Marcia Ellen here. Recently I've been accused of hating Christians and being an "angry lesbian." Truth is, I don't hate anyone. There are millions of Christians out there who show the love of Christ through their lives and I love them all. However, I have very good reason to be angry at right wing fanatics who claim to be Christian but their actions prove they have little to no knowledge about Christ other than what they've gleaned from the pulpit of obsessive fundamentalist churches. Allow me to offer a striking example. Have you ever heard of Exodus International? There are about a hundred of their centers spread out across Red State America. Their self-description states, "Exodus is a nonprofit, interdenominational Christian organization promoting the message of 'Freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ.'"
Exodus has been in operation since 1976, back when the psychiatric people finally came to the conclusion that being gay wasn't a disorder or a disease. Unfortunately Exodus didn't get the word and has spawned numerous copy-cat organizations over the years. Some are sophisticated "reparative therapy" organizations like NARTH or Dr. James Dobson's Love Won Out conferences, others are"camps" where Marine style "tough love" is supposed to reprogram gay kids into straight kids. Almost all of these programs follow the gospel of Dr. Warren Throckmorton, an Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of College Counseling at Grove City (PA) College. They certainly don't follow the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The American Psychiatric Association, way back in 1998, adopted the position that therapy designed to change a person's sexual orientation should be stopped. The President of the APA stated, "There is no scientific evidence that reparative or conversion therapy is effective in changing a person’s sexual orientation. There is, however, evidence that this type of therapy can be destructive."
This isn't the first time whacko religious groups have discounted science and medicine when it came to the treatment of children. In the organizations that fundamental Christians call "cults," you have parents who refuse blood transfusions for their children or don't take them to doctors when they're sick because they believe that sickness is caused by sin. But we're talking about mainstream American Christian churches this time, not some out of the ordinary religious cult.
Would you be willing to bet the mental health of your gay child that some quack shrink can "convert" them to heterosexuality? What if they're wrong and your child commits suicide like many have? How do you think God feels about that? How would you feel if your child chose this way out of the deep depression they feel caused by wanting to please you and God, by being what you call "normal," yet knowing they cannot change who they are?
You don't think it happens? I ran a story about Jeff Price, originally published in the PA Times Leader, which describes just such a tragic incident. It's what happens when parents tell their gay kids that their sinners and God hates them. On top of that, read Camp Hetero Horror, published in the Daily Kos recently, which describes one of these reparative therapy camps. It's about a camp called Refuge in Memphis TN, and it claims to be "a safe place for young people and their families to find true freedom from addictions through the power of Jesus Christ. At this time Refuge is an outpatient program for young men and women ages 13-18. Refuge is designed to minister to adolescents struggling with broken and addictive behaviors such as pornography, drugs and alcohol, sexual promiscuity, and homosexuality."
Can you imagine the leaders of such seemingly religious institutions telling your child that, "I would rather you commit suicide than have you leave Love In Action wanting to return to the gay lifestyle. In a physical death you could still have a spiritual resurrection; whereas, returning to homosexuality you are yielding yourself to a spiritual death from which there is no recovery."
Sound Christian to you? Gays can't change their sexual orientation any more than straight people can. To attempt to force them to go against their natural emotional development is to open the door to extreme depression and suicidal thoughts. Such a thing is physiologically damaging and parents who send their gay children to places like this should be jailed along with the nut cases that run these organizations and put children at suicidal risk with their "anything to make a buck" faux biblical rhetoric.
So what if you're ashamed or angry that your child is gay. Instead of listening to some twisted preacher, why not seek out some understanding of what your child is going through by joining PFLAG, Parents, Families, and friends of Lesbians and Gays. Consider that you may be the ones that need help, not your gay children. You need to learn how to love your child as they are, not as you want them to be.
Yes, I'm angry at so called Christians that support this snake oil "cure" for homosexuality. You should be too.
