Pray Away Go Deep Into the 'Ex-Gay' Movement That Began the '70s

Contents:

• WHAT IS EXOD INTERNATNAL, THE EX-GAY CHRISTIAN GROUP AT THE CENTER OF NETFLIX'S PRAY AWAY?
• FORMER 'EX-GAY' LEARS DENOUNCE 'CONVERSN THERAPY' IN A NEW DOCUMENTARY
• THE DOWNFALL OF THE EX-GAY MOVEMENT
• EXOD CLOS, MARKG OFFICIAL END OF THE EX-GAY MOVEMENTPRI PARATHE LARGT CHRISTIAN EX-GAY GROUP IS CLOSG, MARKG THE END OF THE BELIEF THAT GAYS N GO STRAIGHT.DAVID SSNSUPDATED JUL. 11, 2017 10:28PM EDT / PUBLISHED JUN. 21, 2013 4:45AM EDT PHELAN M. EBENHACK/APIT MIGHT SEEM LIKE THE “EX-GAY” MOVEMENT END THURSDAY, WH THE CLOSG OF EXOD INTERNATNAL, THE EVANGELIL ANIZATN THAT ONCE PRACTICED “REPARATIVE THERAPY” FOR GAY CHRISTIANS, AND WH THE APOLOGY OF S PRINT, ALAN CHAMBERS, FOR THE HURT HE HAS ED. “I AM SORRY I DIDN'T STAND UP TO PEOPLE PUBLICLY ‘ON MY SI’ WHO LLED YOU NAM,” CHAMBERS SAID AN OPEN LETTER ADDRSED TO THE “LGBT MUNY.” “I AM SORRY I HAVE MUNITED THAT YOU AND YOUR FAI ARE LS THAN ME AND ME.” THE STATEMENT ANNOUNCED THE EXOD BOARD’S UNANIMO CISN TO CLOSE S DOORS.THE MOVE IS CERTALY SIGNIFINT, AND IS NO DOUBT TEND TO HAVE A POWERFUL SYMBOLIC EFFECT. BUT THE ANNOUNCEMENT IS ONLY THE PSTONE OF THE RAPID DISAPPEARANCE OF THE “EX-GAY MOVEMENT,” A NSTELLATN OF EVANGELIL MISTRI (AND A FEW JEWISH AND MORMON OFFSHOOTS) THAT EMBRACED PSDOSCIENTIFIC THERAPI TO CHANGE THE SEXUAL ORIENTATN OF GAY BELIEVERS. THE LIFE WAS SUCKED OUT OF EXOD BY BOTH THE MOMENTUM OF THE GAY-RIGHTS MOVEMENT AND THE NSTANT FECTNS OF PEOPLE PREVLY ASSOCIATED WH THE MOVEMENT. BUT PERHAPS MORE THAN ANYTHG, WAS CHAMBERS HIMSELF WHO HAD HAD ENOUGH.LARGELY UNNOTICED BY THE MASTREAM MEDIA, CHAMBERS HAD FOR SEVERAL YEARS BEEN DISTANCG EXOD OM THE DISCREDED IAS BEHD REPARATIVE THERAPY AND THE ANIZATNS’ PREV CLAIMS TO HAVE HELPED “THOANDS” OF PEOPLE OVERE THEIR HOMOSEXUALY. DURG HIS 11 YEARS AT EXOD, CHAMBERS GRADUALLY MORATED HIS CLAIMS ABOUT THE POSSIBILY OF CHANGG SEXUAL ORIENTATN, QUTNG THE ANIZATN’S TALK OF “CHANGE” AND REJECTG THE TERM “EX-GAY.” HIS 2009 BOOK, LEAVG HOMOSEXUALY, REVEALED SOME OF THE MSS OF HIS OWN MARRIAGE TO A WOMAN AFTER YEARS OF LIVG AN OPENLY GAY LIFE. A YEAR AGO CHAMBERS EXPLICLY NOUNCED REPARATIVE THERAPY AND SAID HE HAD NEVER MET ANYONE WHO CHANGED THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATN, SPARKG A FUROR AMONG MORE NSERVATIVE EX-GAY GROUPS. BUT CHAMBERS’S GRADUAL MAKEOVER OF EXOD SEEMS LARGELY DRIVEN BY THE NSTANT LUGE OF BAD NEWS ON EVERY POSSIBLE ONT. GAY MARRIAGE IS ASCENDANT, DRIVEN BY A RAPIDLY SHIFTG PUBLIC OPN. THE PILLARS OF THE EX-GAY MOVEMENT’S PRETENSNS TO SCIENTIFIC CREDIBILY WERE BEG MOLISHED. WARREN THROCKMORTON, AN EVANGELIL PSYCHOLOGIST WHO STUDI SEXUAL INTY, EVENTUALLY NCLUD THAT THERE WAS NO EVINCE REPARATIVE THERAPY WORKED AND BEME A STRONG CRIC OF THE EX-GAY MOVEMENT’S CLAIMS. THE WELL-KNOWN PSYCHIATRIST ROBERT SPZER PUBLICLY RENOUNCED AND APOLOGIZED FOR HIS NTROVERSIAL 2001 STUDY THAT HAD BEEN GREETED AS A HOLY GRAIL FOR THOSE LOOKG FOR EVINCE THERAPY ULD CHANGE SEXUAL ORIENTATN.AND THEN THERE WERE THE “EX-EX-GAYS.” BOTH FORMER EX-GAY LEARS AND PARTICIPANTS WERE A NSTANT PR NIGHTMARE FOR THE EX-GAY MOVEMENT AS THEY ME OUT, SOME S FOR THE SEND TIME, AND ANNOUNCED WHAT CHAMBERS WOULD EVENTUALLY ACKNOWLEDGE: THAT NO ONE THEY KNEW OF HAD EVER BEE STRAIGHT. IN 2007 THREE FORMER EXOD LEARS APOLOGIZED FOR THEIR VOLVEMENT THE ANIZATN. IN 2010 BAPTIST MISTER AND EX-GAY THOR GEE REKERS WAS UGHT AT THE AIRPORT WH A GAY “RENTBOY” WHO CLAIMED HE HAD GIVEN REKERS “NU BODY BS.” IN 2011 JOHN SMID, THE DIRECTOR OF A CALIFORNIA EX-GAY GROUP THEN KNOWN AS LOVE ACTN, APOLOGIZED ON HIS BLOG AFTER PARTICIPATG A DOCUMENTARY THAT FORCED HIM TO NONT THE HURT HE HAD ED.EVEN BEFORE EXOD EXPLICLY BEGAN S REBRANDG, THE EX-GAY MOVEMENT HAD BEEN CIMATED SI AND OUT. “WE’VE CEASED TO BE A LIVG, BREATHG ANISM,” CHAMBERS WROTE. THE THERAPI THAT HAD ONCE FORMED S BACKBONE, DISCREDED MASTREAM IAS OM THE MID-20TH CENTURY, HAD BEME FOSSILIZED PSDOSCIENTIFIC NSERVATIVE ANIZATNS THAT LACKED EVEN THE APPEARANCE OF CREDIBILY. HORROR STORI ABOUT PRSN AND SUICIDAL THOUGHTS OM THOSE EX-GAY THERAPY WERE REPORTED THE MASTREAM MEDIA AND HAD AN EFFECT EVEN ON THE RELIG. LAST YEAR, ORTHODOX JEWISH RABBIS ME OUT AGAST THE THERAPY JT A FEW MONTHS AFTER CALIFORNIA BEME THE FIRST STATE TO BAN FOR TEENS UNR 18.BUT PERHAPS THE BIGGT FACTOR IS THE SHIFTG EXPERIENCE OF NSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS THEMSELV, WHO N NO LONGER SULATE THEMSELV OM THE REALY OF THE GAY PEOPLE THEY KNOW AND WHO HAVE BEGUN TO ACCEPT THAT SEXUAL ORIENTATN ISN’T A CHOICE. GAY CHRISTIANS ARE NO LONGER ISOLATED OM ACCURATE RMATN ON THE INTER, ALONG WH A HEALTHY DOSE OF LGBT CRICISM OF EX-GAY CLAIMS. WHATEVER THEOLOGIL BELIEFS EVANGELILS MAY HOLD, ’S BEG MORE AND MORE OBV THAT NVERSN THERAPY IS A RELIC OF A WORLD THAT’S ALL BUT DISAPPEARED. DAVID SSNS
• WHAT COM AFTER THE EX-GAY MOVEMENT? THE SAME THG THAT CAME BEFORE.
• PRAY AWAY GO DEEP INTO THE 'EX-GAY' MOVEMENT THAT BEGAN THE '70S
• AFTER EXOD: EVANGELILS REACT AS EX-GAY MISTRY STARTS OVER
• WARNG: EXOD IS FISHED BUT THE EX-GAY MOVEMENT HAS JT BEGUN

WHAT IS EXOD INTERNATNAL, THE EX-GAY CHRISTIAN GROUP AT THE CENTER OF NETFLIX'S PRAY AWAY?

Over the urse of nearly 40 years, a group lled Exod Internatnal had a chokehold on the "ex-gay" movement—a relig ph suggtg that wh work and therapy, people the LGBTQ+ muny uld "undo" their queerns.

As members ntued to leave the mistry, nounce nversn therapy, and rume their liv as gay, lbian, bisexual, and trans people, the anizatn always reced more people willg to be fac for the group. Worthen, who has been emed the "Father of the Ex-Gay Movement, " spent a good chunk of the 80s travelg the world and startg more ex-gay mistri. Eventually, Worthen and his wife turned the res of Love Actn over to John Smid, an "ex-gay" who served as Executive Director om 1991 to 2008.

In a statement, he spoke out agast reparative therapy, suggtg that while the practice of homosexualy was still a s his ey, reparative therapy did not remedy homosexualy people. It's a movement that's born out of a larger culture of homophobia and transphobia that still persists the majory of Christian church today.

FORMER 'EX-GAY' LEARS DENOUNCE 'CONVERSN THERAPY' IN A NEW DOCUMENTARY

It wasn't until the suici of his iend, who was also part of the "ex-gay" movement, that he reevaluated everythg. Interview highlights clu extend web-only answers and have been eded for length and clary: Interview Highlights Thomas on how he joed the "ex-gay" movement and Exod Internatnal I was out of the closet the '80s. They also had a group for the gays, and unrneath all of that olns there was this toxic theology that said that you need to overe homosexualy.

Stolakis on what the ex-gay and nversn therapy movement looks like today Conversn therapy and the ex-LGBTQ movement has always been practiced lolly.

THE DOWNFALL OF THE EX-GAY MOVEMENT

It's bee very lennial-driven bee there are younger people who've grown up homophobic and transphobic environments who are ready and willg to take the place of people like Randy. In 2001, Alan Chambers was hired as the print of the world’s largt ex-gay mistry, Exod Internatnal.

Durg the latter part of the 20th century, Exod and siar nservative groups promoted the ia that gay people uld—and should try to—bee straight. Ex-gay lears traveled to church and appeared on televisn news programs cg a lany of exampl of happily married “former homosexuals” to monstrate that sexual orientatn is a choice and that change is Chambers would unrgo a radil change of heart.

EXOD CLOS, MARKG OFFICIAL END OF THE EX-GAY MOVEMENTPRI PARATHE LARGT CHRISTIAN EX-GAY GROUP IS CLOSG, MARKG THE END OF THE BELIEF THAT GAYS N GO STRAIGHT.DAVID SSNSUPDATED JUL. 11, 2017 10:28PM EDT / PUBLISHED JUN. 21, 2013 4:45AM EDT PHELAN M. EBENHACK/APIT MIGHT SEEM LIKE THE “EX-GAY” MOVEMENT END THURSDAY, WH THE CLOSG OF EXOD INTERNATNAL, THE EVANGELIL ANIZATN THAT ONCE PRACTICED “REPARATIVE THERAPY” FOR GAY CHRISTIANS, AND WH THE APOLOGY OF S PRINT, ALAN CHAMBERS, FOR THE HURT HE HAS ED. “I AM SORRY I DIDN'T STAND UP TO PEOPLE PUBLICLY ‘ON MY SI’ WHO LLED YOU NAM,” CHAMBERS SAID AN OPEN LETTER ADDRSED TO THE “LGBT MUNY.” “I AM SORRY I HAVE MUNITED THAT YOU AND YOUR FAI ARE LS THAN ME AND ME.” THE STATEMENT ANNOUNCED THE EXOD BOARD’S UNANIMO CISN TO CLOSE S DOORS.THE MOVE IS CERTALY SIGNIFINT, AND IS NO DOUBT TEND TO HAVE A POWERFUL SYMBOLIC EFFECT. BUT THE ANNOUNCEMENT IS ONLY THE PSTONE OF THE RAPID DISAPPEARANCE OF THE “EX-GAY MOVEMENT,” A NSTELLATN OF EVANGELIL MISTRI (AND A FEW JEWISH AND MORMON OFFSHOOTS) THAT EMBRACED PSDOSCIENTIFIC THERAPI TO CHANGE THE SEXUAL ORIENTATN OF GAY BELIEVERS. THE LIFE WAS SUCKED OUT OF EXOD BY BOTH THE MOMENTUM OF THE GAY-RIGHTS MOVEMENT AND THE NSTANT FECTNS OF PEOPLE PREVLY ASSOCIATED WH THE MOVEMENT. BUT PERHAPS MORE THAN ANYTHG, WAS CHAMBERS HIMSELF WHO HAD HAD ENOUGH.LARGELY UNNOTICED BY THE MASTREAM MEDIA, CHAMBERS HAD FOR SEVERAL YEARS BEEN DISTANCG EXOD OM THE DISCREDED IAS BEHD REPARATIVE THERAPY AND THE ANIZATNS’ PREV CLAIMS TO HAVE HELPED “THOANDS” OF PEOPLE OVERE THEIR HOMOSEXUALY. DURG HIS 11 YEARS AT EXOD, CHAMBERS GRADUALLY MORATED HIS CLAIMS ABOUT THE POSSIBILY OF CHANGG SEXUAL ORIENTATN, QUTNG THE ANIZATN’S TALK OF “CHANGE” AND REJECTG THE TERM “EX-GAY.” HIS 2009 BOOK, LEAVG HOMOSEXUALY, REVEALED SOME OF THE MSS OF HIS OWN MARRIAGE TO A WOMAN AFTER YEARS OF LIVG AN OPENLY GAY LIFE. A YEAR AGO CHAMBERS EXPLICLY NOUNCED REPARATIVE THERAPY AND SAID HE HAD NEVER MET ANYONE WHO CHANGED THEIR SEXUAL ORIENTATN, SPARKG A FUROR AMONG MORE NSERVATIVE EX-GAY GROUPS. BUT CHAMBERS’S GRADUAL MAKEOVER OF EXOD SEEMS LARGELY DRIVEN BY THE NSTANT LUGE OF BAD NEWS ON EVERY POSSIBLE ONT. GAY MARRIAGE IS ASCENDANT, DRIVEN BY A RAPIDLY SHIFTG PUBLIC OPN. THE PILLARS OF THE EX-GAY MOVEMENT’S PRETENSNS TO SCIENTIFIC CREDIBILY WERE BEG MOLISHED. WARREN THROCKMORTON, AN EVANGELIL PSYCHOLOGIST WHO STUDI SEXUAL INTY, EVENTUALLY NCLUD THAT THERE WAS NO EVINCE REPARATIVE THERAPY WORKED AND BEME A STRONG CRIC OF THE EX-GAY MOVEMENT’S CLAIMS. THE WELL-KNOWN PSYCHIATRIST ROBERT SPZER PUBLICLY RENOUNCED AND APOLOGIZED FOR HIS NTROVERSIAL 2001 STUDY THAT HAD BEEN GREETED AS A HOLY GRAIL FOR THOSE LOOKG FOR EVINCE THERAPY ULD CHANGE SEXUAL ORIENTATN.AND THEN THERE WERE THE “EX-EX-GAYS.” BOTH FORMER EX-GAY LEARS AND PARTICIPANTS WERE A NSTANT PR NIGHTMARE FOR THE EX-GAY MOVEMENT AS THEY ME OUT, SOME S FOR THE SEND TIME, AND ANNOUNCED WHAT CHAMBERS WOULD EVENTUALLY ACKNOWLEDGE: THAT NO ONE THEY KNEW OF HAD EVER BEE STRAIGHT. IN 2007 THREE FORMER EXOD LEARS APOLOGIZED FOR THEIR VOLVEMENT THE ANIZATN. IN 2010 BAPTIST MISTER AND EX-GAY THOR GEE REKERS WAS UGHT AT THE AIRPORT WH A GAY “RENTBOY” WHO CLAIMED HE HAD GIVEN REKERS “NU BODY BS.” IN 2011 JOHN SMID, THE DIRECTOR OF A CALIFORNIA EX-GAY GROUP THEN KNOWN AS LOVE ACTN, APOLOGIZED ON HIS BLOG AFTER PARTICIPATG A DOCUMENTARY THAT FORCED HIM TO NONT THE HURT HE HAD ED.EVEN BEFORE EXOD EXPLICLY BEGAN S REBRANDG, THE EX-GAY MOVEMENT HAD BEEN CIMATED SI AND OUT. “WE’VE CEASED TO BE A LIVG, BREATHG ANISM,” CHAMBERS WROTE. THE THERAPI THAT HAD ONCE FORMED S BACKBONE, DISCREDED MASTREAM IAS OM THE MID-20TH CENTURY, HAD BEME FOSSILIZED PSDOSCIENTIFIC NSERVATIVE ANIZATNS THAT LACKED EVEN THE APPEARANCE OF CREDIBILY. HORROR STORI ABOUT PRSN AND SUICIDAL THOUGHTS OM THOSE EX-GAY THERAPY WERE REPORTED THE MASTREAM MEDIA AND HAD AN EFFECT EVEN ON THE RELIG. LAST YEAR, ORTHODOX JEWISH RABBIS ME OUT AGAST THE THERAPY JT A FEW MONTHS AFTER CALIFORNIA BEME THE FIRST STATE TO BAN FOR TEENS UNR 18.BUT PERHAPS THE BIGGT FACTOR IS THE SHIFTG EXPERIENCE OF NSERVATIVE CHRISTIANS THEMSELV, WHO N NO LONGER SULATE THEMSELV OM THE REALY OF THE GAY PEOPLE THEY KNOW AND WHO HAVE BEGUN TO ACCEPT THAT SEXUAL ORIENTATN ISN’T A CHOICE. GAY CHRISTIANS ARE NO LONGER ISOLATED OM ACCURATE RMATN ON THE INTER, ALONG WH A HEALTHY DOSE OF LGBT CRICISM OF EX-GAY CLAIMS. WHATEVER THEOLOGIL BELIEFS EVANGELILS MAY HOLD, ’S BEG MORE AND MORE OBV THAT NVERSN THERAPY IS A RELIC OF A WORLD THAT’S ALL BUT DISAPPEARED. DAVID SSNS

Chambers’s cisn effectively livered the athblow to the beleaguered ex-gay movement. ”As a former Exod participant who once lived a “gay liftyle” but was able to achieve a succsful straight marriage, Chambers was the perfect ndidate to lead the anizatn. And September 2000, Exod’s chairman John Plk was photographed cisg for men at a gay bar Washgton, D.

”The movement tradnalists believed would be their savg grace the fight agast LGBT rights was quickly beg their Achill’ chosen to lead Exod 2001 was like beg the ex-gay Pope followg the Catholic sex-abe sndals. In 2005, he lled homosexualy “one of the many evils this world has to offer.

”Though the ex-gay lear was stewg on the si, he seemed as rolute as ever on the outsi. He advoted for California’s Proposn 8, which sought to ban gay marriage the state.

WHAT COM AFTER THE EX-GAY MOVEMENT? THE SAME THG THAT CAME BEFORE.

In 2009, he published a book lled Leavg Homosexualy: A Practil Gui for Men and Women Lookg for a Way Out.

PRAY AWAY GO DEEP INTO THE 'EX-GAY' MOVEMENT THAT BEGAN THE '70S

A 2013 Pew Rearch poll showed that only 36 percent of Amerins believe a gay or lbian person’s orientatn n be changed.

AFTER EXOD: EVANGELILS REACT AS EX-GAY MISTRY STARTS OVER

As Satcher reported, morn science had livered cshg blows to the ex-gay movement wh peer-reviewed rearch showg that s iology was bunk. Today, even top Southern Baptist lears have nounced ex-gay therapy, and the school newspaper for the Jerry Falwell-found Liberty Universy has edorialized agast . He has voiced his support for Print Obama’s effort to ban orientatn-change therapi for mors and celebrated the Supreme Court’s cisn to legalize gay marriage.

“I look at gay and lbian people who are mted relatnships and I believe they n reflect the image of God, ” Chambers says. “For those who nnot rencile their fah and sexualy, they n be affirmed their choice of celibacy and vote their liv to more life givg than ‘riddg themselv of the mon homosexualy, ’” Chambers says.

WARNG: EXOD IS FISHED BUT THE EX-GAY MOVEMENT HAS JT BEGUN

It might seem like the “ex-gay” movement end Thursday, wh the closg of Exod Internatnal, the evangelil anizatn that once practiced “reparative therapy” for gay Christians, and wh the apology of s print, Alan Chambers, for the hurt he has ed. But the announcement is only the pstone of the rapid disappearance of the “ex-gay movement, ” a nstellatn of evangelil mistri (and a few Jewish and Mormon offshoots) that embraced psdoscientific therapi to change the sexual orientatn of gay believers.