Man Testifies at Prop 8 Trial And Says That ‘Ex-Gay’ Therapy Failed

Wayne Besen January 20, 2010

A Colorado gay man is testifying in a federal same-sex marriage trial about his experience undergoing so-called “reversal therapy” that attempted to change his sexual orientation.

Lawyers for two same-sex couples suing to overturn California‘s gay marriage ban called 26-year-old Ryan Kendall to the witness stand to demonstrate that a person’s sexual orientation cannot usually be changed.

The point is central to their effort to show that gays deserve special protections from discrimination under the U.S. Constitution.

Kendall said the therapy he underwent at the insistence of his parents while a teenager drove him to the brink of suicide and did nothing to turn him into a heterosexual.

A lawyer for the ban’s sponsors objected to Kendall being allowed to testify, saying it’s irrelevant to the legal issues in the case.

About the Author

Wayne Besen is the Founding Executive Director of Truth Wins Out and author of “Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth” (Haworth, 2003). In 2010, Besen was awarded the “Visionary Award” at the Out Music Awards for organizing the American Prayer Hour, an event which shined a spotlight on the role American evangelicals played in the introduction of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill.

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5 Comments

Thomas Kraemer January 20, 2010 at 5:34 pm -

I don’t believe the anti-gay attorney when he says ex-gay testimony is “irrelevant to the legal issues in the case.” I am sure he wants the testimony suppressed because he knows that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled discrimination with a rational reason is legal in many cases where somebody chooses the behavior, but for discrimination to be legal based on something a person can’t change, such as their race or the color of their skin, a much better reason is required.

So far, the U.S. Supreme Court has never recognized sexual orientation as being something a person can’t change. Until they do so, sexual orientation will not have the same legal protection against discrimination as race has had for decades.
Priya Lynn January 20, 2010 at 5:38 pm -

I’m not so sure about that Thomas. Hasn’t the U.S. supreme court ruled that discrimination against people because of their religion, a chosen behavior, is illegal?
Evan Hurst January 20, 2010 at 6:29 pm -

Yep.
Merlyn January 20, 2010 at 8:35 pm -

Good point, Priya Lynn. Religion IS a chosen behaviour. If it is protected, then sexual orientation, which is not chosen, should also be protected. I’m glad this man is being allowed to testify.
Mykelb January 20, 2010 at 9:47 pm -

The Prop 8 people opened the door to this man’s testimony as their campaing literature talked about conversion therapy and that sexuality was a mutable characteristic. So, their objection to him being in court as irrelevant is a blatant attempt to shut down discussion and testimony to the opposite fact.