Exodus International’s Julie Neils, in 2010:
As for those mysterious gay-to-straight “boot camps,” they don’t exist.
Ex-gay survivor Kyle Luebke, in 2011:
Realizing that [being gay] was not just a “phase” that I was going through, [my parents] decided that more drastic action needed to be taken. They proceeded to contact Mr. Phillips, and took his advice to send me to the “Refuge” program, a program run by the ex-gay ministry Love In Action in Memphis, Tennessee. My parents told me that I had no option but to go, considering that I was underage and still under their authority. Thus, we packed our bags and moved to Memphis for two months, and on October 28, 2006 I was enrolled at Love In Action.
I was to go back to Love In Action on my eighteenth birthday, on May 5, 2007. But once again, I was not given much of a “choice” in the matter. They informed me that I would either go into the Love In Action program, or be kicked out of the house, because they could not have an unrepentant homosexual living under their roof. But this time there was a twist in their threat — they told all of my extended family, from my grandparents to my aunts and uncles — to not take me in if I decided against going into the program.
Love In Action is, in its own words, “the oldest established member ministry of Exodus International … [and] a referral ministry of Focus on the Family and the American Family Association.”
LIA’s Refuge was discontinued in 2007, following the public outcry over the treatment of Zach Stark, a gay Memphis teenager forced into the program in 2006. It was replaced by the similar Family Freedom Intensive. Neither was residential, though, contrary to Exodus’s denial, Refuge had all the worst characteristics of a bootcamp.
Read about Kyle’s experience in five parts, beginning with The Pain of Reparative Therapy: My Story — Part One. Links to the other parts can be found at the bottom of Part Five.
Hat-tip: Bene Diction.
There is as much testimony or books and others experienced with the ex gay industry. One can glean those who were out of control and making bad life decisions that would be bad even if they were straight.
But the ex gay disciplines are pretty much all the same. If someone overcomes being promiscuous, or addicted to substances through religious discipline that’s one thing. The difference here of course is that homosexuality is blamed for having that pathology, whereas heterosexuality isn’t. Regardless that both orientations present the same in that regard.
Heterosexuals aren’t subject to forcible indoctrination, indeed, forming and learning about committed relationships is encouraged and supported. In gay teens, they are isolated from this vital part of their sexual and relationship development.
It’s no surprise that Exodus would deny their involvement in forcible indoctrination. It’s no surprise that they foment the difficulties that gay people have in forming healthy and open relationships and then blame the gay person for it. And it’s no surprise that this industry won’t admit THEIR mistakes and bad results from what THEY do.
Nor will they admit their methodology is incompetent and damaging.
The layers of lies, misinformation, hypocrisy, double standards and lack of integrity and transparency is a disgrace to any kind of ministry or counseling. If we were to compare those tragedies or ex ex gays that are out there, compared to what they think are success stories, I bet we have a lot of weight on our side.
We really have to put this to good use. Gay people are accused of indoctrination for simply needing realistic, fair and accurate information about their lives. But there have never been indoctrination camps to force anyone to be gay. Gay parents don’t try to emotionally blackmail or force their straight children to be gay. And in no way does this industry consider that such elaborate plans, isolation, pressure to conform and using civil law to back up their activity shows that a choice isn’t an option and never could be. If you have to do ALL of this to make gay people pass for straight, then you’re doing it wrong.
It’s supposed to be a benevolent motive right?
Benevolent motives don’t take treating anyone this way. Not. Ever.
Julie Neils is either extremely deceived or just really good at her job as a PR person. I’m guessing it’s the latter more likely.