homosexuality.
Former homosexuals and lesbians should not be harassed and castigated by the gay community. But I have never heard any gay or lesbian leaders speak out against the violence (such as bomb threats and physical/verbal abuse) which some people perpetuate against Exodus ministries.
6. I wish they would stop equating our decision to leave homosexuality with "hatred" and "bigotry" against gays and lesbians.
We don't hate gays; we simply desire to live free of homosexuality. Don't put nasty labels upon our motives. That's being judgmental and unfair.
7. I wish pro-gay religious leaders would admit that their endorsement and promotion of monogamous homosexual relationships is a facade.
Many--probably most--men and women involved in long-term partnerships are not sexually monogamous, but gay churches don't discipline members for committing "adultery" outside their "gay marriage." Neither do they discipline gays or lesbians who have sex before entering into a "holy union" with their partner.
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