CONVERSION “THERAPY” TERMINOLOGY

50 years of rebranding by Christian ministries claiming to heal homosexuals; from “ex-gay” to “unwanted same-sex attraction”.

By Anthony Venn-Brown OAM

Abstract:

The terminology for the Christian “change is possible” movement has evolved over the years, along with their approaches, practices and some beliefs. This paper explores the name changes, reasons for the change, and the implications.

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CONVERSION “THERAPY” TERMINOLOGY

50 years of rebranding by Christian ministries claiming to heal homosexuals; from “ex-gay” to “unwanted same-sex attraction”.

By Anthony Venn-Brown OAM

Contents

Abstract:

The terminology for the Christian “change is possible” movement has evolved over the years, along with their approaches, practices and some beliefs. This paper explores the name changes, reasons for the change and the implications.

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In 1972, when I was in a Christian residential community to change my sexual orientation[1] (one of only two in the world at that time), no term or label existed. You were either camp, gay, lesbian, homosexual, or straight.

Trans and gender diverse people were hardly visible at this time within the LGBTQ community and that was reflected in the “change is possible” movement. Perry Desmond[2], known as a former transsexual, was converted in 1974 and de-transitioned as much as was physically possible. He became a celebrity speaker in Charismatic and Pentecostal Christian circles and on Christian television. Desmond became involved in Exodus when it was founded in 1976 and supported Anita Bryant but “said he joined the pro Anita movement in hopes of bringing homosexuals to Jesus. He also said he doesn’t believe homosexuals should be denied rights granted to other persons and would not support political action like that taken in Florida”[3]. He spoke more against homosexuality than transgenderism.[4]

The next trans person to gain prominence was the infamous Sy Rogers.[5] Rogers was converted in 1980 but didn’t become well known until 1984/5 when his story appeared in several prominent[6] Christian international publications. Even though the Sy Rogers’ story included his plans to have sex reassignment surgery, Sy’s emphasis soon switched mostly to his homosexuality and change to heterosexuality was the message he preached. During this period, Rogers joined the board of Exodus and became its Chairman and President. His dramatic personal testimony[7] elevated him to the role of international ambassador for the “change is possible” movement, spreading the message worldwide.

Ex-gay

When the movement began in the mid-1970s, many believed that simply a conversion experience, commonly known in Pentecostal, Charismatic and Evangelical (PCE) circles as being “born again”[8], or a deliverance from evil spirits, would turn them from gay to straight.[9] Because of the early downfall of several leaders of the movement and others realising that their “struggle” was ongoing, those beliefs soon waned and other methodologies such as support groups became popular. These included residential programs like Love in Action, at San Rafael. CA and other ministries that offered one-on-one counselling and weekly support meetings.

The term used in the movement was “ex-gay” (adopted in 1976 when Exodus International was founded). For many years, people who considered themselves to be “former homosexuals” used the “ex-gay” label. The vast majority of these were from PCE backgrounds. People, such as myself and others, who’d come out the other side and accepted our sexuality, used the label “ex-ex-gay”. It was simple and easy. We all knew where we stood. Later, the terms “ex-gay survivor” and “conversion therapy survivor” became more popular.

During the early growth of the “change is possible” movement, the testimonials often came from gay men and lesbians claiming to have experienced a transformation. Many of these stories, particularly from gay men, centred around abandoning the “gay lifestyle”[10] and frequently highlighted marriages and fathering children as evidence of having successfully transitioned to heterosexuality.

People still use the term “ex-gay”; particularly those who were involved in Exodus International style ministries.

Reparative therapy

In the mid to late 1980s, the “ex-gay” movement sought to gain legitimacy by adopting a more therapeutic and pseudo-scientific approach. The term “reparative therapy” became popular, thanks to theories introduced by leaders like Elizabeth Moberly[11], Leanne Payne[12] and later popularised by Joseph Nicolosi[13]. According to “reparative therapy” theory, homosexuality results from unresolved emotional wounds or developmental issues from the past. These, it claimed, could be “repaired” through counselling, spiritual or inner healing, or even a variety of exorcism practices[14]. However, efforts to validate these theories scientifically failed. Essentially, reparative “therapy” models were recycled versions of disproven ideas promoted by mental health professionals in the 1950s and 1960s, before the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders in 1973.

Sexual and/or relational brokenness

The terms “sexual brokenness” and “relational brokenness” were also introduced around the same time. Not only were gay and lesbian people “broken” because of sin, their sexual orientation or so called “gender confusion”, resulted from a deeper form of brokenness; once again, something from their past. This “brokenness” supposedly could have been caused by any number of factors, including a lack of love, affection, or acceptance from the same-sex parent, being brought up in a single-parent household, the parent wanting a child of the other gender, sexual abuse, bullying or low self-esteem. Ministries used a range of practices to heal the “brokenness” such as counselling, a variety of deliverance methods and what was known as “inner healing” or “healing of the memories”. The late Leanne Payne’s “Pastoral Care Ministries”[15] and particularly Andy Comiskey’s “Living Waters”[16] program have been at the forefront promoting these concepts. The Living Waters program usually ran one night a week for 20 weeks. People, desperate to change, often did these programs more than once, trying to dig deeper to discover the cause of their “dysfunction” and why their sexual orientation wasn’t changing. After Exodus closed its doors in 2013, Vice President, Randy Thomas said that his involvement as a Living Waters leader was one of his greatest regrets.[17]

Jim Marjoram, who was a Living Waters leader in Australia and New Zealand for 15 years, felt the same way. “It wasn’t until my wife died, that I stopped to look at the entire process. The damage was deep, and had filled me with even more self-doubt and hatred, a constant sense of hiding something and living in fear. I’m still finding its lasting effects on me. I have always been gay, and after 45 years of desperately trying to change, have finally found the peace to simply be gay”, he said.[18]

Unwanted same-sex attractions

In the early 2000s, academia began using the term “same-sex attraction/s” instead of what had become generally accepted, i.e. “sexual orientation”. This was intended to help same-sex-attracted youth to not feel pressured to take on the label of gay and that this period of their lives was more about questioning and discovery. The Christian “change is possible” movement latched on to this term and began speaking about having “unwanted same-sex attractions” to describe their homosexuality. This new term was very convenient, as Christian men and women, who were same-sex oriented, didn’t want to use the term homosexual, let alone adopt the identity of being gay or lesbian.

A common teaching within the movement was; “Gay is a cultural identity to be rejected. Homosexuality is a lifestyle choice. Same-sex-attraction is a feeling.”[19]

Also, using the term “same-sex-attractions” was a way of distancing themselves from the reality of their true orientation. A sexual orientation (same, opposite or bisexual) was far more fundamental/innate than an attraction. Having “unwanted same-sex attractions” could be perceived as being more about feelings, thoughts, or emotions than behaviour or who you are oriented to fall in love with. Acronyms like SSA or USAA are sometimes used to sound clinical, like an illness such as MS or behaviour, such as PTSD. “I have/experience same-sex attractions” or “I have SSA”; it’s like an affliction. “Same-sex attractions” has become the preferred term within evangelical circles and celibacy promoting organisations.

Using this term was also often an attempt by some groups to distance themselves from criticism about their anti-gay message and practices. In their defence, they would said, “We only work with people who have unwanted same-sex-attractions”.[20] 

More about Unwanted Same Sex Attraction HERE.

Sexual orientation change efforts

In 2009, the term Sexual Orientation Change Efforts (SOCE) emerged, primarily used in academic and clinical circles to describe attempts to alter an individual’s sexual orientation. However, the term failed to gain widespread acceptance outside these settings.

A handful of “you don’t have to be gay” licenced therapists have come up with some creative terms and models. For example, SAFE-T (Sexual Attraction Fluidity Exploration in Therapy), Reintegrative Therapy and Sexual Identity Affirming Therapy. Once again, these terms haven’t gained popularity and have only been used by the few therapists who promote them.

What about “conversion therapy”?

From the early 2000s, the term “conversion therapy” began appearing regularly in media articles. It became the term de jour, and other terms decreased in usage (see graphs below). “Conversion therapy” was adopted in the mainstream and gay press. I suspect its adoption would have been by secular journalists who had no real understanding of the Christian world or of the “ex-gay” movement. The term “conversion therapy” was never used by the Christian “change is possible” movement or previously in the 50s and 60s. For those of us who have followed the movement or been personally involved, we knew that the term was flawed and problematic. It wasn’t therapy and there was no conversion.

Another problem was that both secular gay and mainstream journalists often referred to historical treatments of the 50s and 60s which included electric shock and aversion therapy in their articles. The medical and psychological interventions of gay and lesbian people mentioned above largely ended in those eras. Referring to conversion “therapy” in the context of the 50s and 60s clouded the debate and gave a false impression of what was happening in contemporary religious circles.

Another downside of the misidentification was that advocates of “God has the power to change people’s sexual orientation” could defend their anti-gay position by said, “we have never and don’t do those terrible things” (meaning harmful and barbaric medical interventions). A similar thing happened as the move to ban the practice gathered momentum. Journalists, mentioning the previous barbaric practices of medical practitioners, psychiatrists and therapists, added drama and horror to their articles and stories.

Often the media used the term “gay conversion therapy”, which reinforced the false belief that trans and gender diverse people had not been targeted or survivors of the movement or practices.

 LGBTQ+ conversion and suppression practices

Because of the problems with the popular term “conversion therapy,” some have suggested the term “LGBTQ+ conversion and suppression practices” as an alternative.

This has some merit. Firstly, it includes bisexual, transgender, gender diverse and people who identify as queer. Within conservative religious contexts, anyone who isn’t heterosexual or doesn’t conform to the male/female gender binary has experienced some practice or pressure to conform/suppress, whether overt or covert. These people are also survivors. Christian parents have often joined religious organisations and support groups believing the “change is possible” messaging means something can be done with their child who they view as also “broken”.

The other advantage is that for some, it was never about change so much as suppression. This is particularly true in the more recent “you can have same-sex attractions, but can never act on it”, celibacy message.[21] If a person is transgender, then they would be pressured to suppress their transgender expression and maintain their birth gender.

There are some downsides, however, to the newly introduced terminology. Firstly, it’s about the use of the term “conversion practices”. It depends on which audience you are attempting to educate. Within religious circles, Islamic, and particularly evangelical Christian groups, people are converted to Christ or Islam. This is a common concept and practice. Using the term “conversion practices” alone creates an unnecessary, misleading trigger for people in those groups. They believe conversion to their religion to be a chief priority. I have seen journalists using the term “conversion practices”, leaving out the LGBTQ+, which is misleading.

Another thing to consider is search engine optimisation. If we want our articles on the movement to be read, then using the new terminology doesn’t produce results. Google trends tells us “Your search doesn’t have enough data to show here”. The graphs below show once again the popularity of “conversion therapy”.

I find it best to use a variety of terms that relate and are identifiable to different audiences.

These include, “conversion therapy”, so called “conversion therapy”, conversion “therapy”, gay “cure”, the “change is possible” message/practices, ex-gay/reparative/conversion “therapy” (note  quotation marks “ to show that the validity of a word is doubted), pray the gay away, sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts, trying to change or suppress “unwanted same sex attraction”/gender identity, suppress sexual orientation and gender identity, and the forced celibacy movement, LGBTQ “conversion” practices, LGBTQ conversion practices.

The harm and destroyed lives

Whilst terminology has constantly changed over the last 50 years, two things have remained constant. The harm the ideology and practices have caused to 10,000s of lives along with an incalculable amount that took their own lives, when self-hatred, intense cognitive dissonance and failures caused depression to set in.

The harm has been well documented for decades since the end of the 1990s. In 2015, The Columbia Law School brought together a number of peer-reviewed studies published over the last 30 years that addressed the question of whether conversion therapy (CT) can alter sexual orientation without causing harm. Thirteen of those studies included primary research. Of those, 12 concluded that CT is ineffective and/or harmful, finding links to depression, suicidality, anxiety, social isolation and decreased capacity for intimacy. Only one study concluded that sexual orientation change efforts could succeed—although only in a minority of its participants, and the study has several limitations: its entire sample self-identified as religious and it is based on self-reports, which can be biased and unreliable.[22]

From my research of approximately 4,000 conversion “therapy” survivors, key themes emerged from their stories.[23]

  • Mental health issues – such as depression, anxiety, stress were regularly mentioned.
  • Intense cognitive dissonance – the acceptance or rejection of their sexual orientation had eternal consequences. The inner conflict was constant.
  • PTSD – people experienced this at different levels. The most severe cases were where people a person were incapable of working and were on government benefits.
  • Self-destructive behaviours – substance abuse, unsafe sex etc, fuelled by a sense of failure and self-loathing.
  • Obsessive behaviours and addictions – for many, the closet and their sense of shame created behaviours they felt they could not control.
  • Fragmentation of self – they had become two people. One was the good, Christian public self and the other the dark, gay bad self.
  • Poor self-esteem – internalised homophobia continued to impact people even after they had come out.
  • Sense of purposelessness – many had to leave or were forced to leave their faith communities, leaving them with a loss of purpose in their lives.
  • Loneliness, lack of belongingness – the faith community had been like family, and many struggled to find their place in the LGBTQ community.
  • Relational and sexual difficulties – the psychological harm created by attempts to change or suppress their orientation created problems with maintaining a relationship and/or physical intimacy.
  • Long-term impacts – survivors can live with the harm for a long time. For others, the harm and trauma surfaces 20-30 years later in life.
  • Thoughts of suicide and attempts were common.

“I made a lot of friends in conversion therapy. Out of forty, only six are still alive (one died naturally, the rest suicide.)” Matt, Pennsylvania, in an email to me on19/04/2015 after reading A Life of Unlearning.[24]

Steve, a Mormon who spent 12 years of his life in the Mormon “ex-gay” program Evergreen, said in a YouTube testimonial that a third of the Denver group he was involved in had committed suicide.[25]

….and now

In Australia, several states have made the practice of attempting to change sexual orientation and forcing someone to not be transgender is  illegal with civil and criminal penalties where harm has occurred. Other states in the US have done the same along with several countries, including Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Ecuador, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Malta, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal and Spain.

One would think that half a century of harm and failures would be enough to make people realise that people don’t change their sexual orientation and attempts to do so are harmful, and can even be fatal. But NO.

After Exodus closed its doors in 2013, many of the umbrella organisations disappeared. In 2012, the Restored Hope Network,[26] a coalition of disgruntled leaders and organisations who were holding fast to the “change is possible” message Exodus was abandoning appeared.

Two other prominent groups which have sprung up are the Changed Movement[27], which operates out of the neo-charismatic, megachurch Bethel in Redding California and ReStory Ministries[28], which is Pentecostal.

Legislation with penalties is a serious wake up call to people in religious circles who still hold on to the outdated beliefs that being gay or transgender is unnatural/dysfunctional/against God’s order and can be changed. It would be naïve to think that the legislation has/will fix everything. Legislation doesn’t change beliefs. So harm will continue to happen in those contexts, covertly and overtly. Their belief is rooted in ill-informed, fundamental interpretations of their sacred texts and they won’t be changing that for some time. For example, when the new group ReStory was interviewed by the Assemblies of God international magazine, the statements below reveal how unmoving their position is on the place of the scriptures.

Ultimately, the attack on sexuality and gender identity is a direct attack on God’s Word and on the gospel itself. Trahan states, “the church and the family don’t know how to deal with it and that makes it the perfect playground for the enemy.”

“We are changing our theology to match our subjective experience,” Seiler said, “instead of our theology informing our experience. This is how we end up affirming ‘gay Christians.’”

ReStory advocates the importance of staying grounded in Scripture. The twisting of Scripture is causing Christians to cave to cultural pressure.[29]

So even though legislation is passed, the battle is far from over. We have much work to do.[30]

We can safely say that the work will only be over when every church, denomination, and religious organisation is completely LGBTQ affirming.[31] (see infograph below)

welcoming, accepting, affirming

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For further information on the movement, including articles, stories, research, you can find Australia’s largest collection here

https://www.abbi.org.au/conversion-therapy/

Anthony Venn-Brown can be contacted personally using info@abbi.org.au

Google Ngram Graph of terms conversion therapy, ex-gay, and reparative therapy, 1972 -2020

Use on the internet from 1975 to 2020.

[1] https://alifeofunlearning.com/extracts/#tab-48b42b7fe7209e059e9

[2] https://www.the-new-way.org/testimonies/conv_om_03_a_transformed_transsexual.html

https://zagria.blogspot.com/2008/11/perry-desmond-1936-1984-performer.html

[3] A few boos no problem for Anita in New Orleans, Daily News (Bogalusa, Louisiana), Sun, Jun 19, 1977 page 2

[4] “A former practicing homosexual and male prostitute in New Orleans, Desmond uses his own background to demonstrate that if they (homosexuals) want out. then they need to turn to Jesus, ff they find out that it’s not so gay to be gay, then the answer is Jesus.” Cal Expo Evangelist Perry Desmond Calls Himself ‘Eunuch For The Lord’ THE SACRAMENTO BEE — Saturday, June 3d, 1979

[5] https://www.abbi.org.au/2017/03/sy-rogers-2-2/

[6] https://www.abbi.org.au/2024/06/keith-green-last-days-ministry-sy-rogers/

[7] The Man in the Mirror originally published in the Last Days Ministries Newsletter in 1984. https://www.abbi.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/1984-Man-in-the-mirror-Original-tract-colour-1.pdf. The story of Rogers life was repeated every time he spoke at churches and conventions, often to thousands of people at a time. It also was reproduced as a video and DVD which were used consistently in “ex-gay” support groups.

[8] John 3:1-3 King James Version (KJV) 1. There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

[9] 2 Corinthians 5:17 King James Version (KJV) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

[10] GAY LIFESTYLE ? – What is the gay lifestyle?

[11] Homosexuality: a new Christian ethic by Elizabeth R. Moberly (1983)

[12] The healing of the homosexual by Leanne Payne (1984)

[13] Reparative therapy of male homosexuality: a new clinical approach by Joseph Nicolosi (1991)

[14] These exorcisms could simply be a confession by the participant and then a simple prayer releasing them of the demonic influence or more dramatic experiences involving lots of shouting by the exorcists and physical manifestations experienced by the “possessed” individual.

[15] https://www.christianitytoday.com/2015/02/died-leanne-payne-pastoral-care-heal-lgbt-change-cslewis/

[16] https://www.desertstream.org/welcome

[17] “I look back on my time as a Living Waters coordinator with the most remorse. Even though there is some good in this program, it often ripped open old wounds in the name of healing by attempting to manufacture an environment for the Lord to work in. I have to apologize for the times some people may have felt manipulated to bare their souls to a group full of strangers. I apologize for any pressure we, on the Living Waters team I led, might have placed on group participants as we tried to help them cultivate “authentic experiences”. As a trained Living Waters coordinator, I used to hang on to every word Andrew Comiskey said. I even did some online consulting work for him. But today, over a year after leaving his employ as a consultant, I look back and recognize there were signs that something was wrong. In retrospect, I realize I helped build Andrew Comiskey’s online platforms – platforms which have increasingly gotten more vitriolic and stigmatizing toward the LGBT community. I regret that and I’m sorry. https://www.abbi.org.au/2013/07/randy-thomas/

[18] https://www.abbi.org.au/2015/09/jim-marjoram/

[19] https://www.abbi.org.au/2014/08/exodus-international-closes-behind-the-scenes-no5/

[20] https://soundcloud.com/gayambassador/unwanted-same-sex-attraction

[21] https://www.abbi.org.au/2022/09/how-celibacy-became-the-new-ex-gay-2/

[22] What does the scholarly research say about whether conversion therapy can alter sexual orientation without causing harm? https://whatweknow.inequality.cornell.edu/topics/lgbt-equality/what-does-the-scholarly-research-say-about-whether-conversion-therapy-can-alter-sexual-orientation-without-causing-harm/

[23] KILLING US, DRIVING US CRAZY – The experience of LGBTI people from faith backgrounds (2018) https://www.abbi.org.au/2018/04/lgbti-people-from-faith-backgrounds/

[24] https://alifeofunlearning.com/

[25] 35 years of prayer couldn’t get rid of my homosexuality. My name is Steve, and I am an Ex Mormon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFLGJyXG-UQ

[26] https://www.restoredhopenetwork.org/

[27] https://changedmovement.com/

[28] https://restoryministries.org/

[29] ReStory Ministries Resources Churches and Parents on LGBTQ Issues, AG News, Nov 29, 2023

[30] https://www.abbi.org.au/services/

[31] LGBTQ Welcoming, accepting, affirming – don’t get stuck