GAY TRUTH

In light of the latest attack on sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE), namely, Amazon’s  banning of books  on the subject, we do well to separate fact from fiction.  Are these change efforts really so dangerous? Should they be banned and even criminalized? According to the critics, “conversion therapy” is dangerous and harmful because it tries to change something that cannot be changed, akin to trying to change a lefthanded person into a righthanded person.  As expressed in California’s  SB 1172 , which was signed into law in 2012 and criminalized SOCE for minors,  “Sexual orientation change efforts pose critical health risks to lesbian, gay, and bisexual people, including confusion, depression, guilt, helplessness, hopelessness, shame, social withdrawal, suicidality, substance abuse, stress, disappointment, self-blame, decreased self-esteem and authenticity to others, increased self-hatred, hostility and blame toward parents, feelings of anger and betrayal, loss of fr

Regarding the Claim That This is About ‘Conversion Therapy’ Publications like LGBTQ Nation have  written articles  dismissing the Freedom March, casting doubt on the idea that people can actually overcome their homosexual tendencies.  LGBTQ Nation’s article equates the Freedom March with promotion of conversion therapy. American psychological associations have denounced conversion therapy as ineffective and harmful. Mr. Wheelock said he had to research conversion therapy because people were accusing him of promoting it. Conversion therapy had nothing to do with his freedom from the homosexual life, nor does he promote it.  He added that a couple of times parents have asked him to speak with gay teens, and he found out the teens were totally uninterested in changing. He told the parents he was not going to force their child to meet with him or change. Conversion therapy, he says, tries to force people to change. The message of his life, Wheelock says, is: “changed by love.

Let me be the first to engage in some bigoted quackery and talk conversion. That is to quote Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, who has announced plans to ban so-called ‘LGBT conversion therapy.’ Speaking on Sunday at Melbourne’s Midsumma Pride March, Andrews vigorously criticized the idea that someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity can be changed, calling it “a most personal form of torture, a cruel practice that perpetuates the idea that LGBTI people are in some way broken.” “We will drag these practices out of the dark ages and into the brightest of lights.” Then he called it “bigoted quackery.” This is at first bewildering for the average Christian reader if only because few have ever heard of something called ‘LGBT conversion therapy.’ It’s a term invented by them, not us. So, we are left to ask what it means. Are they referring to something coercive? Involuntary? Abusive? Is this all about those bizarre and dark tales of electric shock therapy ( still used today by the m

Another prominent video hosting site is cracking down on content supporting therapy for unwanted homosexual attraction, according to the California-based nonprofit Church United. The group, which is dedicated to “equip(ping) pastors as culture-changers” via events in which they “hear high-profile leaders share about the current spiritual crisis,” revealed last week that on November 23 the website Vimeo notified Church United founder and pastor, Jim Domen, that the group had 24 hours to download copies of all 89 of its videos before the account would be permanently shut down. At issue were five videos on the subject of Sexual Orientation Change Efforts (SOCE), particularly controversial California legislation that was withdrawn in August but would have banned virtually any form of treatment for unwanted same-sex attraction. The videos featured Dorman and other pastors, as well as personal stories from ex-homosexuals who attest that such change is possible with the right help. “Your

In the dream worlds of "LGBT" activists and their Tinseltown allies, Christians who help people struggling with same-sex attractions actually use methods of coercion, intimidation, and physical torture – or so they apparently imagine. Boy Erased  claims to be a memoir about actual events. I and others doubt that what is portrayed in this film ever happened, in Tennessee or anywhere. We continue to wait for those who might know to confirm or deny these allegations of terrible abuse. Unfortunately for the producers, this film will make history – as a vehemently Christian-bashing, deceptive, an unjust portrayal of what actually does happen when people are quietly and sensitively counseled about unwanted homosexual feelings. Quite often, those feelings are the rotten fruit of sexual molestation. Not inborn and natural, but imposed and troubling. It is totally possible to leave homosexual attractions behind because the awesome mercy and healing power of Jesus Christ ch

Today, the film Boy Erased is enjoying great reviews and limited release. If it’s not in a theater near you, within a few weeks you can bet it will be. It’s the true story of a young man who went through what’s commonly called a “conversion therapy” program. He’s 19 years old, has just admitted to his Christian parents that he’s gay, and they insist he gets help. “Help,” they assume, will come through a program to which they’ll send him for weeks of daily group sessions and activities, allegedly designed to cure his homosexuality. You can see where this is going. He eventually bolts from the program, accepts his identity as a gay man, and his parents — at least his mother, anyway — realize their error. Now, as an adult, he speaks against that damaging thing called Conversion Therapy. I’ve read Gerrard Conley’s memoir , which the film is based on, has written a review of it for the Christian Research Journal which will be coming out next month. I’ve not yet seen Boy Erased but plan t

The time has come to look at homosexuality in the Church using a better lens. Lack of tolerance isn’t the problem. Affirmation of wrongly-ordered lives and trivialization of the Gospel, however, are, and they have served to diminish the meaning and power of the Cross of Christ, and the sublime beauty of His love for His Bride, the Church.  Our discussions about homosexuality have camouflaged the truth When it comes to discussions about the origins of same-sex attraction in people’s lives, only two possibilities are considered: Homosexuals are either ‘born that way,’ or we are that way because of some anomaly in our upbringing. The now firmly ensconced LGBT establishment has settled on ‘born that way’ because it allows gay activists to argue for constitutional protections based on an immutable characteristic, albeit a contrived one. It also allows homosexuals to endlessly portray themselves as victims. These are tactics, not truths, though they ‘feel’ like truth because they’ve been

The California Senate voted Thursday to approve the nation’s broadest proposed ban on treatment for overcoming unwanted same-sex attractions. The vote on Assembly Bill 2943 was 25-11, the  Washington Blade  reports . The bill forbids minors and adults alike from obtaining “sexual orientation change efforts,” regardless of their wishes. By classifying what leftists pejoratively call “conversion therapy” (also known as reparative therapy) under prohibited “goods,” critics say it would go so far as to ban the sale of books endorsing the practice, as well as other forms of constitutionally-protected speech. The Assembly  voted  50-14 to pass AB 2943 in April, but its Senate vote was delayed until after the summer recess following a deluge of phone calls from disapproving constituents and a fierce public backlash from churches and other religious groups. Bill sponsor and Democratic Assemblyman Evan Low reportedly considered amending it into a more palatable form, but  Courthouse N

Defying pressure from pro-homosexual politicians and activists, Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage vetoed legislation on Friday that would have banned therapists from helping minors overcome unwanted same-sex attraction or gender confusion. Sometimes called “conversion therapy” or reparative therapy, the left and the LGBT movement have made banning it a priority. LD 912 sought to forbid people from “advertis[ing], offer[ing] or administer[ing] conversion therapy to individuals under 18 years of age,” with “conversion therapy” defined as “practice or treatment that seeks to change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity.” It contained an exception for clergy but threatened to suspend or revoke the licenses of medical professionals, school guidance counsellors, or school psychologists. “This is so broad that licensed professionals would be prohibited from counseling an individual even at the individual's own request,” LePage said of the bill in his veto message

The United Kingdom plans to impose a nationwide ban on any practice of reparative or “conversion” therapy for individuals experiencing same-sex attraction, unwanted or not, the government announced in a new report. “[T]he abhorrent practice of conversion therapy is still alive in our country,” the Government Equalities Office (GEO) announced in its newly-released LGBT Action Plan for “improving the lives” of LGBT people. “We will bring forward proposals to end the practice of conversion therapy in the UK, and take further action on hate crime as part of our upcoming refresh of the 2016 Hate Crime Action Plan.” The 4.5-million-pound ($5.9 million) report surveyed more than 108,000 LGBT individuals, NBC News reports . It “will set out concrete steps to deliver real and lasting change across society, from health and education to tackling discrimination and addressing the burning injustices that LGBT people face ,” British Prime Minister Theresa May declared. Citing that 2% of survey

The Republican governor of Maryland signed into law a ban on licensed therapists or counsellors providing minors with therapy to resolve gender confusion or unwanted homosexual attraction. Larry Hogan signed the so-called  Youth Mental Health Protection Act  into law on Tuesday. The state Senate passed the bill 34-12 in March, and the state House 95-27 in April.  “The governor was pleased to sign this bill, and believes it’s the right thing to do,” Hogan spokeswoman Amelia Chasse  told   Metro Weekly . Starting in October, it will be illegal to perform on a minor “any effort to change the behavioural expression of an individual’s sexual orientation, change gender expression , or eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same gender.” Violators will be deemed to have “engaged in unprofessional conduct” and risk a suspension or revocation of their health or child care licenses. The ban applies to all minors regardless of wheth