Ex-Nonsense

Ex-"ex-gays" apologize for "bringing harm"
published Thursday, June 28, 2007

Three former leaders of a ministry that counsels gays to change their sexual orientation apologized, saying although they acted sincerely, their message had caused isolation, shame and fear.

The former leaders of the interdenominational Christian organization Exodus International said Wednesday they had become disillusioned with promoting gay conversion.

"Some who heard our message were compelled to try to change an integral part of themselves, bringing harm to themselves and their families," the three said in a statement released outside the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center.

The statement was from former Exodus co-founder Michael Bussee, who left the group in 1979, Jeremy Marks, former president of Exodus International Europe, and Darlene Bogle, the founder of Paraklete Ministries, an Exodus referral agency.

The statement coincided with the opening of Exodus' annual conference, which is being held this week at Concordia University in Irvine.

Exodus' president, Alan Chambers, said the ministry's methods have helped many people, including himself.

"Exodus is here for people who want an alternative to homosexuality," Chambers said by phone. "There are thousands of people like me who have overcome this. I think there's room for more than one opinion on this subject, and giving people options isn't dangerous."

Founded in 1976, the Orlando, Fla.-based Exodus has grown to include more than 120 ministries in the United States and Canada and over 150 ministries overseas. It promotes "freedom from homosexuality" through prayer, counseling and group therapy. (AP)

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

This admission was very nice to see. I have little patience with these reformation groups, as I liken it to a group of people asking individuals to cut off an arm or a leg since it offends their God. It's no better than an abuser feeding on their victim's denial. The next article, that I somehow missed, is a perfect example of such abuse:

Dad of boy in 'ex-gay' camp speaks out
Larry Buhl, PlanetOut Network
published Friday, July 15, 2005

The father of "Zach" -- a gay teen who sparked outrage after stating on his weblog that he was sent against his will to a camp to change his sexual orientation -- has come forward to defend his actions.

In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network, Joe Stark ended speculation about whether the 16-year old, known on his blog simply as "Zach," actually existed. The PlanetOut Network verified Zach's identity last month but did not disclose his last name or hometown to prevent unwarranted attention on the youth.

Stark told CBN he did nothing wrong by forcing his 16-year-old son to attend Refuge, a two-week live-in gay conversion camp run by Memphis-based Love in Action (LIA). The Bartlett, Tenn. dad said he wanted Zach to "see for himself the destructive lifestyle, what he has to face in the future and to give him some options that society doesn't give him today."

"Until he turns 18 and he's an adult in the state of Tennessee, I'm responsible for him," Stark told CBN, a media empire founded by the Rev. Pat Robertson.

The interview drew condemnation from Alex Polotsky, of the Memphis-based Queer Action Coalition, which organized protests against LIA and served as liaison between Zach, his friends, his family and reporters.

"Joe Stark coming out to CBN is personally offensive to us," Polotsky told the PlanetOut Network. "We tried to protect Zach as much as possible. I thought that his parents were loving and caring, but just misguided. But by granting an exclusive interview to that network, Mr. Stark has sold his son out."

Love in Action drew fire last month from gay rights groups as well as parents and psychologists, who denounced the organization for its efforts to convert gay adolescents to heterosexuality.

The protests and allegations of mental abuse sparked an investigation by the Tennessee Department of Child Services, which last week found no evidence of abuse.

However, LIA is still not off the hook from the Tennessee Department of Health, which is attempting to determine whether Refuge is operating illegally. The department will issue cease-and-desist orders if it is found to be offering unlicensed drug and alcohol treatment onsite, said Andrea Turner, a spokesperson for the department.

"If they are teaching only from faith-based materials and they send the participants offsite for drug and alcohol treatment, then they are not required to be licensed," Turner told the PlanetOut Network. "But if they are counseling onsite then they are required to be licensed as a drug and alcohol treatment facility in Tennessee."

Turner said that LIA can either ask the department for assistance in obtaining a license, if one is required, or provide documentation to support their dispute for a need to be licensed.

On Friday, the Love in Action Web site was down, and 365gay.com reported LIA's executive director John Smid and the organization is attempting to head off government scrutiny by changing the organization's Web site's wording and directing clients to established, off-site drug and alcohol counseling services.

Turner told the PlanetOut Network that Smid had not informed the department of those actions and had not yet responded to the department's inquiry.

LIA is also under scrutiny from the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities to determine whether they need to be licensed as a mental health provider. The department sent a letter inquiry to LIA last week as a first step in deciding whether the state will launch an official investigation into any mental health services provided at the camp, according to Rachel Lassiter, a spokesperson for Gov. Phil Bredesen.

Though I'm a strong proponent of the sanctity of the family, it's hard not to seethe. By involving the public to flaunt his sense of morality he has exploited his son. I find it beyond shameful… somewhere in the realm of morally reprehensible.