Group That Had Aimed To "Change" Gays To Shut Down, Lear Also Offered Apology

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
• EXOD INTERNATNAL: 'GAY CURE' GROUP LEAR SHUTTG DOWN MISTRY AFTER CHANGE OF HEART
• EX-GAY GROUP EXOD INTERNATNAL SHUTS DOWN, PRINT APOLOGIZ
• EX-GAY GROUP EXOD INTERNATNAL SHUTS DOWN, PRINT APOLOGIZ
• 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
• MIXED REACTNS TO EXOD GROUP LEAVG 'GAY THERAPY'
• GROUP THAT HAD AIMED TO "CHANGE" GAYS TO SHUT DOWN, LEAR ALSO OFFERED APOLOGY
• U.S. GROUP THAT 'NVERTED' GAYS CLOS S DOORS AND APOLOGIZ

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.

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

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. Gay bar. Eventually, Plk left the ex-gay mistry 2003.

In 2004, he said, "For s ex-gay mistry has been centered around the USA. 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. 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.

EXOD INTERNATNAL: 'GAY CURE' GROUP LEAR SHUTTG DOWN MISTRY AFTER CHANGE OF HEART

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.

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.

— For 37 years, Exod Internatnal was the leadg bean of the “ex gay” movement, which mataed that gay men and lbians uld change their sexual orientatn through prayer and psychotherapy. In a statement posted Wednday on the group’s Web se, he ced a recent letter he had wrten to gay men and lbians. ” The closg of Exod Internatnal signals a major upheaval for the ex-gay movement, which has been the target of creasg cricism.

EX-GAY GROUP EXOD INTERNATNAL SHUTS DOWN, PRINT APOLOGIZ

Profsnal associatns have nounced s foc on reparative therapy to “cure” homosexualy as not only effective but potentially harmful. At the same time, polls have shown a risg number of Amerins are more acceptg of homosexualy and approvg of gay marriage. Last year, California banned gay nversn therapi for mors, although a legal challenge is pendg.

EX-GAY GROUP EXOD INTERNATNAL SHUTS DOWN, PRINT APOLOGIZ

Still, as Exod has backed away om efforts to cure homosexualy, other nservative Christian groups have moved to fill the void, and have ntued to assert that homosexualy is not nate but an immoral last year, when Mr. Chambers — who gave up same-sex relatnships to marry a woman — announced that he no longer believed homosexualy uld be cured, Exod’s fund-raisg has dwdled, officials nced.

Aaron Bzer, a platiff the lawsu challengg California’s ban on gay nversn therapy, said that Exod’s closg would do nothg to dimish his fah that such treatment n work, as he said had for him. The board members plan to start a new mistry whose doors will be open to everyone, cludg openly gay members, Mr.

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

They are settg up a Web se lled Many gay rights advot appld Exod’s closg, as well as Mr. Chambers’s apology to gays and lbians. “This is an earthquake that chang everythg, ” said Wayne Ben, director of Tth Ws Out, a group that rebuts what nsirs misrmatn about gay men and lbians.

Chambers, who has said he still believ that actg on homosexual sir is not ndoned by Scripture. June 20, 2013 — -- A Christian mistry that claimed people uld change their sexualy through fah, prayer and therapy is shuttg down s operatns, and the group's print issued an apology for g the gay muny "pa and hurt" through s past Internatnal's board of directors said the cisn to close the doors of the 37-year-old mistry me "after a year of dialogue and prayer about the anizatn's place a changg culture, " acrdg to a statement posted on the group's webse late Wednday.

RELATED: Exod Internatnal Head Alan Chambers Compar Homosexualy to ObyOnce parg homosexualy to oby a 2011 terview wh ABC News, the group's print, Alan Chambers, issued an extensive apology this week to the LGBTQ muny reflectg his change of heart. "The group's "nversn therapy" was based on the belief that people are not born gay, but rather choose to act on same-sex clatns, makg a "ndn" that uld be "cured. (RNS) Exod Internatnal, a group that bills self as “the olst and largt Christian mistry alg wh fah and homosexualy, ” announced late Wednday (June 19) that ’s shuttg s doors.

MIXED REACTNS TO EXOD GROUP LEAVG 'GAY THERAPY'

The announcement me jt after Exod print Alan Chambers released a statement apologizg to the gay muny for many actns, cludg the anizatn’s promotn of efforts to change a person’s sexual orientatn. Exod functned as a support group for men and women who were stgglg wh their sexual orientatn, and early on embraced the ia that gays and lbians uld bee straight through prayer and unselg.

GROUP THAT HAD AIMED TO "CHANGE" GAYS TO SHUT DOWN, LEAR ALSO OFFERED APOLOGY

The announcement at a cril pot for gay rights, as the U.

U.S. GROUP THAT 'NVERTED' GAYS CLOS S DOORS AND APOLOGIZ

Supreme Court prepar to issue two potentially cisive lgs on gay marriage and public opn shifts rapidly favor of gay rights and even gay marriage. A recent Gallup Poll showed that 59 percent of Amerins now view gay or lbian relatns as “morally acceptable, ” a 19-pot swg sce 2001 and the biggt change seen on any social issue, cludg divorce, extramaral affairs and other issu. Chambers had already disavowed reparative therapy at the annual Gay Christian Network nference January 2012, and his apology “is the acknowledgement many of have been wag to hear for a long, long time, ” said GCN executive director Jt Lee.

“Alan has been movg this way for awhile … but this apology is much more explic and leav no room for support for change therapi or monizg gays. ” said Warren Throckmorton, a psychology profsor at Grove Cy College who has long observed the ex-gay movement. “Exod has been a lightg rod for Christian discsn about homosexualy over the years and wh today’s events will probably ntue to be for awhile.