The APA made it very clear in their recommendations what entails ethical therapy for ALL therapists, and that includes ex-gay therapists. If they can’t play by the same rules everyone else does, they should have their licenses stripped. They get no special rights, where they can gravely harm people without appropriate consequences.

One week ago, we released a video of Patrick McAlvey, who endured degrading and potentially abusive, in my view, therapy from a counselor who leads an Exodus ministry. As of today, Exodus has not publicly addressed, investigated or acknowledged this possible transgression. So, can one conclude that Exodus approves of its counselors asking clients to take off their shirts to do push-ups and disclose the size of their members?

Given such low standards, it remains questionable whether such a group should remain in business.

Brad, what have NARTH and Exodus done (other than lie about gay life, distort studies, use fake or outdates science and turn a blind eye to possible abuse) to show they are worthy of keeping their doors open?

If these groups can play by the rules, let them remain open. If they repeatedly and flagrantly violate the APA’s recommendations, and other professional guidelines and ethical standards, they should be closed.

This should be something that all reasonable people of good will agree on.

It is interesting that you keep projecting ex-gay appeals for a police state onto other people. Ex-gay leaders such as Exodus board member Don Schmierer and Scott Lively keynoted the launch event for a campaign of vigilantism, forced ex-gay therapy, and imprisonment in Uganda. Lively is a popular speaker to Slavic hate groups in eastern Europe. And Exodus president Alan Chambers approved of Schmierer’s action while claiming to neither support nor oppose involuntary ex-gay re-education. Exodus’ Day of Truth campaign, meanwhile, favors school policies to silence gay students and exempt their bullies from disciplinary policies.

It is irresponsible for so-called “ministries” to act like cults, detain people involuntarily, lie to clients and their families about the basic facts of sexual orientation and mental health, scapegoat innocent parents, shame clients, and promote fear of reputable mental-health treatment.

People with “SSA” have a right to the facts that are denied to them by antiscientific ex-gay political organizations that pretend to be religious or Biblical. The Bible, as I’ve said before, offers no support for 19th- and early 20th-century ex-gay theories about the formation of sexual orientation.

People with same- or opposite-sex attraction have a right to be celibate if they wish — and they have a right to live spiritual lives that are free of the shame, fear, anger, and distrust of faith that you and other ex-gay activists instill in people and churches.