In 2014, a homophobic sermon at my mother’s church caused me to have an emotional breakdown and eventually led to my coming out that same day. My mother took me to two different counselors in Oklahoma at two different Christian counseling institutions. In the meantime, she began to seek comfort through her preacher, who [...]
You've heard of "Pray the Gay Away", now it's "Gay Without the Lay" There are three ways you could understand how celibacy became the new ex-gay. You could have lived through the evolution You are a researcher/historian, or You can read this article. I was born in 1951. In the 50’s and 60’s gay [...]
On Thursday, June 20, 2013, I sat in the chapel at Concordia University in Irvine, CA, attending the Exodus International “True Stories” conference. Alan Chambers, the President of the organisation he'd led for the past 13 years, said he'd love me to attend as it would be like no other previous conference. (Read [...]
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 Download PDF 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 [...]
Fifteen years ago, in 2004, 'A Life of Unlearning - coming out of the church, one man's struggle' hit Australian book and department store shelves. I had no idea that: It would become an Australian bestseller and sell out twice There'd be two more revised and updated editions It would change the lives of literally 1,000s [...]
There are three ways you could understand how celibacy became the new ex-gay. You could have lived through the evolution, you are a researcher/historian, or you can read this article. I was born in 1951. In the 50’s and 60’s gay men were either imprisoned or institutionalised as they were considered sexual perverts. Mental health [...]
Three men with three very different stories and experiences of ex-gay, reparative or what has become known conversion therapy. Meet comedian and Gay Conversion School Drop Out Anthony Menchetti, author and gay Christian advocate Anthony Venn-Brown and former leader of Liberty Christian Ministries, Haydn Sennitt. Anthony Venn-Brown, details his 6 months in an ex-gay residential program, [...]
EXODUS TO NOWHERE The quest to cure queers There is a commonly held belief that gay conversion programs began in the United States. This is not true. Four years before Exodus was founded, in 1972, in Sydney Australia, Anthony Venn-Brown was in a residential program to change his sexual orientation. Working on his current book [...]
'Pray away the gay'- conversion therapy still takes place in Australia Tessa Hoffman | 29 February, 2016 | A crackdown on ‘gay conversion’ therapists raises questions about how widespread the practice still is. Australian Doctor investigates. When, as a teenager, Paul Martin (pictured above) discovered he was attracted to other young men, it sent him [...]