We’ve moved from praying same-sex attractions away to playing them away. Wayne Besen of the educational organization Truth Wins Out, which challenges the “ex-gay” machine’s assertions that one can kneel and beg for deliverance into successful heterosexuality, has released a series of videos that show just how delusional and harmful such programs as Exodus International can be.
In this clip, former major league baseball player and out gay man Billy Bean, discusses the fantasy of the “ex-gay” movement that forcing gay men to play sports “to butch up” is therapy that brings inner heterosexuality to the surface.
Exodus’s PR machine claims homos are beating down the door for help.
Exodus International has seen a 59 percent increase in its member agencies, growing from 117 in 2003 to more than 200 in 2008. The ministry also is receiving more requests for resources and speaking engagements. In 2007, more than half of the attendees at the ministry’s annual conference were first-timers. Exodus is planning additional conferences.While that kind of batsh*ttery can easily be dismissed, the psychological damage caused by reparative therapy to men and and women struggling to come to terms with the fact that they are gay is horrifying. Look at this tale of abuse suffered by a man in Canada who sought help for his same-sex attractions and ended up victimized by his “therapist.” It’s below the fold.…Melissa Fryrear, director of the gender issues department at Focus on the Family and a speaker at Love Won Out conferences, said the growth at Exodus is a sign of the times.
Professional heterosexual Melissa Fryrear: “As someone who lived homosexually for almost a decade, I know from firsthand experience that there is another side of the lesbian culture, and it is anything but glamorous.“Similar to Exodus’ experience, in our Love Won Out ministry we are also hearing from so many men and women who no longer want to live a gay or lesbian identity,” she said. “They are discontented living homosexually, convinced of God’s truth about sexuality and desirous for God to radically transform their lives.
(Winnepeg Sun):
A minister and former Christian college instructor has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a young man who sought counselling after he feared he was homosexual.Truth Wins Out relaunches its web site on March 3.A jury returned with the guilty verdict early last night after only a few hours of deliberations.
Terrance Lewis, 60, will be sentenced at a later date.
…In earlier testimony, the alleged victim, now 29, told court he started meeting Lewis for counselling sessions in early 2000 after his parents caught him viewing gay pornography on the family computer.
Lewis — a family friend and minister — confided he had his own sexual identity issues and the two embarked on weekly counselling sessions designed to “assist me to be straight and to live a straight life,” the man said.
The man said Lewis started a program of “touch therapy,” which included the two kissing and fondling each other and engaging in sexual roleplaying…During “touch therapy” sessions in Lewis’ car, Lewis asked him to masturbate, the man said. Lewis also admitted to fantasizing about him, the man said.
37 Responses to “The ludicrous world of the ‘ex-gay’ play-away-the-gay movement”
Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>
I feel like such a dilettante. I’m only an amateur heterosexual.
What does one have to do to get paid for being heterosexual? Is Melissa Fryrear (Fryrear?? Really? Like Sauté-ass?) a hooker or what?
“As someone who lived homosexually for almost a decade, I know from firsthand experience that there is another side of the lesbian culture, and it is anything but glamorous.”
As someone who currently lives homosexually, I know from firsthand experience what that unglamorous part is: DAILY LIFE. You know, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, changing the cat box [of course we have cats. Cha.], paying bills, gassing up the car, grocery shopping.
She really needs a new haircut if she wants to stop “passing” as a lesbo.
The idea that engaging in gender-stereotyped activities will have any bearing on your sexuality is just so utterly ludicrous, it still surprises me that these people believe this. I’m relatively femme. I wear skirts and make-up, and I hate sports. But this has done absolutely nothing to my attraction to women. And why would it?
The idea that playing more sports will make you straight is almost a parody of itself. I’ve never been into competitive sports in my entire life and I’m as straight as an arrow.
OT, our friends the Phelps were at a funeral for one of the victims of the recent shooting at Northern Illinois University. One of them said—I swear I’m not making this up—that one of the victims deserved to die because she had short hair.
This Melissa Fryrear better watch her back if she ever travels to Wichita.
Are you suggesting that Ted Haggard wasn’t cured at Dr. James Dobson’s world-famous three-week “Homo No ‘Mo Camp?”
Blasphemer!
Heretic!
The idea that playing more sports will make you straight is almost a parody of itself.
And we’re talking American sports too, where the uber-male in the most manly sport is noted for sticking his hand under another guy’s ass and grasping a ball…
I can’t be cured. I’m gay, not ill. I can’t be saved. I’m not damned.
*fanning myself* Calling Tom Brady! (I’ll take that sugar daddy)
“And we’re talking American sports too, where the uber-male in the most manly sport is noted for sticking his hand under another guy’s ass and grasping a ball…”
Touche. Don’t forget when the fact the teammates pat themselves on the butt, either!
Does the “manly activites” thing remind anyone else of “But I’m a Cheerleader.”
I’m only an amateur heterosexual.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I think Fryrear was listed in the top 2% of all nationally ranked lesbians before she had an injury and waived her last year of eligibility.
After that it only made sense to become a professional heterosexual - what with all of the lucrative endorsement deals.
After she retires she’ll probably do the play-by-play and color commentary for network broadcasts of heterosexual events. (I hear that heterosexuality will be an exhibition sport at the Bejing Olympic games! I hope we medal! USA! USA!)
I hear that heterosexuality will be an exhibition sport at the Bejing Olympic games! I hope we medal! USA! USA!
Brazil, Italy, and France are gonna kick our asses.
Brazil, Italy, and France are gonna kick our asses.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What about the Greeks?
Everybody knows that sports are just gay porn in disguise.
My money is on the Swedes.
What about the Greeks?
Is there a pederasty event? Historically, they’d have a huge advantage.
I have been heterosexual since age 6 when I expressed my love for little Leslie across the blacktop by belching and throwing dirt balls in her general direction. But you need to understand that there is a side of heterosexuality that is NOT glamorous.
Don’t let the TV fool you: it’s not all great hot and heavy sex all the time like Helen and Stan Roper.
forcing gay men to play sports “to butch up” is therapy that brings inner heterosexuality to the surface.
omg
Four words: International Gay Rugby Association
Oh, man, I’ve been broke off my ass for the past few years when I could have been paid just for being straight? Damn it! I’m going to have to write a strongly worded letter to my high school guidance counselor about this.
The Love Won Out crew will be in Memphis this weekend to “pray the gay away.”
The GLBT community (yes, we do have one) is counter protesting. My husband got tapped to be the PFLAG spokesman.
Someone mentioned “Homo no mo’.” Peterson Toscano will be doing his last performance of that piece on Friday, and his new one on Sat.
Trixky Pixie, a folk group featuring James Alexander (FtM) will be performing Monday.
Let them have their sports. I’m going to have a fabulous weekend.
Someone will have to help me with the attribution, but I saw a fantastic gay comedian once who said that he particularly loved boxing - two muscular men running around in silk and gloves, fighting for a belt — “and the winner gets a PURSE!”
As for playing the gay away, what are these folks going to come up with as the next therapy, joining the military? Cause we know how well THAT works.
Kind of have to wonder what the equivalent for females would be, because I am sure that playing sports isn’t considered particularly feminine, in their view. Hire a man to have sex with the lesbian until she miraculously realizes she likes men? Or maybe it’s some version of cook-n-clean-as-god-ordered.
ohsohappy, the female version is learning to reject sports, put on makeup, and grow out your hair. Sports = masculine, pretty = feminine. It’s SO SIMPLE!
(de-lurk)
Peter #22 - My (albeit leaky) memory tells me that’s Scott Thompson from Kids in the Hall. Now that was a great show!
(re-lurk)
Moonwatcher, I’m exactly your opposite. I’m a female who doesn’t wear dresses or makeup, yet I like guys.
I remember that whey Ellen came out, some bigot wrote to TV Guide that she always knew Ellen was a lesbian because she had short hair and didn’t wear dresses or makeup. I was like “WTF?!” I guess people like stereotypes because then they don’t have to think.
This is an interesting report from boxturtlebulletin about the ex-gay Love Won Out conferences. It makes the point that many who attend such conferences (and who seek reparative therapy) are not themselves gay. They are the brothers or fathers or sisters or ex-wives of someone who is gay, and may be quite happy with their sexuality. The conferences aren’t targeted toward actual gay people, but towards this dissatisfied group who are close to gay people, but can’t accept their loved ones’ lifestyles. The sad thing is that these conferences aren’t helping them reach that acceptance, they’re only setting the stage for more division.
As someone who lived asexually for almost half a decade, I know from firsthand experience that there is another side of the het culture, and it is anything but glamorous.
Now. Everybody throw money at me.
It need be said that this post has some of the funniest threads, including links, ever: I’m still laughing. Bravo, everyone.
wait…this was supposed to make him stop being gay?Found the comedian.
It was John McGivern, and it was on the broadcast of Out There, a collection of gay and lesbian comedians celebrating National Coming Out Day. (there were three of these specials, all available on video).
Enjoy him if you can find him. Hysterical.
Seriously! Our Glamorous Lesbian Lifestyle consists of sitting in bed together writing SGA porn and playing Guild Wars and City of Villains together. Oh, and making the cat dance to “Tequila”. Am I missing something here?
If you ever get the opportunity to see Melissa Fryrear in person, go. You have never seen a woman look so uncomfortable in a skirt, in your entire life.
I’ll second Emma; at the risk of perpetuating stereotypes, I have to say that Melissa Fryrear in person looks like nothing so much as a dyke dressed up as a straight woman for Halloween.
The man said Lewis started a program of “touch therapy,” which included the two kissing and fondling each other and engaging in sexual roleplaying.
wait…this was supposed to make him stop being gay?
Given the last yaoi manga I read had this for its plot, I’d have to say it doesn’t seem to work the way they think it does…
I hear that heterosexuality will be an exhibition sport at the Bejing Olympic games!
It already is at the Trojan Games!
Link VERY not safe for work.