Weekly Column
In February, a brave gay Ugandan living in exile, Kushaba Moses Mworeko, appeared at the National Press Club in Washington with a paper bag over his head to denounce Uganda’s deadly Anti-Homosexuality Bill. He wore a mask to conceal his identity because he feared for his life. At the DC press conference, he decried the interference in Ugandan affairs by intolerant American evangelicals, including the “ex-gay” organization Exodus International.
The catalyst for the infamous “Kill the Gays Bill” was a 2009 conference in Kampala featuring Scott Lively, who wrote The Pink Swastika, a book that blamed gay men for the rise of Nazism in Germany, and Don Schmierer, a board member for Exodus International.
Looking back, these were heady days for Exodus, with high-profile television appearances and globetrotting to exotic lands to evangelize the “ex-gay” myth. The good times were rolling with Exodus living by the economic rules of “God’s Economy”, where strong faith trumps smart finances.
The spiritual drunkenness of Exodus had led the organization to foolishly trade its leased offices in favor of a building with a million dollar mortgage. Now, deep into the recession, the organization is left begging the Lord for a loan and asking God’s helpers for a helping hand. On Monday, Exodus wrote on its blog, “Will you pray and ask if God would use YOU to extend His hand of generosity to our ministry during this challenging season?”
In this same Internet post, the organization announced layoffs. The downsizing mirrored severe cuts by Focus on the Family, which sold its financially strapped “ex-gay” road show, “Love Won Out”, to Exodus last year. Apparently, it was not such a wise investment for Exodus, judging by the group’s latest plea for help.
“Dear friends, please pray for us at Exodus,” wrote the organization’s President Alan Chambers. “We have experienced an unexpectedly low giving season this summer coupled with much higher expenses (insurance, utilities, etc). Sadly, we have had to let several staff go. Your prayers are appreciated. For those who are also having to endure this unfriendly economy, our prayers are with you!”
Those who do not follow the “ex-gay” industry must have been surprised by Exodus’ poverty plea. After all, on Aug. 10, the organization’s President Alan Chambers told CNN’s blog that, “Our calls are increasing. Our ministries say we’re busier than ever.”
Exodus’ Vice President, Randy Thomas, also appeared to be oblivious to the cliff ahead. On Aug. 7, he posted a flamboyant video where he gregariously sang, expressed horror that his deodorant smelled too gay, and ordered a designer Starbucks “iced venti, skinny vanilla latte”.
However, the shortfall wasn’t a shock to those of us who study these groups. In late January, I first warned that Exodus was in trouble, evidenced by its moribund website and tardy press releases – which suggested there had been staff cuts. At that time I wrote, “The group’s last press release posted on its sluggish website is dated November 16, 2009. Memo to Exodus, the New Year’s ball has dropped. You can come out of your slumber.”
Exodus financial downturn seems to be echoed by Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality (JONAH), which recently begged supporters to send old clothes, so the group could resell them, presumably at second-hand stores or flea markets.
The reason for the relative decline of these groups is that they are selling a fraudulent product. If they had really “cured” self-loathing homosexuals, these groups would be swimming in money, donated by satisfied clients and ecstatic relatives. All they offer, however, is an infomercial for false hope and their seedy scheme is beginning to catch up to them.
Unfortunately, failed American “ex-gay” outfits can still do enormous damage overseas. For example, Hong Kong’s Society for Truth and Light just published a 52-page booklet citing the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) This is the organization best known for George Rekers, its anti-gay board member who had to step down this year after vacationing with a prostitute he had met on Rent Boy.com.
This week, Kushaba Moses Mworeko released a new video, courageously taking off his mask to call attention to the plight of LGBT people in most African countries. He implored Anglican bishops attending the All African Bishops conference in Entebbe, Uganda, to denounce the “Kill the Gays Bill.”
While it may take Exodus a while to fix its financial mess, the global wreckage it has left behind will not be so easy to clean up.
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“For those who are also having to endure this unfriendly economy, our prayers are with you!” — yeah, like they’ll waste one second praying for other people. That’s just a platitude.
(JONAH), ‘which recently begged supporters to send old clothes’= give us your shmatas. They are *really* pathetic.
Glad to see the economy having one good effect. The ‘ex-gay” industry needs to go belly up asap.
Why is it that Exodus etc. are going belly up? It’s because mostly because reputable psychiatrists, GPs, other medical personel, etc no longer give credence in 2010 in the USA to the idea “that gays need to be cured”. More and more no longer consider it an illness. It is no longer listed as an illness in mainstream and reputable US medical and psychiatric organizations.
Because laws are gradually changing. Marriage equality in any Midwestern state (Iowa in this case)???? Not 5 years ago. Domestic partnership law in Nevada? Not 5 years ago.
More and more young people could not care less who they know in their lives that are gay and lesbian.
In 2010, it’s percentage-wise more of a so what, who cares today than say 15 years ago.
Gay characters and themes crop up in the movies and sometimes on TV.
Gay relationships are legal or becoming legal in some way in more and more countries in the world. Even in some Catholic-majority countries.
Gay news is now in more major newspapers in some light other than the gay cannibal/serial murderer of gay men. Or some other sensationalized supermarket tabloid-like stuff that depicts gay life as other than run of the mill.
Gay engagement/wedding ceremonies are now showing up where legal in major newspapers.
A few years ago I would never have found on TV a lesbian couple featured along with the usual straight couple on an animal hoarding program. The lesbian couple was shown as a couple who loved each other but needed to resolve the animal hoarding tendencies one half of this couple. The issue was resolved and the couple no longer had an animal hoarding issue in the way of their relationship. This is just one of many bright spots here and there in the year 2010.
Now if only the advertizing world on TV in all its prevailing “hetero-normativeness” would add a few more gay characters in ads, etc
I’d like to believe that Exodus and other ex-gay organizations are in trouble, but I think what we are seeing is the effect of the economy on everyone, not just ex-gay groups.
One of the strategies of Exodus since Alan Chambers became the Executive Director is to integrate ex-gay programs into church networks (hence their Church Network branch), so that separate ex-gay organizations are no longer out there on their own but are integrated into and supported better by existing (presumably more stable and long-standing?) institutional networks.
Like the continual pronouncements ever decade or so that the religious right is dead, let’s not be overly optimistic here.
And yes, they are globalizing the American reparative therapy model to every corner of the earth.
And, by the way, I don’t think Alan Chambers’ trips abroad have slowed a bit – have you looked at where he’s been this year (including Ireland and Brazil)?
Exodus leaders and ex-gay movement leaders are speaking to all kinds of groups and organizations and large gatherings (besides the ones we are used to monitoring). We need to pay closer attention – they are branching out.
And for all the focus on NARTH, I wonder why there isn’t a similar focus on the American Association of Christian Counseling (which is fully supportive of ex-gay therapy). The president of AACC, Tim Clinton, is on the faculty in Psychology at Falwell’s university, Liberty University and was a speaker at the conference Liberty held back in February of 2010 on homosexuality (I forgot the title of the conference). Alan Chambers was there, as were Mat Staver and Matt Barber (both of Liberty University). Oh, and Mat Staver has been a speaker at AACC meetings as well – talking about legal issues and ex-gay therapy.
And don’t forget Mark Yarhouse (who attended the February conference at Liberty, though he was in the audience and not a speaker) – Mat Staver kept referring to the ex-gay study by “Jones and Yarborough” while Yarhouse was sitting right there.
Yarhouse is on the faculty at Pat Robertson’s university, Regent University, and he’s a regular speaker at AACC (he even has his own “Sexual Identity Institute” at Regent. Regent’s psychology program is cranking out a significant number of graduates who are probably doing “sexual identity” counseling (aka, another name for ex-gay therapy). Warren Throckmorton and Yarhouse have co-presented there, in fact.
I think Janelle Hallman has even been a speaker at a past AACC conference.
I’m not ready to pronounce the ex-gay movement’s economic hardships as evidence beyond how the current economic crisis is affecting all of us right now.
The ex-gay movement is integrating into larger networks and they are globalizing.