Former LDS ‘Ex-Gay’ Claims Evergreen is a Suicide Mill

Wayne Besen July 10, 2011

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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8 Comments

Richard Rush July 10, 2011 at 9:02 pm -

Excellent! I loved his lines near the end (after he said, earlier, that he had concluded there was no god): “That’s what happens when you leave the church – it just gets better. It just gets so much better.”

Yes, through reason, you really can find freedom from the senseless horrible bondage of religion!
Jerry July 10, 2011 at 11:42 pm -

It’s appalling that organizations like the Mormon Church and all the other wacko anti-gay groups can hide their hatred of us behind their religion. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing.

That several of the participants committed suicide makes the program criminal and the Mormon Church should be prosecuted.

Excellent video.

Jerry
Patrick July 11, 2011 at 8:44 am -

Wonderful video! I will add to what he said by saying that when I left the Roman Catholic Church, it got much better for me as well. That was over 24 years ago, and I have never regretted it. When John Paul II approved a document written by Joseph Ratzinger that said I was intrinsically disordered and could never really love were I to be in a same sex relationship, I knew I could no longer stay in such a sick, out of touch church and continue to survive. It took only a few months for me to tie up things, find a gay positive non church related job and move on.
Brian July 11, 2011 at 10:47 am -

Such a beautiful soul… it makes me grieve to think of the prolonged emotional and spiritual abuse he was subjected to.

But what stands out to me is the suicide rate. One THIRD??? If ever there was evidence that reparative therapy is murder by slow and deliberate torture… Let the homos off themselves by giving them the spiritual gift of self-loathing – TRULY a “hate” crime. I’m so outraged I can barely find words.

The m***********s need to be prosecuted, shut down and jailed.
Devin July 11, 2011 at 11:24 am -

The Southern Baptists are no better than the Mormons. They have such a destructive view of gays. I watched Robert Jeffress of the First Baptist Church of Dallas over the weekend & I saw him demonstrate how the straitjacket of fundamentalism works. He came right out & said that if a person has ANY thought which is doubtful of the bible or of God, he is in the hands of Satan. Any thought that a person might have that questions church teaching is being held captive by Satan & must be banish that thought immediately or else be deemed disobedient by God. So much for intellectual inquiry! I once wrote to Focus of the Family to deride their ‘straitjacket’ of religion & they replied that straitjackets were GOOD! What fools!
Gianni July 11, 2011 at 1:02 pm -

It has been about 45 years since I gave up on the Catholic church. For a couple of years I had a semi-sort of involvement with a Pentecostal Church (talk about going from the frying pan into the fire). I even met a hot Puerto Rican man in the church who would tell me, after we had sex, how sinful I was for being gay! I went on to live without fear of God’s wrath or punishment for every f*****g little infraction against the “rules”. Life is life. I haven’t noticed that religion makes anyone a better person, or more successful, or happier or any such thing. If your faith brings you comfort, fine, enjoy it, live it. BUT mind your own f*****g business. I’ve come to realize that if God is like so many of these religious freakoids say He is, then he is truly messed up for a God. He sounds more like one of them. Of coures, He IS one of them! :)
Gary (NJ) July 11, 2011 at 1:40 pm -

The fully inclusive Church that I belong to has brought me/us inspiration and contentment. The people there are happy and liberal and do a lot of good out in the community. NONE of us in a ‘horrible bondage’ nor lacking in freedom!
Jack July 14, 2011 at 12:42 pm -

So strange reading this.

I have been a Christian of one type or other all my life, and still am.

My lover of 15 years and I are members of a Catholic Church, where we are looked upon as models of faith and piety and are greatly loved.

I think what makes our relationship work is that we have a common faith in Jesus, and we both feel that we have led each other into a deeper faith in Him.

I know this doesn’t fit it with what a lot of people are saying on this thread, but it’s the truth.