Pray Your Gay Away

The concept of “becoming straight” has been talked about for many decades and probably even centuries.  GOP hopeful Michele Bachmann brought this issue into the public eye recently when her husband, Marcus Bachmann, admitted that he would perform ex-gay therapy, in his Christian counseling clinics, if the patient requested it.  The idea of “praying away the gay” is banded about a lot.  Use of words like lifestylegive the impression of choice rather than nature with regards to one’s sexual orientation.

It is no surprise, therefore, to read that the American religious universities are getting in on the act and conducting research on the topic.  Recently two professors have released results they claim to have from six to seven years of research on the issue.  Regent University’s Mark Yarhouse and Stanton Jones from Wheaton College say almost a quarter of the people they studied where able to become straight.  The two researchers used Exodus Ministries to get their 98 subjects, these ministries claim that

any individual can experience freedom [from homosexuality] through the support of caring individuals and the healing power of Jesus Christ

The 98 candidates became 65 due to some dropping out of the study.  Sadly only one of the drop outs claims to remain gay, the others remained on with 23% claiming heterosexuality by the end.  My favourite part of this study was the claim that 30% of the participates becoming celibate was reason to conclude a reduction in homosexuality.  Perhaps the professors in question need to read up on the simple fact that that sexuality is not an action but rather an intrinsic part of a person.  Thirty percent identifying as celibate is a sad statistic indeed.  20% embraced their gay identity(you go guys), 23% did not respond to treatment and the rest reported confusion – who could blame them?

The study was carried out in 16 different locations around the US and involved small groups of men reading the bible and praying.

Professor Yarhouse says

I’d like to see mental health organisations show greater respect for diversity for how a person chooses to live their life and live this out

Seriously.  Did this guy just talk about acceptance and respecting diversity?  Give me a break!  In 2005 The American Psychological Association decreed that sexual orientation was not a changeable facet of a persons psychology. Furthermore, the director of Human Sexuality at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Eli Coleman, is one of several people who have come out against this research, saying

We’ve been through this over and over, you can get behavioral changes, but that’s not orientation change. You can get short-term behavioral change. It’s not sustained

Here here.  Lets be honest here, these kinds of programs have to cause some  damage to people, at the very least a feeling of depression at “failing” to change your sexuality, never mind the self loathing a person must feel.  Frankly my heart bleeds for anyone who would even contemplate wanting to change their sexuality.

I wonder when professors Yarhouse and Jones will be researching what it takes to turn a straight person gay?  One must assume that would be the next logical place for researchers to look.  Rather than bible readings perhaps they will try some disco music?

 By Gooner |
gaelick.com


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