What do you think?
Rate this book
Anything but Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth
The real story behind ex-gay ministries and reparative therapy!
Nationally known activist Wayne Besen spent four years examining the phenomenon of ex-gay ministries and reparative therapiesinterviewing leaders, attending conferences, and visiting ministries undercover as he accumulated hundreds of hours of research. The result is Anything but Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth, a groundbreaking exposé of the controversial movement that's revered by independent religious groups and reviled by gay and lesbian organizations. The book presents a historical perspective on the dispute, examining ex-gay groups such as Love In Action, Exodus International, Homosexuals Anonymous, and profiling a cast of characters that includes Pat Robertson, the Rev. Jerry Falwell, ex-gay poster boy John Paulk, National Association of Research and Therapy of Homosexuality activist Richard Cohen, and psychiatrist Dr. Robert Spitzer.
An in-depth, well-researched, and historically significant account, Anything but Straight is full of startling facts and alarming surprises. The original content and novel material in the book From the Through my extensive experience, I have learned that the extraordinary claims made by the ex-gay groups are without merit and the efficacy of their programs is dubious at best and harmful at worst . . . One frequent question I get is, Why can't gay activists simply leave 'ex-gay' groups alone and let them go about their business? This is exactly what happened for nearly three decades while ex-gay groups labored in near anonymity. But all this recently changed when the ex-gay groups intricately aligned themselves with the anti-gay political agenda of the Religious Right. With ex-gays added to their arsenal, the Right could disingenuously claim to love gay people and offer them hope for change, while simultaneously fighting for punitive legislation. Their insidious Since gays and lesbians can change, there is no need for laws that protect them against arbitrary prejudice.
Anything but Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth is an essential read for activists on both sides of the ex-gay fence, family members of gays and lesbians, Gay, Bisexual, Lesbian, and Transgender church members, psychiatric and social science professionals, and anyone who has dealt with coming out issues. An appendix of resources and a helpful bibliography make it easy to find additional information on this fascinating topic.
Nationally known activist Wayne Besen spent four years examining the phenomenon of ex-gay ministries and reparative therapiesinterviewing leaders, attending conferences, and visiting ministries undercover as he accumulated hundreds of hours of research. The result is Anything but Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth, a groundbreaking exposé of the controversial movement that's revered by independent religious groups and reviled by gay and lesbian organizations. The book presents a historical perspective on the dispute, examining ex-gay groups such as Love In Action, Exodus International, Homosexuals Anonymous, and profiling a cast of characters that includes Pat Robertson, the Rev. Jerry Falwell, ex-gay poster boy John Paulk, National Association of Research and Therapy of Homosexuality activist Richard Cohen, and psychiatrist Dr. Robert Spitzer.
An in-depth, well-researched, and historically significant account, Anything but Straight is full of startling facts and alarming surprises. The original content and novel material in the book From the Through my extensive experience, I have learned that the extraordinary claims made by the ex-gay groups are without merit and the efficacy of their programs is dubious at best and harmful at worst . . . One frequent question I get is, Why can't gay activists simply leave 'ex-gay' groups alone and let them go about their business? This is exactly what happened for nearly three decades while ex-gay groups labored in near anonymity. But all this recently changed when the ex-gay groups intricately aligned themselves with the anti-gay political agenda of the Religious Right. With ex-gays added to their arsenal, the Right could disingenuously claim to love gay people and offer them hope for change, while simultaneously fighting for punitive legislation. Their insidious Since gays and lesbians can change, there is no need for laws that protect them against arbitrary prejudice.
Anything but Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth is an essential read for activists on both sides of the ex-gay fence, family members of gays and lesbians, Gay, Bisexual, Lesbian, and Transgender church members, psychiatric and social science professionals, and anyone who has dealt with coming out issues. An appendix of resources and a helpful bibliography make it easy to find additional information on this fascinating topic.
340 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2003
8 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
About the author
Wayne R. Besen
3 books1 followerWayne Besen is an author and LGBTQ Rights Advocate.
He spent almost three decades researching, monitoring and debunking the “ex-gay” myth. He exposed their key leaders as frauds, helped shut down leading conversion groups and created a robust record documenting how the “ex-gay” industry is toxic and harms the very people it claims to help.
In 2006, Besen founded Truth Wins Out to help put “ex-gay” programs out of business. He is a former spokesperson for The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ political organization. Besen has appeared on leading news and political talk shows: NBC Nightly News, ABC World News Tonight, MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show and The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, CNN’s AC360, Fox’s O’Reilly Factor and The Sean Hannity Show, and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
He has been quoted in The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, The Advocate, Newsweek, The Washington Blade, TIME, The Nation, and Mother Jones. Besen graduated from University of Florida in 1993.
He spent almost three decades researching, monitoring and debunking the “ex-gay” myth. He exposed their key leaders as frauds, helped shut down leading conversion groups and created a robust record documenting how the “ex-gay” industry is toxic and harms the very people it claims to help.
In 2006, Besen founded Truth Wins Out to help put “ex-gay” programs out of business. He is a former spokesperson for The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ political organization. Besen has appeared on leading news and political talk shows: NBC Nightly News, ABC World News Tonight, MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show and The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, CNN’s AC360, Fox’s O’Reilly Factor and The Sean Hannity Show, and Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
He has been quoted in The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, The Advocate, Newsweek, The Washington Blade, TIME, The Nation, and Mother Jones. Besen graduated from University of Florida in 1993.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 20, 2024
A DETAILED CRITIQUE OF ‘EX-GAY’ MINISTRIES AND ‘REPARATIVE THERAPY’
Author and activist Wayne Besen wrote in the Preface to this 2003 book, “the ex-gay ministries and reparative therapists prey upon the vulnerable and the gullible, luring them with promises of celestial healing and divine intervention. For a time, the power of belief can lead some people genuinely to feel they have become heterosexual. This temporary leap of faith brings a brief period of euphoria and explains why some ex-gays offer loud declarations of their newfound heterosexuality… So, in essence… an ex-gay individual is an actor playing a role… In the end, however, the play always ends… and the ex-gay actor must take off the costume and rediscover his or her true self again… I would not rule out the remote possibility that… a few people may be comfortable and honestly function as if they have changed their sexual orientation. If a person claims to have changed and is happy, why am I or anybody else to condemn him or her?... people have the … right to declare themselves gay, ex-gay, or asexual without the fear of discrimination…” (Pg. xv-xvi)
He continues, “Through my extensive experience I have learned that the extraordinary claims made by ex-gay groups are without merit and the efficacy of their programs is dubious, at best, and harmful, at worst… until we live in a world that no longer discriminates, it will be difficult to ascertain whether a person is truly healed or is claiming change simply to avoid societal persecution… The more one learns about these groups, the clearer it is how dysfunctional they are… [This book] shows… [that] the most these deceptive entities can usually accomplish is teaching fearful people how to repress natural feelings, at the risk of grave psychological harm, which is really no accomplishment at all.” (Pg. xvi-xvii)
He adds in the ‘Author’s Note.’ “For the past four years, I have intimately examined the ex-gay ministries and reparative therapy. I have done hundreds of hours of research, attended ex-gay and right-wing conferences, and visited various ex-gay ministries undercover. I have interviewed or met nearly every major ex-gay leader in the nation, and … I photographed the nation’s leading ex-gay at a homosexual saloon and helped bring two leading ex-gay spokespersons out of the closet… [This book] tells the story of reparative therapy and the ex-gay ministries from a historical perspective… Through the comprehensiveness of this diligent, investigative approach, a thorough and honest portrait will emerge that finally cuts through the antigay right-wing spin… the most damning and damaging material lies in the actual words and actions of the ex-gay leaders themselves.” (Pg. xxi)
Of course, the most famous aspect of this book is his recounting of documenting (including the photo on the book’s cover) former ‘ex-gay leader’ and ‘Love Won Out’ poster boy John Paulk [who was featured with his then-wife on the cover of Newsweek] visiting a gay bar, and even ‘hitting on’ some other patrons. “Despite his loud and very public protestations, however, Paulk never changed his sexual orientation, John Paulk is ‘living proof’ that changing sexual orientation is highly unlikely.” (Pg. 3-16)
He explains, “The account of my trips to these ministries is intended to offer a realistic snapshot of being inside these programs, not to ridicule those who are trapped in the ex-gay lifestyle. They are not the enemy. They are simply homosexuals who … have not been able to rid themselves of shame and guilt… While writing this book, I spoke to hundreds of ex-gays and the majority of their leadership… the ex-gays, for the most part, are sincere… the first striking characteristic of the ex-gay ministries is that they have no uniform guidelines or professional standards. Each ministry… offers its own unique path for ‘change,’ and even the meaning of change is quite arbitrary, varying greatly from ministry to ministry.” (Pg. 30-31)
He asks, “With … more than 100 ministries worldwide, why can’t Exodus find at least this many totally cured leaders to run their ministries?... The reason… is because nobody has really ‘changed.’ A trip through the ex-gay ministries is … an endless cul-de-sac, where well-intentioned people … [are] heading for a finish line that does not exist.” (Pg. 38) Later, he adds, “Some ex-gay leaders claim they are much happier now, and I believe they are sincere. They have left behind… lives of uncertainty and despair for monochrome, one-dimensional lives of relative stability and security. To reach this place…all these people had to do was to give up their natural sexuality… to many ex-gay leaders, it makes all the sense in the world.” (Pg. 52) He observes, “My experience has shown me that almost no [ex-gay] ministers who claim heterosexuality have real jobs; they are almost always full-time professional heterosexuals.” (Pg. 55) He suggests, “The only people who … seem to benefit somewhat… are those suffering from hard-core addictions, mental illness, or … problems that have nothing to do with being gay. These individuals would be better off in programs run by credentialed professionals.” (Pg. 59)
He reports, “Dr. Paul Cameron was like no one the gay and lesbian community had ever seen before… Cameron came out of the woodwork to publicize the CONSEQUENCES of same-gender sex… Cameron is a fundamentalist Christian who cloaks his antigay religious beliefs in the guise of science.” (Pg. 105) He adds, “Cameron may best be remembers for his notorious ‘study’ that found the average life span for gay men to be forty-three years of age… The scientific bankruptcy of this particular ‘study’ has not stopped the religious right citing it with reckless abandon… Cameron’s bad science and calumnious antigay rhetoric eventually caught up with him… The American Psychological Association (APA)… found that Cameron had… used unsound methodology … In December 1983, Cameron was… booted out of the APA.” (Pg. 110-111)
He turns to Dr. Joseph Nicolosi (Executive Director of NARTH), stating “he was headed toward a nondescript career of noconsequentiality … The doctor realized, however, that if he took over Cameron’s role as the religious right’s chief propagandist, the future held no limits. He could gain notoriety… and earn a substantial sum of money. Nicolosi… introduced the novel idea of preaching love for gays, all the while flooding the nation with antigay medical statistics and propaganda… his message was that he was trying to save homosexuals from themselves… [He was] a deeply religious political operative with strong ties to the religious right… Nicolosi’s religious beliefs were the primary reason for his claim that gay and lesbian people can change.” (Pg. 135) He adds, “NARTH has affected the public perception of lesbians and gay men… [because] they have provided a scientific front for the perpetuation of stereotypes and bigotry.” (Pg. 138)
He explains, “One reason I wrote this book is to help those struggling… make informed decisions about whether to enter reparative therapy. I would adamantly warn anyone … to be aware of the potential pitfalls of false memory syndrome. Many of these therapists are highly trained individuals who are adept at manipulating minds… If a therapist provides guidance toward the discovery of a particular past trauma, GET OUT of the session as quickly as possible. Your life may depend on your ability to recognize that psychological abuse is occurring.” (Pg. 187-188)
Of Richard Cohen [author of ‘Coming Out Straight’], he notes, “He claims a 75 to 80 percent success rate but admits---as did his mentor Nicolosi---that he does not keep precise numbers and never conducts follow-up studies. He ultimately blames the medical and mental health establishment for his lack of data---although there is nothing stopping him from corresponding with his own clients. Cohen may say he wishes he could keep statistics, but anecdotal evidence suggests that his excuses are nothing more than an elaborate cover-up for monumental failures. It is remarkable that… the majority of patients used as examples in his book acknowledged that they were not totally healed.” (Pg. 190-191)
He points out, “The ex-gay ministry leaders soon learned… The media had little interest in humble ex-gays who were honest about their incomplete transformations and spoke of repressing their sexuality through prayer. The media… preferred wild, prurient tales of sex-crazed homosexuals who gave up bathhouses after Jesus personally spoke to them. This allowed the most shameless, self-promoting, psychologically unbalanced ex-gays to become the public face of the ministries.” (Pg. 216-217)
He asserts, “members of the political coalition know that the efficacy of ex-gay ministries is highly suspect, at best… if the affluent right-wing groups truly believed Exodus had merit, they would have dumped tens of millions of dollars into expanding these programs, but they gave next to nothing. They were willing to fund only individual ex-gays who were willing to push their political message.” (Pg. 222)
He proposes, “Another, extremely controversial way the GLBT community can precipitate the end of the ex-gay experiment is to dispatch undercover teams to catch ex-gay leaders engaging in not so ex-gay behavior. Imagine a team of young, attractive men and women outfitted with small hidden cameras and tape recorders… These operatives would be dispatched to every ex-gay ministry in the nation to see whether the leaders try to seduce them. Simultaneously, a deal can be cut with a network or cable television show to air the juiciest parts of the videos… I estimate [this] would put one-quarter to one-half of the ex-gay ministries out of business within a year.” (Pg. 265)
He concludes, “The ex-gay ministries and reparative therapy will not last forever, and I am confident that one day we will celebrate their demise… the passing of these groups is inextricably linked to public opinion. The question is, What will cause public sentiment to change to the point at which these groups are no longer socially acceptable?” (Pg. 271)
This book will be ‘must reading’ for anyone studying ‘ex-gay’ ministries, and ‘reparative’ therapies.
Author and activist Wayne Besen wrote in the Preface to this 2003 book, “the ex-gay ministries and reparative therapists prey upon the vulnerable and the gullible, luring them with promises of celestial healing and divine intervention. For a time, the power of belief can lead some people genuinely to feel they have become heterosexual. This temporary leap of faith brings a brief period of euphoria and explains why some ex-gays offer loud declarations of their newfound heterosexuality… So, in essence… an ex-gay individual is an actor playing a role… In the end, however, the play always ends… and the ex-gay actor must take off the costume and rediscover his or her true self again… I would not rule out the remote possibility that… a few people may be comfortable and honestly function as if they have changed their sexual orientation. If a person claims to have changed and is happy, why am I or anybody else to condemn him or her?... people have the … right to declare themselves gay, ex-gay, or asexual without the fear of discrimination…” (Pg. xv-xvi)
He continues, “Through my extensive experience I have learned that the extraordinary claims made by ex-gay groups are without merit and the efficacy of their programs is dubious, at best, and harmful, at worst… until we live in a world that no longer discriminates, it will be difficult to ascertain whether a person is truly healed or is claiming change simply to avoid societal persecution… The more one learns about these groups, the clearer it is how dysfunctional they are… [This book] shows… [that] the most these deceptive entities can usually accomplish is teaching fearful people how to repress natural feelings, at the risk of grave psychological harm, which is really no accomplishment at all.” (Pg. xvi-xvii)
He adds in the ‘Author’s Note.’ “For the past four years, I have intimately examined the ex-gay ministries and reparative therapy. I have done hundreds of hours of research, attended ex-gay and right-wing conferences, and visited various ex-gay ministries undercover. I have interviewed or met nearly every major ex-gay leader in the nation, and … I photographed the nation’s leading ex-gay at a homosexual saloon and helped bring two leading ex-gay spokespersons out of the closet… [This book] tells the story of reparative therapy and the ex-gay ministries from a historical perspective… Through the comprehensiveness of this diligent, investigative approach, a thorough and honest portrait will emerge that finally cuts through the antigay right-wing spin… the most damning and damaging material lies in the actual words and actions of the ex-gay leaders themselves.” (Pg. xxi)
Of course, the most famous aspect of this book is his recounting of documenting (including the photo on the book’s cover) former ‘ex-gay leader’ and ‘Love Won Out’ poster boy John Paulk [who was featured with his then-wife on the cover of Newsweek] visiting a gay bar, and even ‘hitting on’ some other patrons. “Despite his loud and very public protestations, however, Paulk never changed his sexual orientation, John Paulk is ‘living proof’ that changing sexual orientation is highly unlikely.” (Pg. 3-16)
He explains, “The account of my trips to these ministries is intended to offer a realistic snapshot of being inside these programs, not to ridicule those who are trapped in the ex-gay lifestyle. They are not the enemy. They are simply homosexuals who … have not been able to rid themselves of shame and guilt… While writing this book, I spoke to hundreds of ex-gays and the majority of their leadership… the ex-gays, for the most part, are sincere… the first striking characteristic of the ex-gay ministries is that they have no uniform guidelines or professional standards. Each ministry… offers its own unique path for ‘change,’ and even the meaning of change is quite arbitrary, varying greatly from ministry to ministry.” (Pg. 30-31)
He asks, “With … more than 100 ministries worldwide, why can’t Exodus find at least this many totally cured leaders to run their ministries?... The reason… is because nobody has really ‘changed.’ A trip through the ex-gay ministries is … an endless cul-de-sac, where well-intentioned people … [are] heading for a finish line that does not exist.” (Pg. 38) Later, he adds, “Some ex-gay leaders claim they are much happier now, and I believe they are sincere. They have left behind… lives of uncertainty and despair for monochrome, one-dimensional lives of relative stability and security. To reach this place…all these people had to do was to give up their natural sexuality… to many ex-gay leaders, it makes all the sense in the world.” (Pg. 52) He observes, “My experience has shown me that almost no [ex-gay] ministers who claim heterosexuality have real jobs; they are almost always full-time professional heterosexuals.” (Pg. 55) He suggests, “The only people who … seem to benefit somewhat… are those suffering from hard-core addictions, mental illness, or … problems that have nothing to do with being gay. These individuals would be better off in programs run by credentialed professionals.” (Pg. 59)
He reports, “Dr. Paul Cameron was like no one the gay and lesbian community had ever seen before… Cameron came out of the woodwork to publicize the CONSEQUENCES of same-gender sex… Cameron is a fundamentalist Christian who cloaks his antigay religious beliefs in the guise of science.” (Pg. 105) He adds, “Cameron may best be remembers for his notorious ‘study’ that found the average life span for gay men to be forty-three years of age… The scientific bankruptcy of this particular ‘study’ has not stopped the religious right citing it with reckless abandon… Cameron’s bad science and calumnious antigay rhetoric eventually caught up with him… The American Psychological Association (APA)… found that Cameron had… used unsound methodology … In December 1983, Cameron was… booted out of the APA.” (Pg. 110-111)
He turns to Dr. Joseph Nicolosi (Executive Director of NARTH), stating “he was headed toward a nondescript career of noconsequentiality … The doctor realized, however, that if he took over Cameron’s role as the religious right’s chief propagandist, the future held no limits. He could gain notoriety… and earn a substantial sum of money. Nicolosi… introduced the novel idea of preaching love for gays, all the while flooding the nation with antigay medical statistics and propaganda… his message was that he was trying to save homosexuals from themselves… [He was] a deeply religious political operative with strong ties to the religious right… Nicolosi’s religious beliefs were the primary reason for his claim that gay and lesbian people can change.” (Pg. 135) He adds, “NARTH has affected the public perception of lesbians and gay men… [because] they have provided a scientific front for the perpetuation of stereotypes and bigotry.” (Pg. 138)
He explains, “One reason I wrote this book is to help those struggling… make informed decisions about whether to enter reparative therapy. I would adamantly warn anyone … to be aware of the potential pitfalls of false memory syndrome. Many of these therapists are highly trained individuals who are adept at manipulating minds… If a therapist provides guidance toward the discovery of a particular past trauma, GET OUT of the session as quickly as possible. Your life may depend on your ability to recognize that psychological abuse is occurring.” (Pg. 187-188)
Of Richard Cohen [author of ‘Coming Out Straight’], he notes, “He claims a 75 to 80 percent success rate but admits---as did his mentor Nicolosi---that he does not keep precise numbers and never conducts follow-up studies. He ultimately blames the medical and mental health establishment for his lack of data---although there is nothing stopping him from corresponding with his own clients. Cohen may say he wishes he could keep statistics, but anecdotal evidence suggests that his excuses are nothing more than an elaborate cover-up for monumental failures. It is remarkable that… the majority of patients used as examples in his book acknowledged that they were not totally healed.” (Pg. 190-191)
He points out, “The ex-gay ministry leaders soon learned… The media had little interest in humble ex-gays who were honest about their incomplete transformations and spoke of repressing their sexuality through prayer. The media… preferred wild, prurient tales of sex-crazed homosexuals who gave up bathhouses after Jesus personally spoke to them. This allowed the most shameless, self-promoting, psychologically unbalanced ex-gays to become the public face of the ministries.” (Pg. 216-217)
He asserts, “members of the political coalition know that the efficacy of ex-gay ministries is highly suspect, at best… if the affluent right-wing groups truly believed Exodus had merit, they would have dumped tens of millions of dollars into expanding these programs, but they gave next to nothing. They were willing to fund only individual ex-gays who were willing to push their political message.” (Pg. 222)
He proposes, “Another, extremely controversial way the GLBT community can precipitate the end of the ex-gay experiment is to dispatch undercover teams to catch ex-gay leaders engaging in not so ex-gay behavior. Imagine a team of young, attractive men and women outfitted with small hidden cameras and tape recorders… These operatives would be dispatched to every ex-gay ministry in the nation to see whether the leaders try to seduce them. Simultaneously, a deal can be cut with a network or cable television show to air the juiciest parts of the videos… I estimate [this] would put one-quarter to one-half of the ex-gay ministries out of business within a year.” (Pg. 265)
He concludes, “The ex-gay ministries and reparative therapy will not last forever, and I am confident that one day we will celebrate their demise… the passing of these groups is inextricably linked to public opinion. The question is, What will cause public sentiment to change to the point at which these groups are no longer socially acceptable?” (Pg. 271)
This book will be ‘must reading’ for anyone studying ‘ex-gay’ ministries, and ‘reparative’ therapies.
May 2, 2021
Brilliant from start to finish. Wayne provided a comprehensive analysis of the deceptive, dangerous practice of conversion therapy. From the religious based programs to the ones based in pseudoscience, you can see how all of them work to erase queer people. As a conversion therapy survivor, this was my first reference for the history of conversion therapy. Well researched and well written, you will see conversion therapy for what it is: fraud and abuse of vulnerable people.
July 4, 2012
I’m reading ‘Anything but Straight’ for the second time. For me that’s about the best vote of confidence I can give any book.
Wayne has done and excellent job in researching the exgay movement, history, programs and connections. He’s read the materials, interviewed people, gone to meetings undercover to make sure he has al the facts. His work is extremely valuable.
Having spent 22 years unsuccessfully trying to change my sexual orientation I know first hand, much of what he writes about. Therapy, counselling, exorcisms, 40 day fasts, months in an abusive exgay rehabilitation centre and 16 years of marriage were just some of things I was told would help me become heterosexual. The result…….I’m still gay…….but at last happy about it….and wouldn’t want to change either.
I’m glad Wayne has devoted himself to detailing these things because I wouldn’t want another human being to go through the torment that I did. If ‘Anything but Straight’ was out years ago maybe many of us would not have wasted years of our lives trying to do the impossible and change our sexual orientation and learnt to be true to ourselves.
Against all the research and understanding today, many in fundamentalist churches still hold on to the archaic belief that being gay is a sin, a choice and the result of being brought up in a dysfunctional family. Thanks Wayne for reminding us again how futile and damaging those beliefs have been.
© Anthony Venn-Brown
Twitter: @gayambassador
Facebook: Anthony Venn-Brown - A Life of Unlearning
Facebook: Ambassadors & Bridge Builders International
Website: www.gayambassador.com
info@gayambassador.com
Anthony Venn-Brown is the co-founder and former leader of Freedom 2 b[e], Australia’s largest network of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) people from Christian backgrounds. He is also an educator and consultant on LGBT/faith issues and leader in deconstructing the ‘ex-gay’ myth. Anthony’s autobiography 'A Life of Unlearning', details his journey from married, high profile preacher in Australia’s mega-churches to living as an openly gay man. Anthony has been twice voted ‘One of the 25 Most Influential Gay and Lesbian Australians’ (2007 & 2009) and this year was one of four finalists for the ACON Community Hero Award. He is also the founder and director of Ambassadors & Bridge Builders International ( www.gayambassador.com )
Wayne has done and excellent job in researching the exgay movement, history, programs and connections. He’s read the materials, interviewed people, gone to meetings undercover to make sure he has al the facts. His work is extremely valuable.
Having spent 22 years unsuccessfully trying to change my sexual orientation I know first hand, much of what he writes about. Therapy, counselling, exorcisms, 40 day fasts, months in an abusive exgay rehabilitation centre and 16 years of marriage were just some of things I was told would help me become heterosexual. The result…….I’m still gay…….but at last happy about it….and wouldn’t want to change either.
I’m glad Wayne has devoted himself to detailing these things because I wouldn’t want another human being to go through the torment that I did. If ‘Anything but Straight’ was out years ago maybe many of us would not have wasted years of our lives trying to do the impossible and change our sexual orientation and learnt to be true to ourselves.
Against all the research and understanding today, many in fundamentalist churches still hold on to the archaic belief that being gay is a sin, a choice and the result of being brought up in a dysfunctional family. Thanks Wayne for reminding us again how futile and damaging those beliefs have been.
© Anthony Venn-Brown
Twitter: @gayambassador
Facebook: Anthony Venn-Brown - A Life of Unlearning
Facebook: Ambassadors & Bridge Builders International
Website: www.gayambassador.com
info@gayambassador.com
Anthony Venn-Brown is the co-founder and former leader of Freedom 2 b[e], Australia’s largest network of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) people from Christian backgrounds. He is also an educator and consultant on LGBT/faith issues and leader in deconstructing the ‘ex-gay’ myth. Anthony’s autobiography 'A Life of Unlearning', details his journey from married, high profile preacher in Australia’s mega-churches to living as an openly gay man. Anthony has been twice voted ‘One of the 25 Most Influential Gay and Lesbian Australians’ (2007 & 2009) and this year was one of four finalists for the ACON Community Hero Award. He is also the founder and director of Ambassadors & Bridge Builders International ( www.gayambassador.com )
October 1, 2011
Disappointment all around. Besen writes sarcastically and in self-aggrandizing manner which irritated me right from the start. I had been forward to this book for several months, but in my humble opinion, Besen didn't deliver. Yes, he showed how fallible the leaders of the ex-gay groups are, but that's about it. There was little voice given to the people who have tried these reparative services, and the few that were mentioned were almost all men. It's strange, almost all studies on homosexual people were done on men, and now it seems that one of our own, has the same prejudice. I'm glad I only borrowed this from the library.
January 15, 2014
Excellent expose of the ex-gay movement. You can tell the author did a great deal of research, interviewing many many ex-gay leaders as well as rank and file ex-gays and ex-ex-gays, as well as attending conventions, groups, and retreats undercover. really sums up the connection between Ex-gay groups and religious right quasi-hate groups as well as showing how these groups have astronomical (near universal, if not universal) failure rates.
August 9, 2011
An educational and amusing look into ex-ministries. Their beginnings, convoluted history, random involvements, and inevitable ties with the strangest of the strange are all outlined in this page-turner. Though written in 2003, there is plenty of information in this book, making it definitely worth a read.
May 18, 2011
Like his website TruthWinsOut.org, Besen's book provides a comprehensive expose' of so-called reparative therapy. It's a lively read, but something of a guilty pleasure, as his descriptions of the personal mannerisms and appearance of ex-gay leaders often shade into bitchiness.
February 20, 2008
This book is a little too HRC, but it provides some important information on ex-gay ministries.
March 5, 2015
Read, loaned it out to someone I didn't see again, but I hope she got as much out of it as I did.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews