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July, 1998

Ex-gay ministries use out-moded medical theories and radical religious beliefs to justify trying to alter gay and lesbian people's natural sexual orientation.

Ex-gay ministries believe three main things:

• they are called to love gay and lesbian people "struggling with sexual orientation";
• homosexual orientation is chosen or is the result of bad childhood experiences; and
• they cannot condone this "sinful" behavior, and therefore "cannot accept their gay, lesbian and bi-sexual family members." (P-FOX website)

How can Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays respond to so-called "reparative therapy" and the Ex-Gay movement? Many PFLAG parents have seen first-hand how damaging this "therapy" has been to their children. It is important that we recognize and educate based on facts and reputable professional opinions.

Facts on "reparative therapy":

• Sexual orientation is not a disease. In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association removed the term "homosexuality" from its list of mental and emotional disorders. Therefore, it does not need to be cured.

• "Reparative therapy" doesn't work. In 1990, the American Psychological Association stated that scientific evidence does not show that conversion therapy works and that it can do more harm than good.

• According to the American Medical Association, "most of the emotional disturbance experienced by gay men and lesbians around their sexual identity is not based on physiological causes but rather is due more to a sense of alienation in an un-accepting environment. For this reason, aversion therapy (reparative therapy) is no longer recommended for gay men and lesbians."

Religious Beliefs
It is important to let people know, however, that many religious leaders see sexual orientation - heterosexual or homosexual - as a gift from God. Moral sexual behavior is neither limited to nor necessarily true of heterosexual people.

Lastly, it is important to affirm the mission of PFLAG:

• To support our gay, lesbian and bisexual children, family members and friends and promote their health and well being.
• To educate others about the facts on homosexuality and the negative and divisive effects that misinformation has on gay, lesbian and bisexual people and society.
• To advocate to end discrimination and to secure equal rights.

Exodus International
Exodus International is a Christian referral and resource network founded in 1976. Its primary purpose is to "proclaim that freedom from homosexuality is possible through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord." (Exodus website) This "therapy" is based on the out-moded idea that homosexuality is an illness and the narrow belief of some religions that homosexuality is a sin.

Exodus has never produced any success rates. They can only estimate that about half the men who complete their program remain out of homosexuality after five years.

In fact, the efficacy of a "cure" has been called into question by many gays who have gone through the Exodus program. Perhaps the most famous "former ex-gays" are Michael Bussee and Gary Cooper, who were instrumental in establishing Exodus International in 1976. Ironically, the more they worked together, the more they found themselves falling in love. They realized that the ministry was damaging more people than it was helping. With many people who had gone through the ministry either attempting suicide or becoming clinically depressed, Bussee and Cooper realized they had to speak out about the "ex-gay" ministries. "After dealing with hundreds of people," Bussee concludes, he and his lover hadn't "met one who went from gay to straight. Even if you manage to alter someone's sexual behavior, you cannot change their true sexual orientation."

P-FOX
P-FOX is a national organization founded in 1995, largely in response to the powerful and positive message of PFLAG. Although P-FOX is not affiliated with any of the established ex-gay ministries, it works closely with these groups and draws many resources from them.

Anthony Falzarano
Former director of Transformation Ex-Gay Ministries in Washington, DC, Falzarano believes that he was "cured" of homosexuality. He is currently the National Director of P-FOX. He feels P-FOX needs to answer to the lies of PFLAG.

Paul Cameron
In order to respond to the statistics used by Falzarano and other anti-gay leaders, it is important to know more about their sources. Dr. Paul Cameron is the man behind the false statistics used by the radical right. He is responsible for such statistics as "the average life span of a homosexual is 39 years old." However, his statistics have never been accepted by any mainstream psychological, psychiatric, epidemiological or sociological organizations.

Dr. Cameron was:
expelled from membership of the American Psychological Association in 1983 for employing "unsound methodologies and breaching the code of ethics"; and
censured by the Nebraska Psychological Association, American Sociological Association and the Midwest Sociological Society. (Log Cabin Republican briefing paper, 1994)

Conclusion
It is critical that we present our perspective about "reparative therapy" and "ex-gays" in our local communities, whether in the media or in conversation. The damage that can be done by reparative therapy is real. It can destroy someone's self esteem and faith and may lead to self-destructive behavior.

It is important that we provide the truth about gay, lesbian and bisexual people and the positive contributions that they make to our communities, the country and the world.