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Conference News. Past Exodus Leaders Apologise

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ShadowBoxer
Moderator
Joined in 2005
July 5, 2007, 07:34

The Ex Gay survivors conference seems to have been worthwhile.


http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la- me-exgay28jun28,0,1590125

From the Los Angeles Times


3 former leaders of ex-gay ministry apologize


They cite psychological harm they caused gays as the ministry, Exodus

International, meets in Irvine.

By Rebecca Trounson

Times Staff Writer


June 28, 2007


Three former leaders of Exodus International, often described as the

nation’s largest ex-gay ministry, publicly apologized Wednesday for the

harm they said their efforts had caused many gays and lesbians who

believed the group’s message that sexual orientation could be

changed through prayer.


Speaking at a Hollywood news conference, the former leaders of the

interdenominational Christian organization said they had acted sincerely

in their years of work with Exodus. But they said they had all, over

time, become disillusioned with the group’s ideas and concerned about

what they described as the wrenching human toll of such gay conversion

efforts.


The news event, in a courtyard outside an office of the Los Angeles Gay

& Lesbian Center, was timed to coincide with the opening of Exodus’

annual conference, which is being held this week at Concordia University

in Irvine. A competing “ex-gay survivor” convention is to begin Friday

at UC Irvine.


Exodus’ president, Alan Chambers, reached by phone at the meeting in

Irvine, said he disagreed with its critics, adding that its methods have

helped many people, including him.


“Exodus is here for people who want an alternative to homosexuality, ”

Chambers said. “There are thousands of people like me who have overcome

this. I think there’s room for more than one opinion on this subject,

and giving people options isn’t dangerous.”


The former leaders from Exodus cast its work in grim terms.


“Some who heard our message were compelled to try to change an integral

part of themselves, bringing harm to themselves and their families,” the

three, including former Exodus co-founder Michael Bussee, said in a

joint written statement presented at the news conference. “Although we

acted in good faith, we have since witnessed the isolation, shame,

fear and loss of faith that this message creates.”


Now a licensed family therapist in Riverside, Bussee left Exodus in 1979

after he fell in love with a man who was a fellow ex-gay counselor with

the group. He speaks out frequently against ex-gay therapies.


“God’s love and forgiveness does indeed change people,” said Bussee, who

remains an evangelical Christian. “It changed me. It just didn’t make me

straight.”


Others speaking at Wednesday’s news conference included Jeremy Marks,

former president of Exodus International Europe, and Darlene Bogle, the

founder and former director of Paraklete Ministries, an Exodus referral

agency based in Hayward, Calif.


All three said they had known people who had tried to change their

sexual orientation with the help of the group but had failed, often

becoming depressed or even suicidal as a result.


“We are committed Christians, but we’re still gay,” said Marks, who

heads Courage UK, a gay-affirming evangelical ministry based in

England.


Among those at the news conference was the Rev. Mel White, founder and

president of a faith-based gay rights group called Soulforce. White, who

was the ghostwriter for the Rev. Jerry Falwell’s autobiography and later

came out as gay, praised the former Exodus leaders.


“It’s a major moment, a paradigm shift,” White said. “They’re saying

this doesn’t work, and that’s incredibly important.”


The Exodus meeting is expected to attract about 1,000 people, Chambers

said. Chambers, who is married and has children, said he and other

current Exodus officials are careful to warn those who seek help that

such a path is not easy.


Sexual orientation “isn’t a light switch that you can switch on and

off,” he said.



magsdee
Disabled
Joined in 2006
July 5, 2007, 19:16

I knew Vonnie Pitts she was going to take me thru living waters, a beautiful lady. One of the best of women. )



Anthony Venn-Brown
 
Joined in 2005
July 5, 2007, 23:30

small world



magsdee
Disabled
Joined in 2006
July 7, 2007, 08:47

Sure is D I wonder if she would still remember me……..Im old now lol wink



Craig_Maynard
 
Joined in 2007
July 9, 2007, 18:08

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-exgay28jun28,1,6454711.story?ctrack=1&cset=true


Just for those who want to access the newpaper article of the above from LA newspaper.


This is really powerful for 3 people who admits that the program was doing more harm than good. I’m not an academic in this field and I admit that I have never been to these programs because I could not see myself as evil or bad. I feel terrible for those who have undergone so many things that’s just tears me up inside 😯 . I know without a shade of doubt that I could not, would not survive the treatment many have gone through – I have low pain threshold. I only have to look at someone hurting another person and I have to do something because I’m acutely aware of the person in pain/fear/trauma – its almost like I have an electric plug and it plugs itself into the victim so that I can also relate to the pain. It’s one thing that I had grown up with… these days I can block it out a little but the heart racing, the sympathy pain where it’s inflicted, even watching a movie I’m a nightmare – 😕


Anyway, I’m just so glad that someone has apologised for their involvement and I wonder how many more will be prevented from this happening to their lives. The promise of cure is really addictive and being honest to myself I wouldn’t want to be gay in an environment where my safety and wellbeing is at risk – and considering that my sexuality or orientation is not based on a choice I made – why should I put up with people’s attitude who have no idea of what they are imposing on our lives. 🙂


hmmmmm such thoughts.



Craig_Maynard
 
Joined in 2007
July 9, 2007, 20:39

Wow… thanks Anthony for sharing that bit of release of information. I guess I can praise God that I never went through any treatments such as many has… purely because of my lack of accessing information, the fact that people were more interested in my Deafness and when they question about my “emotional” responses being predominantly female gender type.. I say what you expect, I grew up in single parent with just my mum and my sister.


Like I said before… I know that I would not have survived these programmes. I shake my head and I know with conviction that I would never have survived this ordeal that many have gone through. I understand devastation and deep dissapointment – what I experienced was deep enough but I manage to stay afloat and something like meeting others like myself is so reassuring and supportive. Knowing a community out there with same sex orientation is heartening but it does not reach me because I identify myself with Christians – its like the artcle from the Jewish Gay couple….


Fred Morgan, the chief rabbi at Temple Beth Israel in Melbourne, said: “We always welcome gays and lesbians into our community but, if we don’t acknowledge their long-term relationships, we are welcoming them with one hand and pushing them away with the other.”


There has to be a major fundamental shift in the church community to enable us to continue our Christian life without being hassled, without being watched because we could corrupt their children or other members… if they are questioning their own sexuality then maybe they might have deeply burried same sex attraction feelings. Sigh.


Where does it ever stop eh?


🙂



Anthony Venn-Brown
 
Joined in 2005
July 26, 2007, 00:07

see the apologies on you tube


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDiYeJ_bsQo



magsdee
Disabled
Joined in 2006
July 26, 2007, 12:48

wow……….That was moving and healing!!



Anthony Venn-Brown
 
Joined in 2005
July 26, 2007, 15:12

i’ve removed the apologies from the Aussies from here as i’m organising this now on a global basis.


it will only be a matter of weeks



Myfanwe
 
Joined in 2007
July 26, 2007, 15:53

It takes guts to admit when you’re wrong. I commend them for it. I thank God for their honesty.


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