A glimpse into Australia's ex-gay/reparative/conversion therapy world

A Glimpse
into
Australia’s
‘Ex-gay’ World
Presented by
Anthony Venn-Brown
© Anthony Venn-Brown
info@anthonyvennbrown.com

EXODUS GLOBAL ALLIANCE
Living Waters – Door of Hope
Liberty Christian Ministries – Eagles Wings
Mosaic Ministries - Beyond Egypt
Living Hope Ministries – Liberty Inc.

History
Pre-war up to 60’s
•Homosexual, Pervert, Queer
•Imprisoned
•No one out
•Church silent on homosexuality
•Mental health professionals want to
cure not incarcerate
Late 60’s gay & lesbian people begin
to get a new sense of self, become
more assertive and react to societies
prejudges and discrimination.

History
•Stonewall riots 1969 – gay rights birthed
•More people come out
•1973 American Psychiatric Association takes
homosexuality off the list of mental disorders
•Gay & lesbian people begin to demand change
in the laws and seek equality
•Enter evangelical Christianity
•1976 Exodus formed – umbrella organisation as
alliance of numerous independent ‘ex-gay’ style
ministries that had been started by gays who
thought they’d been cured or others tormented
about their homosexuality.

Climate for ‘ex-gay’ ministries
•Society’s understanding as a whole not
shifted
•Church culture reinforces heterosexuality and
conformity
•Added torment from Christian beliefs and anti-
gay preaching
•Homosexuality is a sin – If a sin then God can
forgive and set you free from sin
•Belief that God can do anything - faith
•‘Ex-gay’ ministries cause or symptom?

Evolution of ‘Ex-gay’ Ministries
Phase 1
•Black and white - miracle gay to straight
•Prayer & faith
•Exorcisms
Phase 2
•More political and militant
•Christian right wing funding
•Outdated mental health beliefs adopted
•Variety of ‘therapeutic’ methodologies
•Marriage the ultimate

Phase 3
•Message gets watered down
•Acknowledge gay will never go away
•Terminology changes to ‘unwanted SSA’,
‘sexual and relational brokenness’, ‘post gay’
•Celibacy option
Phase 4 (moving into now)
•Completely irrelevant
•We don’t provide a cure
•Admit no-one changes orientation

“by no means would we ever say change can
be sudden or complete," adding that he was
uncomfortable with the term 'ex-gay' as he
didn’t believe he’d ever met one. Alan
Chambers told the Los Angeles Times in 2007
“The majority of people that I have met, and I
would say the majority meaning 99.9% of
them have not experienced a change in their
orientation,” Alan Chambers stated at the GCN
conference January 2012.

With the controversy over the Exodus Apple
app…… Jeff Buchanan, Exodus
International’s Senior Director of Church
Equipping & Student Ministries, told The
Christian Post. “In no way shape or form is
our message about trying to cure or do we try
to promote that type of methodology or
message.” March 22, 2011

"I would consider myself homosexual and yet
in a marriage with a woman. My sexual
desires, attractions and lifelong struggle with
common factors relating to homosexuality are
pretty much all in the classification of
homosexual.“ John Smid (former Director of
Love in Action ex-gay residential program)
October 7th, 2011

‘Ex-gay’ Methodologies
•Prayer (lots of it)
•Inner healing
•Exorcisms
•Fasting & prayer
•Support groups
•Online courses
•One on one counselling
•Memorising and quoting scriptures
•Accountabilabuddies

Who Goes to ‘Ex-gay’ Ministries?
•Christians with sexual addictions
•Christians who have experienced same sex
abuse
•Gay men and lesbians in heterosexual
marriages
•Gay and lesbian people who have had bad
experiences in the ‘scene’ or relationships
•People pressured by family or culture
•Testimonials are always of tortured, unhappy
people

Differences Between US and
Australian ‘Ex-gay’ Ministries?
•No real public success stories
•Don’t court the media…actually resist it
•Not as politically active
•Poorly funded
•Not internet savvy – picking up their game
but a long way behind the work that we do

Professional Statements
1994: The American Psychiatric Association
There is no published scientific evidence supporting the
efficacy of 'reparative therapy' as a treatment to change ones
sexual orientation. It is not described in the scientific
literature. There are a few reports in the literature of efforts to
use psychotherapeutic and counselling techniques to treat
persons troubled by their homosexuality who desire to
become heterosexual; however, results have not been
conclusive, nor have they been replicated. There is no
evidence that any treatment can change a homosexual
person's deep seated sexual feelings for others of the same
sex.

1997: The American Psychological Association
President said……"In the past 10 years, Christian
fundamentalists have enlisted a coalition of old-style
psychologists, psychiatrists and social workers who
have become very visible in this country and internationally,
and who have as a mission to 'help' homosexuals get rid of
their sexual orientation... Our aim is not to try to stop them
per se or interfere with anyone's right to practice
[therapy] but we want to expose the social context that
creates this market."

1997 The American Psychological Association
Resolution
APA officials are concerned that some who enter therapy
are being coerced by their families, employers, church
members etc. Therefore the APA resolution asks that the
therapist obtains "informed consent" from the client. This
includes:
1. a full discussion of the client's potential for happiness as
a homosexual,
2. communication to the client that there is no sound
scientific evidence that the therapy works,
3. raising the possibility that therapy may exacerbate the
client's problems, and
4. an analysis of the client's true motivation for wanting to
change. © Anthony Venn-Brown

1998 the American Psychiatric Association
"The potential risks of 'reparative therapy' are great,
including depression, anxiety and self-destructive behaviour,
since therapist alignment with societal prejudices against
homosexuality may reinforce self-hatred already
experienced by the patient. Many patients who have
undergone 'reparative therapy' relate that they were
inaccurately told that homosexuals are lonely, unhappy
individuals who never achieve acceptance or satisfaction.
The possibility that the person might achieve happiness and
satisfying interpersonal relationships as a gay man or
lesbian is not presented, nor are alternative approaches to
dealing with the effects of societal stigmatization discussed."

Cont’d
"Therefore, the American Psychiatric Association
opposes any psychiatric treatment, such as 'reparative'
or 'conversion' therapy which is based upon the
assumption that homosexuality per se is a mental disorder or
based upon a prior assumption that the patient should
change his/her homosexual orientation.”

1999 the American Psychiatric Association
Board of Trustees "endorsed a position statement at its
December meeting that opposes therapeutic techniques
some psychiatrists and mental health professionals
claim can shift an individual's sexual orientation from
homosexual to heterosexual. The Board also
acknowledged that there is no evidence that these so-called
'reparative therapies' have any efficacy in converting
someone from one sexual orientation to another." The
statement points out that "potential risks of 'reparative
therapy' are great, including depression, anxiety, and self-
destructive behaviour, since therapist alignment with societal
prejudices against homosexuality may reinforce self-hatred
already experienced by a patient.”

1999 The American Academy of Paediatrics, American
Counselling Association, American Association of School
Administrators, American Federation of Teachers, American
Psychological Association, American School Health
Association, Interfaith Alliance Foundation, National
Association of School Psychologists, National Association of
Social Workers, and National Education Association formed
the "Just the Facts Coalition." They developed and endorsed
"Just the Facts About Sexual Orientation & Youth: A Primer
for Principals, Educators and School Personnel"
which stated:

The most important fact about 'reparative therapy,' also
sometimes known as 'conversion' therapy, is that it is based
on an understanding of homosexuality that has been
rejected by all the major health and mental health
professions. The American Academy of Paediatrics, the
American Counselling Association, the American Psychiatric
Association, the American Psychological Association, the
National Association of School Psychologists, and the
National Association of Social Workers, together
representing more than 477,000 health and mental health
professionals, have all taken the position that
homosexuality is not a mental disorder and thus there is
no need for a 'cure’. Health and mental health
professional organizations do not support efforts to
change young people's sexual orientation through
'reparative therapy' and have raised serious concerns
about its potential to do harm." © Anthony Venn-Brown

Royal Australian & New Zealand College of
Psychiatrists Position Statement 6 June 2010
The American Psychological Association published a report
of a study that reviewed the results of 83 studies carried
out between 1960 and 2007 on the controversial concept of
Sexual Orientation Change Efforts (SOCE). The report found
that, contrary to the claims of SOCE practitioners and
advocates, recent research demonstrates that there is no
sound scientific evidence that sexual orientation can be
changed. The harm such therapies can cause to individuals,
the contribution they make to the misrepresentation of
homosexuality as a mental disorder, and the prejudice and
discrimination that can flourish through the use of such
therapies has led all major medical organisations to oppose
the use of sexual reorientation therapies.

Cont’d
Recommendations
•The RANZCP does not support the use of sexual orientation
change efforts of any kind
•Mental health workers should avoid misrepresenting the
efficacy of sexual orientation change efforts when providing
assistance to people distressed by their own or others’
sexual orientation
•Mental health workers should assist people distressed by
their sexual orientation by care and treatment approaches
that involve acceptance, support, and identity
exploration. These should aim to reduce the stigma
associated with homosexuality and respect the person’s
religious beliefs.

"Potential risks of ‘reparative therapy’ are great,
including depression, anxiety, and self-destructive
behaviour, since therapist alignment with societal
prejudices against homosexuality may reinforce self-
hatred already experienced by a patient. Many patients
who have undergone 'reparative therapy' relate that
they were inaccurately told that homosexuals are lonely,
unhappy individuals who never achieve acceptance or
satisfaction. The possibility that the person might
achieve happiness and satisfying interpersonal
relationships as a gay man or lesbian is not presented,
nor are alternative approaches to dealing with the
effects of societal stigmatization discussed.”
American Psychiatric Association Resolution, 1/15/99

‘Ex-gay’ Ministries in Decline?
•Failures ….specially the public ones
August 1998 John Paulk
(‘ex-gay’) leader in Focus on
the Family and Chairman of
Exodus, featured in
Newsweek
September 2000 John Paulk photographed
running from a gay bar, Mr P’s in Washington
DC, after he was caught flirting with men

‘Ex-gay’ Ministries in Decline?
•Failures ….specially the public ones
•Scientific research – 3 areas
•Ex-gay survivor stories & organisations
•Publications such as ‘Anything But Straight’,
‘A Life of Unlearning’
•Former ex-gay leaders apologies
•Growth of the gay Christian movement
•Freedom 2 b[e]
•Welcoming & affirming churches
•Acknowledgement of wrongs by Exodus
•Shift in society © Anthony Venn-Brown

Testimonials You Won’t Read on an
‘Ex-gay’ website
What followed was 7 years of mental torture. I attended a
Pentecostal church in the next town and went through a
range of Christian practices including exorcism, anointing
with oil, healing and demons being cast out of me - all in an
attempt to cure me of my homosexuality. Looking back on
this period of my life now all I can ever remember is God
telling me that he loved me, He never seemed to comment
on my homosexuality. Therefore after seven years of that I
stopped going to church altogether. I was fed up of
Christians judging me and basically rating me as the world's
second worse sinner, a child abuser being the first!
Scottish gay Christian (Freedom 2 b[e])

During the three years in ex-gay therapy I felt paranoid and
guilty; it could have contributed to 2 different psychiatric ward
visits. I also had a sense of loneliness (because I really
couldn't talk about it to anyone outside of the group).
Jeffery USA (ex-ex-gay yahoo group)
Fortunately I had a realistic counsellor who said one time 'I
don't want to rain on your parade, but the feelings you have
won't go away - you may just be able to suppress them'. This
helped me become a stable happy gay man. Left my hetro
marriage with 3 (now adult) children. I now have great
relationship with ex-wife after working through hurts and
have been in a stable 10 year relationship with a wonderful
guy.
Les – Exodus Melbourne (ex-ex-gay yahoo group)

I went through 3 marriages, 3 divorces, 5 sons, 5
grandchildren a public humiliation and denouncements,
depression, isolation, rejection and now finally I am me and I
know God loves me and His call on my life has never
changed. I spent time in silent retreats, 2 thirty-day fasts,
used Bible translation programs to go back to original texts in
the Bible to know for sure what was said and what was
meant. Now I am proudly not only a professing Christian, but
my ministry has expanded and my goal is to see ALL people
know the TRUTH.
Mike USA went to a Christian Psychologist, Lutheran Social
Services, over 20 Deliverance Sessions, Exodus, Outpost, Love Lines
Christian Counselling Centre where he became the Director of
Counselling and taught classes on how to help gay and lesbian
people be delivered. (Ex-ex-gay yahoo group)

I cried a lot. Got quite depressed when my "tendencies"
didn't become any less real. I wasn't severely wounded by
the experience, and don't really hold any bitterness. At the
same time I am very suspicious of anyone who says their
sexual attraction to people of the same sex is diminished by
attending such a group. Marriage is no proof that someone is
no longer intrinsically gay.
Stephen Gray attended Liberty Christian Ministries for 6 months
After years of severe depression, 3 suicide attempts and
becoming totally addicted to internet porn and acting on my
sexual desires in deviant and compulsive ways….I have
finally been set free. Not from my sexuality but from the
curse of unacceptance.
BF attended Living Waters in Sydney

I tried the ex-gay healing ministry, counselling, therapy,
mentoring, accountability, prayer ministry etc. etc. In the end
I simply had no energy left to suppress my desires on an
hourly basis so we faced the inevitable and separated.
Interestingly, as I read about your similar attempts at gaining
healing in the book, I could feel all over again the pain of the
effort and exhaustion, and the consequent frustration of it
all! So here I am, nearly 50, after 25 years of
marriage....separated for 6 months, and not knowing a lot
about the future except that my previous theology has not
delivered what it promised and that when I am with a man I
feel complete.
Email from a reader of ‘A Life of Unlearning’
I was taught that I was mentally ill and sinful which resulted
in severe depression. Starting to work through now, and
beginning to accept myself.
Warren attended Choices in the Sutherland Shire© Anthony Venn-Brown

Over 30 years of deliverance, inner healing prayer, speaking
out "I'm healed" in faith, counselling, conferences, seminars,
ongoing prayer, etc. My orientation did not change. I started
out with hope that I would change one day, and as the years
went by lost it all and so tried to kill myself. I tried to commit
suicide once and cut myself up quite badly a 2nd time. I've
nearly overdosed on pills another time. Not like that now
though! I...love Jesus, love spending time with God, and I'm
gay! (My tagline: I don't do straight very well!)
Stephen attended the live in program at Bundeena Christian
Fellowship, Living Waters in NZ, Exodus in Toronto and about to do
Francis McNutt’s program in the US when, by ‘chance’, he picked
up my autobiography ‘A Life of Unlearning’ one day browsing in a
bookshop.

JOHN METYARD…..Former Exodus Asia Pacific & Living
Waters Leader and on the International Advisory Board
of Exodus
“In the past I have been ardent in my opinion that
homosexual orientation was unquestioningly a result of the
‘fall’ and God’s intention was therefore always to heal the
same-sex attracted believer and help them to be ‘whole’. In
the past I have frequently spoken publicly in support of these
views. However, my position is now somewhat different.”
KIM BRETT….Former Exodus – Associate Former
Leader – Living Waters and Liberty Inc. Leader
“For a long time I had been witnessing peoples (and my
own) growing frustration that no matter how repentant,
prayerful and committed we all were to living a life as an ex-
gay Christian, the changes we all sought and were taught
possible never really materialised.”

PAUL MARTIN…..Principal Psychologist – Centre for
Human Potential. Former Exodus Leader – Melbourne
“During this time, there was not one person that I met or
worked with who, in any genuine way achieved the
fundamental transformation from homosexual to
heterosexual they so desperately desired. The stress of
attempting to change their sexual orientation however
increased risk of suicidality, and absolutely led to erosion of
self-esteem and increased levels of depression and self-
deprecation at a very deep level.”
WENDY LAWSON……Former Exodus Leader Melbourne
“Today, more than 15 years after I stepped down from
leadership of ‘Exodus’ I have come to know that nearly
every member of that group is now living their lives openly as
a homosexual person.”

VONNIE PITTS
Former Christian City Church Pastor and Living Waters
Leader
“When we reached the final week of the program, I asked the
girls what they felt had been achieved. None of them felt the
program had changed their sexual orientation. The guys who
were working the program said the same. At this time, I
began my own research into the causes of homosexuality
and found there was mounting evidence that sexual
orientation is determined in the womb. Now I have absolutely
no doubt that homosexuals are born gay and don’t need to
change. If I were to see any of the people that I took through
the ‘Living Waters’ program again, I would say sorry. My
intentions were to help you through your struggle but I acted
in ignorance.”

How Should We Respond?
•Attack or educate?
•Treat others as you want to be treated
yourself
•Engage in dialogue where possible
•Inform but support people considering
•Be there when they are facing the truth
•Give them time to process after leaving
•Tell your story (contact me if you want to
know how you can do this effectively)

This presentation was created in 2012
For further information contact
Ambassadors & Bridge Builders
International
www.abbi.org.au
info@abbi.org.au
Ambassadors & Bridge Builders International (ABBI) is
committed to ending unnecessary suffering caused by ignorance
and misinformation about sexual orientation and gender
diversity. ABBI''s mission is to create understanding and
acceptance for LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual. transgender,
intersex) people, empower community members and build
bridges with churches, religious organisations and leaders

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A glimpse into Australia's ex-gay/reparative/conversion therapy world