What Does Ex-Gay Actually Mean?
http://www.anythingbutstraight.com/lear ... etalk.html
One of the most slippery and cruel things that Exodus and other "change" ministries do is play semantic games with the word "ex-gay". The word implies that a person has gone from gay to straight, with "ex" clearly meaning that one is no longer homosexual. The problem is, ex-gay leaders are wildly inconsistent on whether true heterosexuality is a real possibility, and they habitually offer conflicting comments on the matter.
As you will see by the following quotes, sometimes the same individuals offer statements that are contradictory. One moment they say they have changed and that Exodus and other groups promote genuine heterosexuality. The next moment, leaders will say homosexual fantasies and attractions will continue indefinitely, and heterosexuality isn't really the goal.
Change IS Definitely Possible
Alan Chambers, Executive Director, Exodus North America
"I'm not gay anymore…I did change. I changed my sexual orientation and became heterosexual."
Books Promoting Change
Major publications sold by Exodus and other ministries have unambiguous titles that tout change such as “Coming Out Straight”, “Homosexual No More” and “You Don’t Have to Be Gay.”
Richard Cohen, President, Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays
“For those who wish to make this transition from homosexual to heterosexual, I am certain that change is possible. I knew that God did not create me this way.”
Joe Dallas, Speaker, Focus on the Family's Love Won Out tour
“If someone as deluded as I was can be brought out of homosexuality then surely anyone can.”
Sy Rogers, Former Executive Director, Exodus North America
“The bottom line is, you have a choice to overcome it. You can change.”
Frank Worthen, New Hope Ministries
“I don’t think there’s anybody who can’t change if they just relax and let God do what He wants.”
Change ISN"T Necessarily Possible
Alan Chambers
“I don’t think change is going from gay to straight. Just saying that doesn’t sound like an accurate representation of what Exodus facilitates or proclaims."
“To say that Exodus is a great healer and the place for people to become straight, I would think that is not right. If there are Exodus ministries that do that, we need to change that. We need to work on that.”
“Put me in a bathhouse, would I find people attractive or would it stir me, it probably would. I’m not a raging heterosexual where I have to worry about if a lady walks in the room and I have to turn my head, while some guys are like that.”
Joe Dallas
“No one has ever left therapy saying, ‘Wow, I have absolutely no homosexual thoughts.
Jeff Konrad, Author, You Don't Have To Be Gay
“Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t lust for women as some men do; that is not healthy behavior either.”
Alan Medinger, Author, Growth Into Manhood
“If an attractive man and an attractive woman enter a room, it is the man I will look at first,” Medinger told the Wall Street Journal.
John Smid, Executive Director, Love in Action
“I am not totally healed from homosexuality. It is part of my emotional, physical and spiritual history. It will not be erased as if it did not exist. I still struggle at times…I will shut down with my wife at times. I periodically have thoughts regarding men,” said on his website.
Sillman Davis, Director, Overcomers ex-gay ministry
“Obviously, I’ve been with women, but that’s not the point. My healing process is a journey; it’s a walk with Christ.”