Anne Paulk
Husband: John Paulk
Location: Portland, Ore.
Author:
In a 1998 New York Times full-page ad, Paulk proclaimed, "I’m living proof that Truth can set you free."
In the ad she says, "… Even though I had a lot of male friends, I just wasn’t attracted to men sexually." Yet, in Love Won Out, a book she co-wrote with John, Anne acknowledges she felt sexual desire for a man named Mark. "He appealed to me sexually," Anne writes. "We were drawn together by sheer animal magnetism. … I came to see I could be physically attracted to a male, but I just couldn’t surrender my heart to him."
Her discussions of her past "lesbianism" indicate little sexual attraction toward women during that period, and no same-sex sexual behavior.
To be continued…
To my mind, Anne Paulk’s testimony doesn’t sound that inconsistent in the context of the overall ex-gay worldview. Her story always reminds me of the Simpson’s episode where Ned Flanders decides that he’s an alchoholic after drinking an apertíf and bad-mouthing Ann Landers.
I think to understand her ex-lesbian identity, you have to keep in mind that, in the ex-gay world, “SSA” is something you “struggle” with, kind of like compulsive eating, or alchoholism. You might struggle a lot, or you might struggle a little, but even if your struggle consists of one or two or three same sex attractions in the course of your lifetime, if you accept the ex-gay worldview, you’re going to identify as a person who has an affliction called “SSA.”
If you don’t have that worldview, then you’re probably not going to spend much time thinking about whatever sexual attractions you’ve had in your life that fall outside your own personal norm. It’s just not going to be a big deal for you.
I don’t think it’s ever been put better, kurt.
Mike, since more info is forthcoming…
I’m interested in knowing more about Anne Paulk’s current position with Focus on the Family (am I right she is still there?) and what specific qualifications she has to be considered an expert on human sexuality, esp. lebianism. Has she done any relevent academic work in psychology at an accredited university? When I tried to dialogue with a denominational ex-gay ministry, the leader kept referencing Anne Paulk: “According to Anne Paulk…”, “Anne Paulk’s research indicates that…” So – I’m interested in knowing more about her.
As far as I know, Anne Paulk still lives in Portland, Ore., with John and their children.
If she has specific qualifications beyond her own life experiences and politico-religious ideology, then neither Focus on the Family nor Exodus have publicized these credentials.