I tend to agree with most or all of what you have said. On the flipside of it, what is left for us to do? Allow this? Look at James Donson and the Soulforce campaign called "Dear Dr. Dobson". This man has made not just a living but an empire of anti-gay lies, but Soulforce tried anyway. I just cannot in good conscience stand by and do nothing. The best I or anyone else could do is draw attention to the fact Stephen Bennett uses lies and falsehoods. I would hope the information I have put out there about ex-gay ministries and the lies will help in someway to combat the lies.
I really do believe that ex-gay ministries are a huge part of the climate of hate and violence we as gays and lesbians live in. Just look at how loud they are. We see them on CNN, and other news programs. They invade our churches, our schools and ask that books about us be banned or burned. I, myself have been the victim of not just one, but two gay bashings in my life. The first with baseball bats, the second ended in a broken collarbone that has never fully healed. (I always know when it is going to rain.) They tend to put blinders on to the damage they do by preaching a false message to the public. If you have ever taken the chance to go to hatecrime.org and read the comparison of anti-gay groups to the propaganda movie from the nazi's called the eternal jew, you find the striking similarities between to the two. I speak out against this because it is wrong. I believe we have to speak out or it will just continue. The beginning of the end of such things has to start somewhere and speaking out is a good start even if it is shunned at first. Sooner or later, it will take hold and people will start to listen, but that will not happen until we all speak out. Silence from us tells them their message is just, but we all know it is injustice to all.
As for the petition and your name, many have signed it with just a first name. The email address you leave is really proof you are a real person, they only person who see's that will be me, and Stephen Bennett when I finally send it to him. I do not expect that he will ever talk to me, but I also believe that all of us close our eyes at night to sleep with our own conscience. I believe that Stephen does in fact know in his heart that he is wrong. I would hope enough people shaking their heads in shame at him may propel him to admit that, even if it isn't public.
I will also note, that I have followed his web site, his blog and his radio show for months now. I have seen changes made to the website based on things I have blogged about. He posts something on his web, I blog about it, and it is gone by the next day. At one point he was going to post "the Hall of Shame" where he was going to post the hate mail he gets from homosexuals. It was only on his site a day. I blogged about how that will never help anyone and it was gone the next day. I can't take credit for that because I don't really know, but I am pretty sure he is reading my blog and that I am making some difference. This has happen way more than once.
Lastly I will say this, many people who said to themself I am going to change something in the world were told by others that they will never make a difference, but they did. Many people were told that they cannot take on something bigger than them and win, and they did it anyway and made a difference in the world. This is about winning or losing, but making a change in the world that hopefully will stop someone from getting bashed, or fired, or left out. Change doesn't happen overnight, but it doesn't happen it all when we stand by and do nothing saying that it won't matter in the end. It does matter. At one point in time, the KKK were a huge force, now they are a hate group. Maybe that is what will happen to these ex-gay ministries someday if we continue to speak out.
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