Uncovering the Truth, Undoing the Damage

Matt and I met during the Soulforce Equality Ride this past spring and have been involved in other Soulforce actions and events. In June, Soulforce teamed up with Beyond Ex-Gay and the LGBT Resource Center of UC-Irvine to host the first ever Ex-Gay Survivor Conference.

As you may be aware, ex-gay ministries such as Exodus International promote the message that being gay or transgender is sick and sinful and that you can and should work to change yourself. Unfortunately, change is ill-defined. Contrary to what one might expect, “change” does not mean “gay to straight” but rather “gay identified to non-gay identified and celibate” or “gay to married to a woman but still attracted to men.” Even Exodus International’s president Alan Chambers acknowledges that he still “struggles” with “temptations.” Change isn’t as pretty as you might be led to believe.

Peterson Tuscano and Christine Bakke–founders of Beyond Ex-Gay–have been very vocal in talking about their experience, the good along with the bad, and being accessible to others who have had similar experiences. Recently, Peterson created a space on his blog where readers could chronicle the ways in which they were harmed by ex-gay experiences. Equality Rider Vince Cervantes has been recounting his own experiences and YouTuber Daniel Gonzalez has a collection of personal stories from many former ex-gay participants.

While at the conference, I was able to document the day’s events and sit down with a handful of the conference participants to capture their own stories. It was a moving day. I’ve put together a short preview of the 15-minute film:

The full-length video is featured on Soulforce’s resource page for ex-gay ministries (or available directly here).

I am hopeful that anti-gay Christian leaders will begin to listen to these accounts. We know they mean well, but unfortunately the results can be disastrous. If you’ve gone through ex-gay programs, or even tried to change your orientation or identity on your own, I’d encourage to start speaking out and sharing your stories, I know Christine et al would love to hear from you!

Posted in Ex-gay, LGBT, Religion, Soulforce/Equality Ride |