ALL OVER the country, so-called "ex-gay" groups wildly claim that they can turn gay people straight. Through this hoax, religious conservatives have spread lies and misinformation across the country at the expense of gays and their families.
These "ex-gay" groups claim to be able to convert gays to a life of heterosexuality through religious and psychological methods. Not only are these programs a hoax, but they are destructive, hurt innocent adolescents, and reinforce the flawed belief that homosexuality is something "wrong" and something that can be changed.
Groups such as "Exodus International," the largest of the ex-gay ministries, claim a 30 to 50 percent conversion rate on their Web site (http://www.exodusnorthamerica.org). Despite this, these groups will not publicly state their techniques or give any hard data as to their success rates. This secrecy is inconsistent with Exodus's self-reported success.
Recently, ex-gay groups have lauded a report released by Columbia University psychiatrist Robert Spitzer. It claims that many gays "can change from gay to straight," through reparative therapy. These ex-gay groups purported that Spitzer was also very pro-gay, and that he had fought in the 1970s for the American Psychological Association to support homosexuality, which then was listed as a disorder (http://content.gay.com/channels/news/heads/010509_exgay_studies.html).
The APA blasted the study for its unsound techniques. Spitzer got a list of "ex-gays" from the ranks of the ex-gay ministries themselves, and spoke to them on the phone for 45 minutes each. There was no personal meeting, no follow-up, and no guarantee that any of these people, who were selected by the ex-gay groups, were telling the truth. The report itself was not even submitted for professional review, which did not stop it from being universally criticized in the psychiatric community.
The claims that Spitzer is pro-gay also are absurd. Although he sat on the board that voted to remove homosexuality from the list of disorders, he was opposed to the idea. And since, he has been a puppet for conservative groups, constantly speaking out against homosexuality.
On the other hand, a study done by two New York City psychologists show that of 202 gays and lesbians who wish to convert themselves, less than 3 percent successfully converted to heterosexuality. This study, in contrast to Spitzer's, was done through in-depth interviews over the course of five years, and showed that an overwhelming majority of gays who tried to convert failed. If this study is sound, which it is, Spitzer's is disingenuous.
The ex-gay leaders show the folly of these movements. John Paulk, former chairman of Exodus International and the so-called "poster boy" for ex-gays, was found soliciting sex in a gay bar in Washington, D.C. last summer. The two founders of Exodus International, "recovering" homosexuals, ran off with each other, and now preach about the danger of reparative therapy.
It has been well established that these "ex-gay" programs do not work. The APA has asserted that these ex-gay movements are flawed and psychologically dangerous. It is easy to dismiss these ultra-conservative groups simply as flawed, were it not for the damage that they have done. Reports show that people coming out of ex-gay groups have a higher rate of suicide, depression and substance abuse than other gays. Those who manage to escape from the lies and deceit of the ex-gay groups, ex-ex-gays, have asserted the failures of reparative therapy.
These campaigns for reparative therapy target closeted gays, who are dealing with rejection and self-loathing. It's easy to convince someone who hates himself that there's a way to change. But ex-gay programs also target gay teens, using their parents as a tool for misinformation.
Many teenagers under the age of 18 are being forced into ex-gay ministries by parents who don't know the truth or the dangers involved. It sounds great to parents; those who don't want to have a gay child can send them off to this program, only to have them come back a whole new heterosexual person.
Of course this is not how it works. All the scientific evidence points to the contrary. But ex-gay groups prey on the disappointment and negative reactions toward homosexuality that are present among many middle-aged parents today. In California, there is an underground railroad for gay teens, keeping them away from their parents until they reach the age of 18, to help them avoid ex-gay programs.
As a society, most of us have come to the consensus that homosexuality is not a choice. "Coming out," in many cases, opens people up to a world of prejudice, intolerance and rejection.
These ex-gay groups put forth the false and misleading notion that sexuality is as easy to change as a light bulb. In doing so, these groups are exploiting gay teens and self-loathing, closeted gays to further their own radical conservative agenda.
(Brian Cook is a Cavalier Daily associate editor. He can be reached at bcook@cavalierdaily.com.)
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