‘Ex-Gay’ Activists Brgg ‘Freedom March’ Back to DC | Right Wg Watch

Contents:

• WHAT IS THE FREEDOM MARCH FOR 'EX-GAY' PEOPLE IN WASHGTON D.C?
• EX-GAY 'FREEDOM MARCH' IS COMG TO ORLANDO, AND TWO PULSE SHOOTG SURVIVORS ARE INVOLVED
• PULSE SHOOTG SURVIVORS ANIZE EX-GAY 'FREEDOM MARCH' ORLANDO
• ‘EX-GAY’ ACTIVISTS BRGG ‘FREEDOM MARCH’ BACK TO DC
• GAY PRI
• GAY RIGHTS
• FOUNR OF ‘EX-GAY’ FREEDOM MARCH JEFEY MCCALL ADMS TO SLEEPG WH MEN
• TIMELE: KEY MOMENTS FIGHT FOR GAY RIGHTS
• “EX-GAYS” HELD A “EEDOM MARCH” WASHGTON DC & TURN OUT WASN’T ALL THAT GREAT
• PULSE SURVIVOR AND OTHERS GATHER TO CELEBRATE 'EEDOM' OM BEG GAY

WHAT IS THE FREEDOM MARCH FOR 'EX-GAY' PEOPLE IN WASHGTON D.C?

Over the Changed Movement group anized the "Freedom to March" event, which they ed to advote for (what they ll) ex-gay rights, agast the Equaly Act, and support of what the religly aligned group said was their right to the unselg of their own choosg, an apparent reference to nversn therapy. Once there, members shared their ttimonials, where they claimed they prayed the gay away or had left behd their LGBTQ+ inti for a straight of the event showed an elevated stage blastg mic while a few followers and passersby danced. "We are not tryg to do any nversn therapy, we are tryg to do the Holy Spir… when we make mistak we nfs and we jt do what the scripture says, " he the speakers is Ruiz, who says he found J and is no longer gay.

They purport that turng to J Christ will make LGBTQ+ straight or has claimed to have prevly intified as gay and as a trans woman before renouncg beg LGBTQ+, acrdg to Metro a Facebook post last month McCall wrote:Today I am gog to share an extremely personal story. A rally anized by a group urgg LGBT people to reject their inti and accept J is g to Orlando, Florida, the se of a 2016 mass shootg at a gay nightclub that left 49 people ad and dozens more survivors of the Pulse nightclub massacre are reportedly volved wh the "Freedom March, " slated for September event is one of many such ralli put on across Ameri by the Freedom March anizatn, which celebrat "eedom om homosexual/transgenr liftyl by the grace and power of J Christ, " acrdg to s webse.

EX-GAY 'FREEDOM MARCH' IS COMG TO ORLANDO, AND TWO PULSE SHOOTG SURVIVORS ARE INVOLVED

Pl, Orlando rally will take place at Lake Eloa Park, about 10 mut away om the Pulse nightclub, which has bee somethg of a memorial to anti-gay vlence and Ameri's mass shootg epimic. Now the two men, who no longer intify as gay, are anizg a “Freedom March” that enurag atten to embrace J and overe their homosexualy and transgenr rally is schled for Sept.

”A makhift memorial outsi the Pulse nightclub on July 11, 2016, a month after the mass shootg Orlando, Raoux / AP fileDpe the men’s sistence otherwise, not everyone views the Freedom March as an opportuny to une the church and LGBTQ people, wh some om Orlando’s lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer muny exprsg outrage that a cy still mourng would be the se of such an event.

C., a few dozen “ex-gay” activists and their supporters sang songs, told their stori, and listened to anti-LGBTQ keynoter Elizabeth Johnston, aka “Activist Mommy, ” talk about the need to “overe Satan’s plan for , dividually and as a culture.

PULSE SHOOTG SURVIVORS ANIZE EX-GAY 'FREEDOM MARCH' ORLANDO

A few years ago, Boyn was a gut on Mat Staver’s “Fah and Freedom” rad show, where she said that acceptance of gay relatnships is a sign of the “last days, ” and that Christian parents who have a gay child should never allow their child’s partner or spoe to their home or at fay gathergs. Gay Pri, also lled LGBT Pri or LGBTQ Pri, byname Pri, annual celebratn, ually June the Uned Stat and sometim at other tim other untri, of lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, and queer (LGBTQ) inty. Gay Pri typilly volv a seri of events and is often pped by a para volvg marchers and lourful floats om the LGBTQ muny and s the Stonewall rts, LGBTQ dividuals had generally not broadst their sexual orientatn or inty, but the event galvanized the gay muny and sparked greater polil activism (see gay rights movement).

In 1970, on the first anniversary of the rts, several hundred monstrators marched along Greenwich Village’s Christopher Street, which ns past the Stonewall, what many nsir the first Gay Pri march (though other memoratns were also held that year). Early Gay Pri events (often lled Freedom Day or Gay Liberatn Day) were often sparsely attend and enuntered protts, particularly bee of the outlandish stum that some marchers wore.

‘EX-GAY’ ACTIVISTS BRGG ‘FREEDOM MARCH’ BACK TO DC

As acceptance of the LGBTQ muny creased among the straight muny, policians sympathetic to the views of the LGBTQ muny and gay-iendly bs and rporatns began participatg the march. The total number of people participatg—both gay and straight—mhroomed, and Pri events were held many part of the globe, cludg ci where they sometim enuntered stiff ristance (e.

Army service World War I, Gerber was spired to create his anizatn by the Scientific-Humanarian Commtee, a “homosexual emancipatn” group ’s small group published a few issu of s newsletter “Friendship and Freedom, ” the untry’s first gay-tert newsletter. Ernment signated Gerber’s Chigo hoe a Natnal Historic Pk TriangleCorbis/Getty ImagHomosexual prisoners at the ncentratn mp at Sachsenhsen, Germany, wearg pk triangl on their uniforms on December 19, gay rights movement stagnated for the next few s, though LGBT dividuals around the world did e to the spotlight a few example, English poet and thor Radclyffe Hall stirred up ntroversy 1928 when she published her lbian-themed novel, The Well of Lonels. Addnally, 1948, his book Sexual Behavr the Human Male, Aled Ksey proposed that male sexual orientatn li on a ntuum between exclively homosexual to exclively Homophile Years In 1950, Harry Hay found the Mattache Foundatn, one of the natn’s first gay rights group.

”Though started off small, the foundatn, which sought to improve the liv of gay men through discsn groups and related activi, expand after foundg member Dale Jenngs was arrted 1952 for solicatn and then later set ee due to a adlocked the end of the year, Jenngs formed another anizatn lled One, Inc., which weled women and published ONE, the untry’s first pro-gay magaze.

GAY PRI

Post Office, which 1954 clared the magaze “obscene” and refed to liver Mattache Society Mattache Foundatn members rtctured the anizatn to form the Mattache Society, which had lol chapters other parts of the untry and 1955 began publishg the untry’s send gay publitn, The Mattache Review.

That same year, four lbian upl San Francis found an anizatn lled the Dghters of Bilis, which soon began publishg a newsletter lled The Ladr, the first lbian publitn of any early years of the movement also faced some notable setbacks: the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn listed homosexualy as a form of mental disorr followg year, Print Dwight D. In 1961, Illois beme the first state to do away wh s anti-sodomy laws, effectively crimalizg homosexualy, and a lol TV statn California aired the first documentary about homosexualy, lled The 1965, Dr. ”In fear of beg shut down by thori, bartenrs would ny drks to patrons spected of beg gay or kick them out altogether; others would serve them drks but force them to s facg away om other ctomers to prevent them om 1966, members of the Mattache Society New York Cy staged a “sip-”—a twist on the “s-” protts of the 1960s— which they vised taverns, clared themselv gay, and waed to be turned away so they uld sue.

They were nied service at the Greenwich Village tavern Juli, rultg much publicy and the quick reversal of the anti-gay liquor Stonewall Inn A few years later, 1969, a now-famo event talyzed the gay rights movement: The Stonewall clanste gay club Stonewall Inn was an stutn Greenwich Village bee was large, cheap, allowed dancg and weled drag queens and homels the early hours of June 28, 1969, New York Cy police raid the Stonewall Inn. After the Stonewall Rts, a msage was pated on the outsi of the board-up bar readg, "We homosexuals plead wh out people to please help mata peaceful and quiet nduct on the streets of the village.

GAY RIGHTS

" This sign was wrten by the Mattache Society–an early anizatn dited to fightg for gay reportg the events, The New York Daily News rorted to homophobic slurs s tailed verage, nng the headle: “Homo Nt Raid, Queen Be Are Stgg Mad. ”Over the next several nights, gay activists ntued to gather near the Stonewall, takg advantage of the moment to spread rmatn and build the muny that would fuel the growth of the gay rights movement. Johnson is seen at a Gay Liberatn Front monstratn at Cy Hall New York, a large crowd memorat the 2nd anniversary of the Stonewall rts Greenwich Village of New York Cy 1971.

1 / 12: NY Daily News Archive/Getty ImagChristopher Street Liberatn Day Shortly after the Stonewall uprisg, members of the Mattache Society spl off to form the Gay Liberatn Front, a radil group that lnched public monstratns, protts and nontatns wh polil officials. Siar groups followed, cludg the Gay Activists Alliance, Radilbians, and Street Transvt Actn Revolutnari (STAR) 1970, at the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall Rts, New York Cy muny members marched through lol streets memoratn of the event. Activists also turned the once-disreputable Pk Triangle to a symbol of gay Polil Victori The creased visibily and activism of LGBTQ dividuals the 1970s helped the movement make progrs on multiple onts.

Addnally, several openly LGBTQ dividuals secured public office posns: Kathy Kozachenko won a seat to the Ann Harbor, Michigan, Cy Council 1974, beg the first out Amerin to be elected to public Milk, who mpaigned on a pro-gay rights platform, beme the San Francis cy supervisor 1978, beg the first openly gay man elected to a polil office asked Gilbert Baker, an artist and gay rights activist, to create an emblem that reprents the movement and would be seen as a symbol of pri. Baker signed and stched together the first rabow flag, which he unveiled at a pri para followg year, 1979, more than 100, 000 people took part the first Natnal March on Washgton for Lbian and Gay Rights.

FOUNR OF ‘EX-GAY’ FREEDOM MARCH JEFEY MCCALL ADMS TO SLEEPG WH MEN

In 1981, the Centers for Disease Control and Preventn published a report about five prevly healthy homosexual men beg fected wh a rare type of 1984, rearchers had intified the e of AIDS—the human immunoficiency vis, or HIV—and the Food and Dg Admistratn licensed the first mercial blood tt for HIV 1985. Two years later, the first antiretroviral meditn for HIV, azidothymide (AZT), beme rights proponents held the send Natnal March on Washgton for Lbian and Gay Rights 1987. But after failg to garner enough support for such an open policy, Print Clton 1993 passed the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy, which allowed gay men and women to serve the ary as long as they kept their sexualy a rights advot cried the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, as did ltle to stop people om beg discharged on the grounds of their 2011, Print Obama fulfilled a mpaign promise to repeal DADT; by that time, more than 12, 000 officers had been discharged om the ary unr DADT for refg to hi their sexualy.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was officially repealed on September 20, Marriage and Beyond In 1992, the District of Columbia passed a law that allowed gay and lbian upl to register as domtic partners, grantg them some of the rights of marriage (the cy of San Francis passed a siar ordance three years prr and California would later extend those rights to the entire state 1999) 1993, the hight urt  Hawaii led that a ban on gay marriage may go agast the state’s nstutn.

The law prevented the ernment om grantg feral marriage benefs to same-sex upl and allowed stat to refe to regnize same-sex marriage certifit om other marriage rights backtracked, gay rights advot sred other victori. In 1994, a new anti-hate-crime law allowed judg to impose harsher sentenc if a crime was motivated by a victim’s sexual Matthew Shepard ActCourty of the Matthew Shepard FoundatnMatthew Shepard, who was btally killed a hate crime 2003, gay rights proponents had another b of happy news: the U. Gay rights proponents mt also ntent wh an creasg number of “relig liberty” state laws, which allow bs to ny service to LGBTQ dividuals due to relig beliefs, as well as “bathroom laws” that prevent transgenr dividuals om g public bathrooms that don’t rrpond to their sex at birth.

TIMELE: KEY MOMENTS FIGHT FOR GAY RIGHTS

Gay Marriage Legalized Massachetts was the first state to legalize gay marriage, and the first legal same-sex marriage was performed on May 17, 2004—a day when seventy-seven other upl across the state also tied the knot. Conservative Jtice Anthony Kennedy sid wh Jtic Ruth Bar Gsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan favor of same-sex marriage rights, ultimately makg gay marriage legal across the natn on June 2015.

Both men are survivors of the mass shootg at Pulse nightclub 2016 and have sce left homosexualy and started a mistry lled Fearls Inty to help church effectively share the love of J wh the LGBT muny. | Christian PostA powerful moment was when the young group of overers took to the stage and had a moment of silence for the 49 people who were killed on June 12, 2016, at the Pulse gay nightclub by a gunman who proclaimed his allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist group proclaimed to the crowd that God “lov gay people” and ’s important that people e to know J as their Savr before tryg to change their liftyle. This event is, “an opportuny for those of who have a new life wh J to e together fellowship and praise Him for the love and grace available to everyone who seeks [and] to ttify publicly of the life-changg grace available to leave the LGBT inty for somethg greater, " says Daren Mehl of Mnota who intified as gay for years but today is married wh two children!

“EX-GAYS” HELD A “EEDOM MARCH” WASHGTON DC & TURN OUT WASN’T ALL THAT GREAT

As the Christian Post reports, “Several of Freedom March's speakers and worship lears are featured the film "Here's my Heart: A Documentary of Surrenrg to Freedom, " which chronicl the stori of men and women who left homosexualy and transgenrism behd for a new life J. On May 5th, at the Natnal Sylvan Theater Washgton DC, we march alongsi former transgenr, bisexual, lbian and gay men and women, to celebrate the newns of life J Christ and what te liberatn om s looks like.

PULSE SURVIVOR AND OTHERS GATHER TO CELEBRATE 'EEDOM' OM BEG GAY

As Daren Mehl of Mnota who intified as gay for 10 years but today is married wh two children, says this event is, “an opportuny for those of who have a new life wh J to e together fellowship and praise Him for the love and grace available to everyone who seeks [and] to ttify publicly of the life-changg grace available to leave the LGBT inty for somethg greater. Leonard Fk Photographs, The LGBT Communy Center Natnal History ArchiveMark SegalEarly member of the Gay Liberatn Front and marshal of the first Pri marchThe Christopher Street Gay Liberatn Day March was as revolutnary and chaotic as everythg we did that first year after the Stonewall rts. ” Today, my origal marshal’s badge is on display the JayEarly member of the Gay Liberatn Front and Radilbians and -anizer of the first march New York and Los AngelIt was a near miracle that the first Christopher Street Wt Para Los Angel kicked off at all on June 28, 1970.

For one day, we were victor agast the Ed Davis of the world, and no one seemed “dismod” the FkelsteJohn KyperEarly member of Boston’s Gay Liberatn Front and an anizer of Boston’s first Pri ParaWe held our first march Boston 1971 — a year after New York.