I saw an interesting story in a TV program last night about the ex-gay moment in the USA.

http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2006/s1717011.htm

Quote
Coming soon to a church, school and clinic near you – sexual reorientation therapy!

Some of the United States' most powerful Christian lobby groups believe homosexuality is a mental disorder. They're setting up conversion camps to "cure" gays and turn them straight, sometimes with devastating consequences.

In this report North America correspondent, Mark Simkin gets rare access to the highly controversial but little-known ex-gay movement. "I was exclusively homosexual," one ex-gay man says. "Now I am exclusively heterosexual. I feel my 'guy-ness'. I'm not attracted to guys. I'm attracted to my wife."

Simkin watches a gay man smashing tennis racquets into pillows as part of a counseling session; listens to a commercially available CD that purports to reorient sexuality by self-hypnosis; and tours a camp where children as young as 15 are forced into conversion therapy. "It's like a cult," says one young man who spent two months there against his will. "Their whole therapy is based on the conditioning of shame."

The eighteen year-old shows Simkin the camp rulebook: all fantasies have to be reported to counselors; no Calvin Klein clothing; men must shave once a day and women twice a week; no watching TV or listening to Beethoven or Bach.

Critics say it's impossible to change a person's sexuality and call the ex-gay movement a dangerous fraud. Simkin travels to Lynchburg, Virginia to meet Mel White, the former speechwriter to religious right heavyweights Billy Graham, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. When White realized he was gay, he underwent conversion therapy that included exorcisms and even electro-shock treatment. None of it worked and White became so traumatized he attempted suicide. "There are all kinds of people I've buried who have left suicide notes that say I didn't know how else to settle this," he says. "I accuse the ex-gay movement of being complicit with murder all over this country and now around the world."

The ex-gay movement is increasingly powerful. One of its leaders tells Simkin he wants the message that change is possible to be taught in schools everywhere, including Australia. In the so-called culture wars, the ex-gays are now at the frontline.

This is another reason why I hate religion. There are so many different people out there the religious people should just understand that not everyone is like themselves and they should care for people who want to belong in their comunity and not worry about other people. (I hope this lanuage is not to strong- please tell me if I offened anyone and I will remove my comment).

In the TV program that had some examples of sucessfull 'ex-gay' people and some who continued to be gay. Of interest was a religious 'priest' (i am not sure of his true status) who in the end accepted himself as gay after many years and got on with life.

Alice

Lord have mercy on my mortal soul!

I am tired of these supposed "religious" groups mandating that their way is the only way!  Use enough guilt and shame tactics and you can get someone to do almost anything.

From a clinical point of view, it will be interesting to see how long this conditioning holds, or whether some other sort of tension-release happens.

Chaunte

The so called "ex-gay" movement has been criticized by many health care professionals as well as the gay community.  One observer noted (I'm not sure about this myself but this is what I read, I think it was TIME magazine or NEWSWEEK) that all of the "ex-gays" who claim that it works have an economic tie to the organization and that no one with any real objectivity has ever confirmed the movement's effectiveness.

We have an "ex-trans" organization in the US, a Dr. (of divinity!) Jerry Leach claims he can "cure" transsexuality using similar or the same techniques as the ex-gay ministries.  My opinion on these methods is that anyone can be taught more effective ways of repressing who they are and it may even work for awhile but we cannot run away from ourselves forever.

I am saddened that some people, due to their guilt or weakness, fall for these "therapies" and end up more damaged than they ever would have been had they been true to themselves from the beginning.

helen

I think they should try an experiment and get one of these religious nuts to have them try living in the opposite gender and make them "want" to be something they are not.  Let's see how effective these ministries are then.

Melissa