On March 1, 2008, 35 Australian Christian ministers apologized for years of antigay defamation and discrimination, which they called “un-Christian.” More ministers would have apologized, but several ministers were threatened into silence by antigay superiors.

Anthony Venn-Brown of Freedom 2 b[e] has just released video of these apologies to gay and gender-variant persons.

Addendum, April 13: Venn-Brown announced via e-mail this evening that the “100 Revs” apology has won an award for Most Outstanding Political Comment from the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

Become ex-gay — or else: Sydney, Australia, Anglican Rev. Richard Lane once wrote to High Court Justice Michael Kirby, urging him to join an “ex-gay” ministry or face the wrath of God. Lane’s letters were publicized at a Sydney forum on religious tolerance and homosexuality. In response, Kirby accused the churchman of using intemperate language, ignoring modern discoveries about sexual orientation and missing the “central loving message of Jesus and the Gospels.” Kirby stated, “There is not a single word of Jesus that sustains the thesis of animosity in your letter.”

Kern’s double-talk: Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) released recordings of its 40-minute meeting with Oklahoma state Rep. Sally Kern, refuting Kern’s subsequent claims that she did not object to antigay discrimination and that she did not agree to meet again with the families of gay Oklahomans.

Exodus support for Kern? Video is now available of Exodus member activist Stephen Black giving his support to Oklahoma state Rep. Sally Kern and falsely claiming that most gay people are abused or badly parented. Exodus’ national office declined to affirm or condemn Black’s statements.

Door open to future antigay violence: Massachusetts antigay group MassResistance, which has been classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, has declined to condemn violent threats made against Lexington, Mass., School Superintendent Paul Ash. Antigay parent David Parker, whose campaign against tolerance in Lexington schools has been trumpeted by Exodus, conditions his own opposition to the threats by simply saying that violence is not justified “at this time.”

Reclaiming Judaism: A new Hebrew-language website has been launched in Israel to counter ex-gay propaganda published by Atzat-Nefesh. (XGW)

Shock ‘em straight? Maybe not: Officials of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have accepted an invitation to meet with Affirmation, a support group for gay and lesbian Mormons. Affirmation wishes to discuss the church’s historical support for ex-gay therapies including electric shock aversion therapy, which prompted some Mormons to commit suicide. (BTB)

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, former clients of Mercy Ministries — an antigay residential program serving Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom — say they were denied professional psychotherapeutic or counseling services and granted only occasional, program-monitored visits to a general practitioner.

Instead of professional care, residents were dictated Bible verses, prayed at, and “exorcised” — and then denied support for appropriate follow-up care. Some residents say they required years of professional care to recover from abuse suffered in the program.

Mercy is a residential program for 16- to 28-year-old women that claims to offer “Christian counseling” to women who struggle with abuse, depression, eating disorders, unplanned pregnancy, and sexuality. Residents are monitored during their trips outdoors and denied access to family and friends for four to six weeks at a time. Some participants reside on-site for months.

Ex-transgender and former Exodus North America executive director Sy Rogers was reportedly featured often in the program’s in-house videos. Former clients who experienced no same-sex attraction say they were disturbed by the program’s preoccupation with stamping out “lesbianism.” Program rules forbid hugging and any other physical contact among clients.

Despite harsh rules and inordinate repetition of ex-gay rhetoric, “Mercy Ministries denies it runs an ‘ex-gay’ program,” according to the Herald.

New Zealand government agencies have allegedly subsidized the abuse:

Government agencies such as Centrelink have also been drawn into the controversy, as residents are required to transfer their benefits to Mercy Ministries. There are also allegations that the group receives a carers payment to look after the young women.

Corporate sponsors have since yanked funding — except for Gloria Jean’s Coffee, which continues to subsidize what appears to be an abusive cult-like environment:

Deeply felt ties bind Mercy Ministries, Gloria Jean’s and the Hillsong Church, connected through a complicated chain of directors and former directors - as well as donations.

More from the Sydney Morning Herald:

• God’s cure for gays lost in sin, March 19
• No mercy for transgressions, March 19
• The business of giving Mercy, March 18
• Corporates move quickly to cut ties, March 18
  
• Why Mercy Ministries was godsent for Hillsong, March 18
  
• Hell or a godsend: women tell their stories, March 18
  
• Ethics, financial probity for review, March 18
  
• They prayed to cast Satan from my body, March 18
  
• They sought help, but got exorcism and the Bible, March 17
  
• Women ‘mistreated’ by secretive ministry, March 17
  
• Lives at risk when vulnerable patients taken in by cult-like groups, March 17

Bene Diction Blogs On explains Mercy Ministries’ close ties to Hillsong, Australia’s largest pentecostal church, and finds the ministry planning to expand in Canada and the United States.

Ongoing coverage: Religion News Blog

Thoughtful religious analysis: One Salient Oversight

Hat tip: GayNZ