Randy Thomas, the membership director of Exodus, spoke at a press conference by the promoters of a constitutional amendment in Florida to ensure that gay couples are not allowed the same rights as heterosexual couples. As reported by the Florida Baptist Witness:
Thomas, a former homosexual, said proponents of traditional marriage forced him to consider the legitimacy of homosexuality and “gay marriage,” which led to his departure from the homosexual lifestyle.
“I was not happy with the conservatives back in the 80’s, but what they did was they challenged me to dialogue,” he said.
Thomas affirmed the coalition’s repudiation of bigotry against homosexuals.
“We support a person’s right to self-determination. But we don’t want one person’s determination to affect all of us,” he added.
I have a few thoughts on Thomas’ statements and inclusion at the press conference.
First, to the best of my recollection, gay marriage was never mentioned back in the 80’s. There were no proponents of traditional marriage to force him to consider anything at all. This seems to be a newly concocted slant and frankly untrue.
Second, why is Thomas at a rally to make certain that gay couples have restricted rights? Thomas is the MEMBERSHIP DIRECTOR of Exodus. Is Exodus actually trying to pretend that persons struggling with SSA are going to be drawn to Exodus by trying to stop them from marrying?
It is not by accident that the membership director for Exodus is actively involved in the restriction of rights to gay people. I think it highly likely that the membership that Exodus is seeking to attract is not gay people at all. If your target is actually gay people, this seems either counter-productive or, at best, as waste of time.
I can’t be certain, but it seems at least likely that Exodus is seeking a different type of membership, perhaps anti-gay individuals or organizations, either political or religious. These seem the likely audience reached by this sort of effort.
Third, Randy is claiming that “we” (presumably Exodus) supports self-determination. And yet when Randy was ministy manager for Exodus, in an article in Christianity Today he was quoted as warning that:
Randy Thomas, ministry manager for Exodus International, an Orlando-based ministry helping people leave homosexuality, said Lawrence will shape public policy.
“This ruling gives validity to the gay community,” Thomas said. In addition to potentially redefining the family, it further solidifies their position as a political and social force.”
Lawrence v. Texas was the Supreme Court decision that said that states could not criminalize gay people (i.e. it allowed them self-determination).
It seems very clear that Thomas has a truth deficit.
And the self invention continues…Anyone notice 1992, rather than the 1980’s, in his testimony at the Exodus site? The language and attitude is in stark contrast to the Randy Thomas of 1998 (during the first Exodus campaign using FoF etc money). Anyone remember that guy when he was not a paid employee of Exodus?Here’s a start: RT(1998) was willing to publically condemn the blatant politics of the 1998 campaign and the religious right that distorted his message. Once this letter “to” Coral Ridge was readily available — now, odd, it has vanished from the Bridges-Across site (and elsewhere). Unfortunately for RT(2005) we have web archiving…I guess this is what Randy really means by “I changed”. Nothing to do with sexuality — rather, it’s about changing into a shameless trollop dependant on a wage check from James Dobson.There’s a word for people you can purchase, and it ain’t “exgay”.
Good points, especially pointing out that Randy is the membership director of Exodus, not even some sort of legal expert or PR director. How does this have anything to do with membership?
Actually, I do remember some discussion of same-sex marriage in the 80s (I know it was in the 80s because it was going on at the same time I got married). But the context in which I remember it was a debate among liberal Quakers in California (with similar debates going on in other states at around the same time) as to whether we would marry same-sex couples within our own meetings (which was eventually approved). I wouldn’t be surprised if there were similar discussions in other particularly liberal religious groups (such as Unitarians or the UCC), but I don’t remember any push for same-sex civil marriage at that time.
A link to Randy’s current testimony would help…In that, Randy claims (c)2005 was he was doing anything but worrying about Exodus (let alone marriage for same-sex couples) in the 1980’s. Of course, why should one believe what he says?
I wonder if Randy understands that “challenging someone to a dialogue” is not the same thing as supporting the criminalization of homosexual sex or the denial of civil rights enjoyed by other Americans. Maybe it’s just me, but in my opinion, that’s not “challenging me to a dialogue” – that’s…something else entirely. They don’t want a dialogue. They just want to tell me how it will be.
I’m actually somewhat impressed by that letter to Coral Ridge from 1998. He should have left it up.
Here’s a thought, since so many “ex-gays” soon become ex-ex-gay, shouldn’t we use the logic that we are trying to preserve (and attain) the civil rights that they will need when they truly see who they are? This way all our arguments are “Yeah, you can do whatever you like now (meaning “conversion”), however, you’re still going to be gay in the long run and you’re going to need these rights some day” This way you put them on the defense all the time. Treat them like the children they still are.
Timothy Kincaid at August 24, 2005 09:06 PM
First, to the best of my recollection, gay marriage was never mentioned back in the 80’s.
I believe this is incorrect. From what I have read (although it might have dated from the 1970s) the “anti-equal rights for gay people” people used to use the “they’ll next want to marry” as an argument against equal rights for gay people. I can’t cite you chapter and verse, but that’s what I’ve read.
In other words, it was the anti-gay people who were raising the “gay marriage” issue, in an attempt to forestall equal rights for gay people in other areas, including employment and housing.
Randy Thomas was ‘challenged by conservatives’ back in the 1980’s? Like how old was he then? Maybe 16. Are there no leading Exodus types who were ever out as grown up people?