Ex-Gay Pride Cancelled Because ‘Anti-Ex-Gay Extremism’

By Meher Ahmad  |  July 17, 2013 | 2:30am
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The “ex-gay” movement has been going through a rough patch. After its celebrity figurehead Marcus Bachmann was revealed to be using Christian ex-gay therapy tactics, with Medicaid funding no less, one its biggest groups, Exodus International, renounced its anti-gay mission and methods in a shocking change of heart. But after being bullied by the APA and roundly discredited by virtually all medical professionals, the ex-gays wanted to come together and create a pride week highlighting how they’re victims of “extremist” judgements, not by the terrifying ex-gay voodoo doctors like Marcus Bachmann, who likened gays and lesbians to “barbarians,” but by groups that accept everyone’s sexual identity. How extreme.

Quick to save face, Voice of the Voiceless, a group associated with the Family Research Council that describes itself as “the only anti-defamation league for former homosexuals, individuals with unwanted same-sex attractions, and their families,” stepped up their “pray the gay away” game and declared July “Ex-Gay Pride Month.” On July 31st, the coalition of ex-gays was to descend upon Capitol Hill for a day of lobbying and a dinner reception, replete with anti-gay mouthpiece Michele Bachmann as the keynote speaker. There was even a theme an ex-gay theme song competition, you guys. This was going to be big.

But “anti-ex-gay extremism” brought an end to all of that. Voice of the Voiceless announced this weekend that Ex-Gay Pride has been postponed due to numerous security threats and harassment, all of which was unspecified in their release. But their experience with this supposed harassment has prompted them to come back stronger, so much so that they decided to declare September the First Annual Ex-Gay Awareness Month:

“Ex-Gay awareness Month in September will be a time to reflect on the discrimination and marginalization that former homosexuals and ex-gays experience in the public at large. It will also provide some much needed exposure to students in secondary schools and colleges across the country to learn about the plights, challenges, and tribulations facing ex-gays in our culture.”

Truth Wins Out, a group that seeks to “uncover the next ‘ex-gay’ swindle,” believes Ex-Gay Pride fell flat on its face not because of the supposed safety threats, but because “ex-gays are as rare as the Dodo bird. They simply could not find real ‘ex-gays’ to participate and had to cancel to save face. This was nothing but a desperate publicity stunt intended to revive a failing industry that has repeatedly embarrassed anti-gay organizations.”

Watch the crowds (read: like 7 people and Voice of the Voiceless founder and ex-gay Christopher Doyle) of ex-gays march on the National Mall in D.C. in the above video. I don’t know how many Dodo birds are in existence right now, but that “crowd” is pretty paltry.

[Salon]

 
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