Christine Bakke and Peterson Toscano are co-founders of Beyond Ex-Gay and co-hosts (with Soulforce) of an ex-gay survivors’ conference scheduled to coincide with the Exodus annual conference at the end of June.
Bakke and Toscano have invited the ex-gay leadership of Exodus International to a private dinner June 29. Their open letter to Exodus is posted at the Beyond Ex-Gay web site. Here’s an excerpt:
Too often once we leave your programs, you never hear about our lives and what happens to us. Most ministries do not have aftercare programs or any formal means to follow-up on participants. Some stories you do not get to hear. If you do, our stories can be simplified by the press or infused with anger or hurt. In hopes of giving you the opportunity to hear about our experiences and the harm that we felt came to us as a result of our pursuit of an ex-gay life, we would like to invite you to join us for a private dinner on Friday, June 29, 2007.
This dinner may present Exodus with an opportunity not only to learn about the actual outcomes of Exodus programs from those “tens of thousands” whom Exodus claims as graduates, but also to reconsider aspects of Exodus programs that achieve the opposite of Exodus’ stated objectives.
After all, why should Exodus continue to sponsor local programs that merely create ever-growing numbers of openly gay people of faith?
My own experience with the people at Exodus is they are a fundamental Christian organization while people like Mel White, for instance, have a liberal approach to Christianity.
I doubt that the people at Exodus consider liberal Christians as ‘real Christians.’ I don’t think Exodus is concerned with “local programs that merely create ever-growing numbers of openly gay people of faith?”
Fundamental Christianity views anything other as the “enemy.” They’re not going to learn or take advice from “the enemy.” They’re only desire is to convert.
Paul,
Since it is the Exodus ex-gay programs that are creating gay people of faith, I most definitely think Exodus ought to be concerned. So should PFOX.
Also, a clarification is in order: Mel White and Soulforce have nothing to do with the dinner invitation.
Mike,
You are right, I should have clarified that it was Peter Toscano and Christine Bakke, I did presume since they were co-hosts with Soul Force that they were of like mind on issues of faith, maybe incorrectly.
I guess I’ll ask the obvious question: how has it been concluded that “Exodus ex-gay programs…are creating people of faith?”
I guess I assumed anyone entering the Exodus program would already be a person of faith.
Mike,
I think you edited your original response to me??, but I think my question and further response may still work? 🙂
paul
Sorry, I’ve tried to restore my original comment. I didn’t realize someone was already responding.
I think that ex-gay programs recruit people who happen to seek religious solutions, whether they are already people of faith or agnostic/atheist individuals seeking a spiritual life.
The programs graduate gay people of faith, as well as gay newly-atheist or anti-Christian individuals who are disillusioned with all religion or all of Christianity because of the very poor example set by the Christian-identified political hacks of Exodus and Focus on the Family.
It would be worthwhile to statistically quantify the outcomes of Exodus programs, but of course Exodus refuses to conduct or support rigorous followup efforts.
That’s an interesting take. I never considered that an atheist or agnostic would enter an Exodus program. I’ve been through two Exodus programs (not a very large sampling) and everyone I met was there because of the conflict between their ssa and faith. I would have thought that programs like Exodus would contribute to the ranks of atheists and agnostics more than creating gays with faith, but it’s all speculation on my part.
The people at Exodus are kind of like the faith healers who cannot restore missing limbs, they don’t actually change reality.
This is something I have always found interesting about Reparative Therapy and the ex-gay movement:
Does God really play favorites when it comes to “healing”? Why is it that when it comes to changing orientation, we have many more people claiming they have been “healed” from homosexuality than say people who have a crippling physical disease? Is it because God chooses to heal a much higher percentage of people struggling with SSAs than those who are crippled, or is it because it is easier to suppress/repress/hide orientation and desire and to adjust your life accordingly?
J
Well J, it kind of depends on what one uses to inform their belief about “God.” If one uses the bible, then it would seem that “God” does “play favorites:” “…Jacob I loved, Esau I hated.” Romans 9:13. Maybe those people that “God” doesn’t “heal” of homosexuality are like Esau.
It is kind of funny, these people at Exodus trying to put the God housekeeping seal of approval on their programs. In the absence of a God who does miracles they must substitute method.
Hey Mike, Soulforce and bXg are actually working together on the conference and all of the events related to it, including the dinner. They have been great collaborators and partners (along with the LGBT Resource Center at UC Irvine). The dinner is the exact kind of gathering that captures the essence of Soulforce’s mission.
I was suprised to hear that there was no after care for those who go through ex-gay thereapy. Is this an oversight or would continuing aftercare hint that the treatment is not completely successful?
It’s times like these, I really miss those intertribals for NA’s.
A couple of young boys got their painted feathers. And were presented with their first shields. It’s sorta like a bar mitzvah.
One of the kids had a gay big brother-and the brother passed along the feather and shield. Very solemn kisses and pressing foreheads.
The big brother was the spiritual leader in their community. Which is the big difference between the religious traditions of some of my folks, and the Christian tradition….it’s the gay people who are the arbiters of spiritual teaching and moral grounding and philosophy.
To tell you the truth, it breaks my heart that some Christians would rather keep gay people FROM this inclusion….it makes more logical sense coming from cultures considered less civilized to the Christian world.
At least Jews are coming around to that practical logic now.
It’s like one of the few words I remember from my grandmother’s language.
There isn’t either or….but ‘ochweyi’. Both.
Oops, I meant to say it makes logical sense that gay people should and could be thought of as the tempering factor between men and women.
you pronounce it oak-shway-yee
After what Randy Thomas, executive vice president of Exodus International, said about the bxg conference today, I wonder how much you would accomplish at such a dinner. From Citizenlink [https://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000004897.cfm]:
I guess in the fundamentalist mind if you give into the sin of homosexualitiy that you are necessarily denying hope. Eh…