Exodus International executive vice president Randy Thomas wants you to know that he is a victim.
He is a victim of watchdogs who criticize either his public partisan politics or his public mischaracterization of ex-gay life journeys.
He is a victim of former ex-gays who cannot conscientiously heed or affirm his efforts to impose an illogical and cookie-cutter belief system upon others.
He is a victim of those who believe his employer should answer to facts rather than strawman myths and stereotypes.
He is a victim of those who believe Exodus should support families, not divide them.
He is a victim of those who criticize the intemperate and divisive defamations of culture warrior Ann Coulter.
If someone publicly disagrees with Thomas’ very public politics, then that person is, we have learned, a “viper.”
What can be said about a well-paid Exodus official who since 2001 has — borrowing his own words — acted to “malign, confuse and undermine the work of Exodus”?
What can be said of an Exodus senior staffer who comments that he will link to extremists like Fred “God Hates Fags” Phelps, but not to certain reputable watchdogs or former ex-gays?
Hi Michael,
I read Randy’s blog and there is no way I see what you see. You appear to be printing a lot of your personal animosities built up over time. I get that this site is bigoted, more so than other gay media outlets. Lastly, I do want to say that I am unemployed, no ties to any organizations and never have been. I have no reason to flaunt a lie. I realized that I was a sinner a few years ago, and asked Jesus for His free gift of salvation, the gift of the cross, the Way to God. Leaving my lifestyle and adopting His ways has brought freedom of living, peace,and eternal life guaranteed. There are definitely ex-gays saved by grace sinners out there. So I am a fact as are others, why deny it?
Thank you for your comment, Diane.
If I may ask: How exactly is this site bigoted? I welcome an explanation.
If you read the linked article at Ex-Gay Watch that helped to trigger Mr. Thomas’s rant, I believe you will see that Thomas is indeed being a bit irrational and uncommunicative with the two web sites — XGW and Truth Wins Out — that have called upon him to account for his misinformation.
It is further ironic that he considers relatively level-headed critics to be vipers, while he adores Ann Coulter. Adoring Coulter is akin to adoration of Michael Moore, Bill Maher, or James Carville: It stretches credibility for someone (liberal or conservative) to claim to affirm thoughtful civility and simultaneously affirm such smug and incendiary culture warriors.
Perhaps such opinionated celebrities serve a positive purpose — but it makes no sense for one to suck up to them and then call advocates for factual conversation “vipers.”
I will put aside Randy’s vague personal grudge against XGW and TWO for a moment.
Diane said:
“I realized that I was a sinner a few years ago, and asked Jesus for His free gift of salvation, the gift of the cross, the Way to God. Leaving my lifestyle and adopting His ways has brought freedom of living, peace,and eternal life guaranteed. There are definitely ex-gays saved by grace sinners out there. So I am a fact as are others, why deny it?”
Many people realize at midlife (or much earlier) that they have been living contrary to constructive values. They repent, they accept the grace of God or friends, they correct their unhealthy behaviors, they live happier lives.
They do not find it necessary to equate God’s ways with middle-class male suburban North American mid-20th-century ways, nor to stereotype different people under a single lifestyle, nor to curtail the religious freedom of others, nor to exclude others from eternal life.
Unfortunately, current Exodus leadership does all of these things. What some ex-gays call grace, many other people (including former ex-gays) come to see as self-centeredness.
So long as Exodus leaders assert that their own well-being requires the denial of religious freedom, individual liberty, and non-violent fact-based education to others, there is little chance of active Exodus supporters freeing themselves from a self-created public image of gracelessness.
So long as Exodus leaders assert a supremacy of modern neo-evangelical heresies over traditional Christianity, Judaism, skepticism, and other informed and inspired religious philosophies, I’m afraid that Exodus leaders cannot claim to know — or show others — the sole Way to God.
In my opinion, of course.
Diane:
People like Randy depend on people like you. It is obvious that you breezily scanned his website, and did not more than 10 minutes research to draw an incomplete conclusion.
All of the smart observations of Mike Airhart, myself and Ex-Gay Watch are very well documented if you choose to see the truth. These are not our opinions, but verifiable facts. To change a religious tune, “You once could see, but now you are blind by choice.”
Then you go onto say: “There are definitely ex-gays saved by grace sinners out there. So I am a fact as are others, why deny it?”
To the contrary, so-called “ex-gays” are threatened by the existence of secure, healthy, openly gay people who lead rich and fulfilling lives. We are the facts.
Ex-gay political activists are terrified by seeing happy GLBT individuals or couples that defy their hateful and false propaganda. They are scared of the successful gay people who have come out and do not consider themselves “sinners.”
Diane, it is a shame that you have not done your homework on Mr. Thomas, and then try to flip reality on its head. That is the real sin. I hope you can come out one day without the Biblical baggage of guilt and shame. You may find that this is what offers genuine freedom, instead of the dishonesty offered by professional sexual engineers, such as Mr. Thomas.
Wayne Besen calling me “smart?” shucks! ;¬¨)
Diane must know nothing of Randy Thomas, who plagiarizes the anti-Jew Nazi propaganda, and replaces “Jews” with “homosexuals”. Also, keep in mind that to this day, Exodus continues to link to a holocaust revisionist who tries to blame those WWII events on gay people.
Funny how self-described “campy” Randy Thomas scrubbed this from his blog a while back:
“But the point of this post and the above stats are proof that not only do those who identify as gay compete for good salaries very well… they get them. The gay identified community is the most prosperous, median salary wise, community in the country”
Sound familiar?
“Fifty-two out of every 100 doctors were Jews. Of every 100 merchants, 60 were Jews. The average wealth of Germans was 810 marks; the average wealth of Jews 10,000 marks.”