Somehow, saying "oops, sorry" seems just a tad inadequate ~ ~ Sooz

Making an 'exodus' from a cruel, absurd initiative
By Steve Benen - Thu Jun 20, 2013 10:25 AM EDT

For several years, the religious right took its "conversion therapy" campaign quite seriously, and it remained a leading movement priority, right up until it collapsed under the weight of its own ridiculousness.

To reiterate what we discussed in April, the religious right movement's main argument against LGBT rights has been that sexual orientation is a choice, and to that end, far-right groups and leaders became heavily invested in the 1990s in an effort to convince gay people that they could be "converted" to heterosexuality. An entire ministry was built around idea that Christian "therapy" could turn gay people straight.

A few months ago, John Paulk, the ministry's former chairman and chief spokesperson resigned, apologized, and conceded that his sexual orientation never actually changed, despite claims to the contrary. This week, the ministry itself has ceased to be.


"I am sorry for the pain and hurt many of you have experienced," he said in the letter. "I am sorry that some of you spent years working through the shame and guilt you felt when your attractions didn't change. I am sorry we promoted sexual orientation change efforts and reparative theories about sexual orientation that stigmatized parents."

The "conversion therapy" campaign was a cruel and pathetic initiative, which even many conservatives now prefer to forget. The demise of this faith-based campaign is welcome, though it clearly never should have been launched in the first place.

http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/06/20/19057810-making-an-exodus-from-a-cruel-absurd-initiative?lite

With the apology comes the admission of harm done. Class action law suits for the organization and the individuals involved can now follow quite easily. I'm sure they made some money along the way.......

I bet Norma and Nevamo gave lavishly for the cause.

Wasn't Bachmann's gay husband involved in conversion?

Yes, jab ~ tho both Michele and Marcus Bachmann denied his practice offered "reparative therapy", several former patients publicly refuted those denials ~

Sooz

Here's more ~ Alan Chambers' apology sounds sincerely regretful ... which, of course, does not begin to atone for the damage done ~ but it's a start in the right direction ~ too bad [but not surprising] that "others" see it only as a golden opportunity to corral more "believers" ~ emphasis/bolding below, along with "live links" to more/corroborating info, are in the original ~ Sooz

Leading ‘Ex-Gay’ Organization Closes, Apologizes To LGBT Community
By Josh Israel on Jun 20, 2013 at 9:49 am

Exodus International, one of the nation’s most prominent coalitions of groups promoting harmful “ex-gay” therapy, announced Wednesday that it was disbanding and apologized to the LGBT community for the massive harm it has caused to many. Alan Chambers, the group’s president, issued a written apology, acknowledging that his organization hurt many.

In his apology, Chambers wrote:


The board of Exodus International unanimously voted to shut down and announced that it will begin a new organization dedicated encouraging churches to “become safe, welcoming, and mutually transforming communities.”

In an address at the group’s final annual conference, at Concordia University Irvine in California, Chambers noted that his admission last year that people do not actually change their sexual orientation engulfed his organization in scandal. “I’m convinced,” he told attendees, “that the scandal is of God’s making.”

He encouraged the attendees to work to change their churches to be more like a loving, accepting “father church” than scolding, judgmental “older brother church.”

“What that means is we’re not gonna control people anymore,” he told them. “We’re not gonna tell them how they should live. We’re not gonna be responsible for what they’re doing. It’s not our job. You are not the Holy Spirit. I am not the Holy Spirit. The Church is not the Holy Spirit.”

Watch the video here (Chambers begins at about the 20 minute mark): [Sooz says video accessible via the end link]

Sadly, the admissions and departure by Exodus International do not mean the end for the dangerous “ex-gay” movement. A splinter group called the Restored Hope Network continues, with the endorsement of anti-LGBT organizations like Focus on the Family, to promote the same harmful and ineffective “cures.” And, according to the group’s statement, Exodus International’s former local affiliated ministries “will continue, but not under the name or umbrella of Exodus.”

http://thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2013/06/20/2185901/ex-gay-exodus-closes/

Is this "conversion therapy" kind of like that new therapy offering to convert one's brown skin to palest white? They don't use tanning beds but hot tubs filled with bleach....same kind of thing, duh....

They'll just take all that money they spent on the gay conversion program and pour it into anti-woman programs and legislation instead.

Revenue stream dried up, did it?