Daniel
12-13-2006, 06:05 AM
This You-Tube piece is an inside look at the Ex-gay movement. The last few minutes are riveting on why the speaker- Daniel Gonzales- lost his faith. The harm done by these organization is more than a crime- it is utterly and morally indefensible.
http://www.exgaywatch.com/blog/archives/2006/12/my_video_testim_1.html
What did ex-gay therapy accomplish? In the end… well I was in therapy for about a year and a half. And it was at least another year before I wanted anything to do with gay people – so two and a half more years of repression. And my insurance didn't cover the therapy so that was all out of pocket – thousands of dollars.
But most tragic was the loss of my faith. For so many people – gay people – who grew up as religious people, their faith is just a part of themselves that is so painful that they can't allow it to continue to be a part of themselves. They have to purge themselves of it in order to move on.
And groups like Exodus really just want to bring people closer to God (and turn them straight obviously). But the sad thing is that in my case and so many people like me, the exact opposite ends up happening.
Makes me thankful that I never tried to change my sexuality.
http://www.exgaywatch.com/blog/archives/2006/12/my_video_testim_1.html
What did ex-gay therapy accomplish? In the end… well I was in therapy for about a year and a half. And it was at least another year before I wanted anything to do with gay people – so two and a half more years of repression. And my insurance didn't cover the therapy so that was all out of pocket – thousands of dollars.
But most tragic was the loss of my faith. For so many people – gay people – who grew up as religious people, their faith is just a part of themselves that is so painful that they can't allow it to continue to be a part of themselves. They have to purge themselves of it in order to move on.
And groups like Exodus really just want to bring people closer to God (and turn them straight obviously). But the sad thing is that in my case and so many people like me, the exact opposite ends up happening.
Makes me thankful that I never tried to change my sexuality.