(Exodus’ Randy Thomas schmoozing with Karl Rove in headier times)
Is the once active “ex-gay” organization Exodus International on the decline?
Those who follow the group have noticed fewer events scheduled and virtually no media presence. The last press release for Exodus was posted on October 6, and the group’s front page promotes an event as far back as June. In terms of messaging, the group appears to be stuck in a rut and its once vital campaigns have grown predictable and stale.
Needless to say, I’m pleased with this development!
It is unclear if Exodus’ woes are a result of an internal shake-up, or if financial setbacks have hobbled the organization. Perhaps, they are not working as closely with Focus on the Family, which augmented Exodus’ past campaigns with creativity and professionalism. Ever since Focus on the Family handed over the flashy “ex-gay” road show Love Won Out to Exodus, it appears that the standing of Exodus has diminished.
The only evidence the group is still alive comes from Vice President Randy Thomas’ blog posts. But, even this venue suffers from inertia and rust, with Thomas posting offensive videos of Chambers preaching hate in 2006. Are there no new videos or messages to highlight?
In 2010 the organization left hardly a footprint. Its sluggish efforts lacked energy, and its impact had noticeably diminished. It will be interesting to see if Exodus comes out of its slumber and recovers in 2011.
The “ex-gay” group People Can Change (PCC) is increasingly filling the void left by Exodus. PCC runs Journey Into Manhood (JIM) weekends, which is a scam that takes gay men into the woods for $650, with the goal of making them more masculine. The group recently gained notoriety after ABC Nightline filmed a puff piece highlighting the group’s work. (A more accurate description of the group might be Journey into Manhunt)
The good news is that PCC is particularly vulnerable to scandal and outright collapse. This heavily Mormon organization adheres to the bizarre therapy model of Richard Cohen, the laughable and discredited “Sexual Reorientation Coach” who runs the bizarre International Healing Foundation. Convicted Wall Street hood, Arthur Abba Goldberg, is responsible for funneling a good number of paying clients into the group. (I’d love to see what’s in it for him) The organization’s senior trainer, Alan Downing, faced credible accusations of sexual misconduct by two clients earlier this year.
The PCC scheme is likely on borrowed time and is making a mistake by stepping out so publicly. Journalist Ted Cox wrote a fabulous expose showing the creepy and peculiar happenings at Journey into Manhood weekends. We had hoped that ABC Nightline would have engaged in real journalism and corroborated Cox’s story. However, they eschewed investigative reporting for cheap access to the camp, leading to a disappointing and woefully incomplete depiction and representation of Journey into Manhood weekends.
Still, it is only a matter of time before committed broadcast journalists with standards of excellence infiltrate JIM to reveal the closety, homo-erotic exercises that are offered in the camp’s “Cuddle Room”. When this happens, the entire program will turn into a punchline. I can hardly wait.
PFOX is also trying to assert itself, but its ties to the colorful and outrageous sexual engineer, Richard Cohen, will likely retard the group’s progress. The organization’s president, Greg Quinlan, appears angry and unstable, further hindering PFOX’s efforts to have an impact and gain mainstream credibility. And, Executive Director Regina Griggs is no more than a figurehead who avoids public appearances outside the safety of adoring fundamenalist Christian audiences. Indeed, PFOX may simply be a shell group for the Family Research Council and a number of Christian legal groups that want to show that “ex-gays” exist for political reasons. (To its detriment, PFOX embarrassingly can’t find real “ex-gays” to show, unless they work for the group, like Quinlan)
The National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) remains a dangerous organization, because their members pose as legitimate experts on homosexuality. However, they consistently underachieve because they fail to produce respectable peer review studies. Instead, they offer up transparent propaganda that has undermined the organization’s reputation with the public and media.
It will be interesting to see which one of these organizations — or perhaps a new one — comes out of the woodwork to pick up the slack. Hopefully, the answer is “None of the above.”
Richard Cohen, continues to undermine “ex-gay” groups
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Excellent stuff. Here in the UK the ex-gay movement has never had such a high profile as in America, but the story is similar. Patrick Strudwick’s lengthy article, “The ex-gay files: The bizarre world of gay-to-straight conversion”, in The Guardian earlier this year was particularly helpful in exposing the “ex-gay” hoax.
Obviously, it’s far too early to open a bottle, but, to borrow the words of the late Sir Oliver Lodge from another context, “through the haze and mists of the twilight we catch the glimmer of a rosy and hopeful dawn.”
Not all of the participants or even leaders of these ex-gay groups are charlatans. Certainly there are a few, like Cohen and Nicolosi, who stand to profit from the ex-gay myth–either through sexual gratification and money (like Cohen) or only by taking people’s money for bogus “therapy” sessions or workshops (Nicolosi), but many people involved in the deception and feeding it with their money, energy, condemnation of others, and self-loathing, sincerely think they can actually overcome their homosexuality, which they believe is perversion and sin.
Until we can break the evil paradigm of people thinking they are inherently wicked because of their sexual attraction–a concept many sects incessantly promote–we will have to continue to deal with the unhealthy behavior of people denying the truth and inflicting their neuroses on the innocent. That will be a long and slow process, perhaps going generations beyond our times.
At least by exposing the lies and the ridiculousness of these preposterous ex-gay groups, Wayne and other leaders can get through to some LGBT people trapped in bad situations and needlessly carrying a heavy burden of guilt and shame. For most “ex-gay” people, it’s just a matter of time before either their hypocrisy is revealed in some sordid way or they simply can’t sustain the lies anymore and they just come out of the closet, having wasted years of their lives and contributed to the harm others have suffered as a result of their unintentional bigotry.
It is fun to watch these groups dwindle and lose interest as the society around them wakes up and realizes that there are wonderful, healthy, happy gay people ALL AROUND THEM!!!
Well said, Neal. I agree with every word that you have written.
This week’s Coral Ridge Hour with the dead D. James Kennedy (on tape) featured an ‘ex-gay’ named Paul Osterman of ‘Restoring Hope Ministries’. I’ve never heard of this guy before and I was wondering if he is on your radar?
[...] week, I commented on how the “ex-gay” group Exodus International had a sluggish year where, at times, it seemed as they had dropped off the radar. It turns out that Exodus had gone [...]