Posted Jul 29, 2020 by Michael L. Brown

What is it that makes the very existence of ex-gays so dangerous? And why is there a concerted, worldwide effort to block professional counseling for those with unwanted same-sex attractions?

Before you think I’m exaggerating, consider these following examples.

In England, Barclays Bank announced it was closing the account of a Christian charity after protest from LGBTQ activists. The charity, Core Issues Trust (CIT), was accused of practicing “conversion therapy.” CIT said that “Barclays informed them that their bank account will be terminated by September. CIT claimed that the move came after pressure from an LGBT social media campaign that targetted the group for allegedly practising ‘conversion therapy’.”

On the social media front, it is now reported that, “Facebook and its photo platform Instagram are banning any content advertising or promoting treatment to overcome unwanted same-sex attraction.”

According to Facebook spokeswoman Stephanie Otway, “This is a global policy. The policy is still under development, but for now it will be applied to content that promotes conversion therapy when we become aware of it.”

Ex-gay colleagues have already informed me that their content is being removed from Facebook and their pages are being shut down, simply for stating that change is possible.

Last year, Amazon stopped selling books by respected therapists like Dr. Joseph Nicolosi as part of their ban on “conversion therapy” books. This year, Amazon refused to allow Regnery Books, one of the largest conservative publishers, to buy ads for their new book by journalist Abigail Shrier, Irreversible Damage: The Transgender Craze Seducing Our Daughters.

But there’s more.

As posted on the official website of the Office of the High Commissioner of the United Nations Human Rights organization, “Practices known as ‘conversion therapy’ inflict severe pain and suffering on lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and gender-diverse (LGBT) persons, often resulting in long-lasting psychological and physical damage, a UN expert told the Human Rights Council while calling for a global ban.”

Yes, you read that correctly. This UN expert is calling for a global ban of so-called “conversion therapy.”

And what, exactly, is this dangerous therapy?

According to Victor Madrigal-Borloz, “the Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity . . . conversion is attempted through beatings, rape, electrocution, forced medication, isolation and confinement, forced nudity, verbal offense and humiliation and other acts of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse.”

He said, “These interventions exclusively target LGBT persons with the specific aim of interfering in their personal integrity and autonomy because their sexual orientation or gender identity do not fall under what is perceived by certain persons as a desirable norm. They are inherently degrading and discriminatory and rooted in the belief that LGBT persons are somehow inferior, and that they must at any cost modify their orientation or identity to remedy that supposed inferiority.”

This sounds pretty horrible, right? No wonder the Christian charity in England is having its bank account shut down. No wonder Facebook and Instagram are blocking posts advocating these torturous practices. No wonder the UN is calling for a ban.

There’s only one problem.

This is a myth. It is a creation of the left. It is a boogey man, manufactured out of thin air, meant to discredit fine organizations and ministries which simply say, “If you are unhappy with your same-sex attractions or gender-identity confusion, we’re here to talk with you and help.”

That’s it.

Nothing is forced or coerced. No one is being beaten. Or raped. Or electrocuted. Or isolated. Or confined. Or forced to take medication. Or stripped naked. Or subjected to “verbal offense and humiliation and other acts of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse.” God forbid!

There is not a person I know on the planet who would affirm such abusive practices, and if they do exist, they have no connection at all to organizations like CIT and others.

Instead, professional counselors and ministry leaders, many of them ex-gay or ex-trans themselves, are offering prayer, support, and talk therapy to those that request it.

That’s it.

You say, “But I’ve heard horror stories of kids taken against their own will and isolated and tortured in an attempt to drive the gay out of them. It is child abuse of the worst kind.”

If such stories were true, I would agree with you wholeheartedly. That would be downright wicked, and all people of conscience should denounce such horrific practices. And to the extent such a thing has taken place or still takes place, I will work side by side with you to help eradicate it.

The reality, however, is that many of these stories are not true at all. And certainly, there is not a single, recognized ex-gay ministry or organization in the world that would sanction any of the horrific practices listed here.

Why, then, should they be banned by the UN, by social media, and by other countries when all they do is offer counseling and prayer to those who request? What is their crime? Why the extreme reaction, to the point of removing their content on social media and shutting down their bank accounts? Why accuse them of practicing “conversion therapy” (allegedly replete with horrible practices) when that is not who they are or what they do?

You say, “I have gay and trans friends who told me how damaging it was to receive this kind of counseling and prayer when they were adults. They were told this would help them change their sexual orientation or gender identity, but in the end, it did far more harm than good. Worse still, it made them feel like there was something wrong with being gay or trans when, in fact, this is how God made them.”

Maybe they weren’t helped at all. Maybe they were actually hurt. The same can be said for countless people who tried everything from new diets to spiritual fads to life coaches to psychiatrists. They report negative outcomes rather than positive outcomes.

But I can also point you to countless thousands who have been helped. Who have improved the quality of their lives. Who are happier and more content. Who have resolved deep inner conflicts. Who have found gender wholeness (without surgery or lifelong hormones). Who have even seen changes in their sexual orientation.

Why don’t their stories count? And what about those people who believe that God did not make them gay or trans? Do not their beliefs or convictions count?

Really now, in today’s world, if someone wants to go to a new age healer who allegedly makes contact with UFO’s, they can do so. Or, if someone wants to go to a holistic cancer treatment center rather than get chemotherapy, that’s their choice.

Yet if someone says, “I would rather not take hormones for life and remove perfectly healthy organs in order to feel at home in my body. Instead, I would prefer finding wholeness from the inside out, and I’d like to meet with a professionally trained counselor,” they will be told that such counseling is forbidden.

This is both criminal and cruel, and people of conscience around the world need to raise their voices in support of freedom of choice. (Shall I mention here the secular therapists who believe that sexual orientation is often quite fluid?)

The Restored Hope Network has posted this Call to Action, offering many practical steps you can take. And you can do what I’ve done on social media, specifically, challenging the ban and asking for people to post their testimonies of change. (See here for a Facebook post that, thankfully, has not been taken down. Some of the testimonies are very powerful.)

As for the questions I asked at the outset of this article, the answers are simple. People who are ex-gay and ex-trans are a threat to the whole “born that way” argument, the argument that says that gay (or trans) is the new black. By undermining that, we undermine the movement.

And that’s why is it such a threat.

(To watch an important August 1 online event, offering a sneak preview of a powerful new documentary called In His Image, addressing these very issues with biblical clarity and life-changing stories, go here.)

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Comments

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neptune posted a comment · Aug 07, 2020
Pickle wrote: "Many say they are helpless to to let go of their same sex drives. Is it a matter of not wanting to change deep down? Would you say anyone who claims to be incapable of such changes is uninformed?" It seems that any addiction is hard to let go of. Alcoholics don't want to let go of their alcohol, and drug addicts don't want to let go of their drugs. And people who struggle with gluttony don't want to let go of their food. Letting go of any addiction is a lot of work!! It's much easier to say, "God made me this way!!!" than to admit, "I get pleasure from living this way and don't really want to change." It's called "denial." ;) As for ex-gays, there's one named Mario Bergner who has been a leader in the Church for years. He renounced homosexuality way back in 1984. But only a few years ago, he was under tremendous stress and actually had a relapse. Before then, he even admitted having a lock on his computer (maintained by his now ex-wife) to keep himself from looking at homosexual porn. So, even ex-gays who've been out of the lifestyle for decades still need to be very careful. It's the same way with alcoholics. Just because an alcoholic has been sober for 20 years, that doesn't mean he can suddenly start keeping alcohol at home.
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Pickle posted a comment · Aug 06, 2020
I have a question for "Clackman". Tell me, did your desire for sex with men fade away and it is gone now altogether? Why do you think it is so difficult for so many to experience such a shift? Many say they are helpless to to let go of their same sex drives. Is it a matter of not wanting to change deep down? Would you say anyone who claims to be incapable of such changes is uninformed? Before you changed, what could Christians have done to encourage you to have tried to change sooner? TIA
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Truthneverchanges posted a comment · Aug 01, 2020
Also! This for Christians, not others. I have read that pedophiles say they were born that way and serial killers too. What does that mean?
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Truthneverchanges posted a comment · Aug 01, 2020
Apparently these christians don’t realize you can anger and sin not. If I were them I would check with legal counsel. Also, as a Christian, we are, according to Paul to counsel one another and not the lost without. We are to proclaim the gospel in obedience to our Lord. It is up to the Holy Spirit if they are called or not.
CJackman posted a comment · Jul 31, 2020
As a former Gay identifying man. At twenty-six I hit Bottom and cried out to God for mercy. That was May 1995. I am today happily married to my wife eighteen years. I love my life!!! I am proof transformation is possible. I was never tortured or abused. I had talk therapy, discipleship and inner healing prayer. The transformation was slow, at times I grew afraid, but I am glad I stayed in the good fight of faith! We win!!!
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neptune posted a comment · Jul 31, 2020
Brown wrote: "People who are ex-gay and ex-trans are a threat to the whole 'born that way' argument, the argument that says that gay (or trans) is the new black. By undermining that, we undermine the movement. And that’s why is it such a threat." It's indeed that and more. Satan wants to keep people in bondage, and he HATES the idea of people in the chains of homosexuality finding freedom and new life. If he can keep people believing the lie, then he can keep them trapped and miserable. He also wants the Church to believe that healing is not for today. And people struggling with the homosexual condition need a lot of healing prayer.
Swkh310 posted a comment · Jul 30, 2020
“Ex-gay” therapy is no different than bleedings, leeches, Voodoo, and lobotomies.