Exodus International
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Exodus International is "the largest Christian referral and information ministry" in the ex-gay movement, "promoting the message of Freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ." Exodus partner ministries offer reparative therapy, prayer, and other techniques to attempt to change the sexual orientation of homosexuals to heterosexuality. Exodus doesn't believe same-sex desires have a genetic basis, but instead are changeable and mask an underlying issue, like abuse and neglect from early development.
Founded in 1976, it is a non-profit, interdenominational Christian organization which has grown to include over 120 local ministries in the USA and Canada and over 150 ministries in 17 countries.[1] Exodus's system of support is composed of a church, a therapist and a support group. The group also has monthly newsletters, annual conferences, speaking engagements and web services. Alan Chambers is the current president of Exodus.
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[edit] Criticism
Reparative therapy, which is any therapy aimed at changing the sexual orientation of a patient, has come under much criticism in recent years. There is no solid evidence that it works, and many psychologists believe it may be harmful, particularly to young people. The American Psychiatric Association's official position statement on the issue states "In the last four decades, "reparative" therapists have not produced any rigorous scientific research to substantiate their claims of cure. Until there is such research available, APA recommends that ethical practitioners refrain from attempts to change individuals' sexual orientation, keeping in mind the medical dictum to first, do no harm." [2]
Groups that reject the idea of reparative therapy include The National Association of Social Workers, The American Psychological Association, The American Psychiatric Association, The American Counseling Association, and The American Academy of Pediatrics. [3]
[edit] Controversy
Exodus International's first scandal occurred in 1979 when Michael Bussee (one of the five co-founding members who had helped organize the 1976 conference that led to Exodus' inception) left the group to be with Gary Cooper, a volunteer at the local Exodus ministry where they both worked, who was also volunteering for the first Exodus conference. Later they held a life commitment ceremony. Their story is one of the focuses of the documentary One Nation Under God (1993), directed by Teodoro Maniaci and Francine Rzeznik.
Exodus claims to have helped hundreds of thousands of ex-gay men and lesbians, however the claim hasn't been certified by an independent audit. To date, Exodus has also declined to release any information on what the estimate is based upon, or how the program success rate is measured.
[edit] Paulk Affair
Exodus International’s most recent and damaging scandal involved John Paulk who became the public face for the organization in its 1998 marketing push to promote its programs. Paulk became active in Focus on the Family and was also the elected chairman of the board of Exodus International North America. A former prostitute and drag queen, Paulk and his wife Anne (nee Edward), a self-described "former lesbian," enjoyed high profile publicity for their work with Exodus and as examples of "ex-gays" from their program.
Also in 1998, Paulk’s personal life story (written with the help of Tony Marco) entitled Not Afraid to Change was published by Winepress Publishing. In the book, Paulk told of his "gay origins" while a student at Ohio State University, his career as a prostitute and his habit of lying, all of which he claims were eliminated when he "gave his life to Christ." The book enjoyed success with Christian readers and leaders who held the book as a testament to the "power of Christ" in helping turn around lives.
On September 19, 2000 while on a speaking tour, Paulk was identified drinking and flirting at Mr. P's, a Washington DC gay bar, giving his name as "John Clint", one he had used in his days as a hustler in Ohio. A patron recognized him and contacted Wayne Besen, an employee of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay political action organization. When Besen arrived at the bar forty minutes later and confronted "John Clint", he denied that he was in fact John Paulk. Upon exiting the bar, Paulk's picture was taken as documentation that he had been in the bar. When confronted by Besen about the incident and the photographs, Paulk admitted being in the bar, but stated that he didn’t know it was a gay bar and had simply stopped in for a moment to use the restroom. However, eyewitnesses reported that Paulk stayed for more than an hour, flirted with other men, and when questioned about his sexuality, said he was gay (see Besen's book Anything But Straight).
Paulk was called back to Focus on the Family headquarters and was questioned by Dr. James Dobson. At first Paulk reportedly evaded a direct answer about the incident; however he later confessed that he had been in the bar for the purpose of flirting. Paulk was placed on probation, and was chaperoned on future speaking engagements to ensure that he had "support" in the event that he needed it. Dobson also removed Paulk from the Board Chair position of Exodus International. He remained on the board under probationary status only and was not allowed to attend meetings or vote. An Exodus press release soon after was openly critical of him:
John's actions represent a serious lapse in sound judgment. His decision to enter a gay establishment for any reason opens him up to all kinds of speculation by both other Exodus leaders and also the gay community.
The incident received national headlines in newspapers and news magazines and raised questions about the program and its choice in leadership. Paulk eventually left his job at Focus on the Family and moved with his family to Oregon, where he is a full-time personal chef.
[edit] Billboard Parody Controversy
On March 2, 2006, Liberty Counsel, a law firm acting on behalf of Exodus International, sent cease-and-desist letters[4][5] to Justin Watt, who blogs at Justinsomnia, and Mike Airhart, who blogs at Ex-Gay Watch. The letters "insist[ed]" that Watt and Airhart "immediately cease use" of an edited photograph on their respective blogs "or in any other form" which parodied an Exodus billboard. The original billboard image, obtained from Exodus's website, consisted of the message "Gay? Unhappy? www.exodus.to" while the parody image, created by Watt in September 2005, showed the same sign, substantially cropped, with the text altered to read "Straight? Unhappy? www.gay.com."
The following excerpt from Watt's cease-and-desist letter details Exodus's rationale for the request. The letter mentions Wikipedia because Watt had cited the Wikipedia entry on fair use in posting his parody.
"You appear to believe that the stolen image is exempt from federal intellectual property laws as a 'parody' due to 'fair use.' Unfortunately, the intricacies of federal law cannot adequately be covered on 'Wikipedia' due to the variety of facts addressed by courts in numerous cases. Your use of the image is indeed a violation of copyright law and is not covered by 'fair use.'"
In response, Watt contacted the ACLU, who took his defense and responded to the cease-and-desist letter[6] in partnership with the law firm of Fenwick & West LLP. According to reports in The New York Times[7] and USA Today,[8] Exodus decided against pursuing further legal action once the Exodus logo was removed from the parody.
[edit] Exodus today
Although Exodus does not provide any verifiable statistics on its success rate, its website does feature a number of testimonials, including one by former Executive Director Bob Davies.
Davies says he has found comfort in non-sexual friendships with heterosexual men, especially from the Church. "All my life I had felt so inferior to other men. But through same-sex affirmation, I slowly began to feel more like 'one of the guys.' Another root which fed my homosexual desires was being cut."
Davies also describes how he met and married a woman from his church. He says he's not deterred by the "many more battles" ahead because of Jesus. "Through His death for me, the war has already been won."
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Exodus International. Retrieved on 2006-05-04.
- ^ COPP Position Statement on Therapies Focused on Attempts to Change Sexual Orientation (Reparative or Conversion Therapies) American Psychatric Association, March 2000
- ^ Just the Facts About Sexual Orientation & Youth: A Primer for Principals, Educators and School Personnel 1999, American Psychological Association
- ^ My first cease-and-desist letter. Justinsomnia (2006-03-02). Retrieved on 2006-04-18.
- ^ Liberty counsel threatens to sue over Exodus parody. Ex-Gay Watch (2006-03-02). Retrieved on 2006-04-18.
- ^ A response to Liberty. Justinsomnia (2006-03-22). Retrieved on 2006-04-18.
- ^ Miller, Lia. "Both sides in parody dispute agree on a term: Unhappy", New York Times, 2006-03-27, p. C7. Retrieved on 2006-04-18.
- ^ Swartz, Jon. "Christian group backs off case against blog parody", USA Today, 2006-03-23. Retrieved on 2006-04-18.
[edit] Sources
Besen, Wayne, Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth The Haworth Press, Inc. (2003) ISBN 1-56023-445-8 (hardcover) ISBN 1-56023-446-6 (paperback)
Carlson, Margaret , Praying Away the Gay , Time Magazine, July, 27, 1998.
John Paulk (with Tony Marco) Not Afraid to Change: The remarkable story of how one man overcame homosexuality Winepress Publishing (1998) ISBN 1-57921-097-X
