You can purchase an autographed copy of Anything But Straight by sending a $35 check or money order to:
-------------------------
Wayne Besen
PO Box 25491
Brooklyn, NY 11202
Parents of Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX) has always been somewhat of a oddity. It was founded by the eccentric Anthony Falzarano (Roy Cohn's former houseboy), who fronted the group for the Family Research Council - which funneled PFOX tens of thousands of dollars. After Falzarano ratted out the right, saying they did not truly support ex-gay ministries (just ad campaigns to pass anti-gay laws) the right wing drove him out of Washington.
Falzarano was to be replaced by a feckless minister, Rev. Earl Fox, but Falzarano refused to leave the office, staging a sit-in worthy of Comedy Central. Finally, he left and started the failed Parents And Friends Ministries. After Fox's unmemorable reign, the organization was taken over by Regina Griggs, a mother who was embittered because she had an openly gay son. Most mothers struggling to accept a gay child seek therapy - Griggs sought to punish her son by passing anti-gay laws through her work with PFOX. Nothing like family values!
To help her with the operation, Griggs enlisted discredited therapist Richard Cohen, who was booted from the American Counseling Association. Like Falzarano, he was also chased away by the Religious Right in 2007 after a series of humiliating television performances.
Now, Griggs is on her own and clearly hasn't done her homework. The blog, Good As You, discovered that in a radio and print interview supporting Surgeon General nominee James Holsinger for One News Now, a Christian media outlet, Griggs blatantly (or ignorantly) twisted the policy of the American Psychiatric Association to fit her anti-gay agenda. According to Griggs:
"The official position of all medical and mental health organizations and the American Psychiatric Association is that there is no biological or genetic cause or replicated study for homosexuality," she declares. "So, why as a doctor should he not be allowed to interpret and support the fact that change is possible? That's what medical science says."
The truth is,the APA has no official position on the causes of homosexuality. The APA however has made many policy decisions which would support the view that the scientific studies of homosexuality do, in fact, support that there is some biological component to homosexuality.
"Griggs flat out lied to this Christian news organization today, disrespecting its audience and the members of her own organization," said Truth Wins Out Executive Director Wayne Besen. "Distorting science and medicine in defense of a Surgeon General nomination, certainly is not going to help James Holsinger's case for confirmation."
13 Comments:
The nature vs. nurture debate is irrelevant in her argument because the psychological harm caused to gay people by ex-gay therapies, as documented by Besen and others, is what makes it unethical for "doctors" to do human experiments on "curing homosexuals." Human experiments are unethical when the risks of harm are not understood and not controllable.
posted by Anonymous, at
6/13/2007 5:48 PM
Yeah - what a disgrace to motherhood. If Griggs were my mother, I'd disown her. Where is her son? He should speak out against her. He's probably got her genes, making him a coward.
Whatever happened to the guy in the poster anyway? I can't read the copy under "I chose to change"; does it spell out what he changed - just his behaviour, or his sexual desire, and if the latter, does it say how? Bet he didn't change his sexual desire. Bet no-one ever has, not by "therapy" or "ministry", anyway. And if it does happen somehow, it ain't by choice.
posted by Anonymous, at
6/13/2007 7:13 PM
It is rather obvious that the basic foundation of these "christians" is nothing more than the propensity to lie.
Griggs, like the rest of them, need to disclose their denominational association. The public has the right to know which denominations so openly embrace deception.
posted by Anonymous, at
6/13/2007 7:17 PM
Of course she lies. All of the anti-gay activists lie. They have nothing else.
posted by Unknown, at
6/14/2007 10:15 AM
Beson--
Guess what--maybe exgays aren't about you? Maybe their lives are about them.
You sell books ranting about conspiracies aimed at you and then claim its the professional exgays on the dole.
Talk about delusions of grandeur and a messianic complex...maybe just good old narcissistic personality disorder.
Noone really cares what you do with your life. If fact, noone would even know who you are if you didn't make a name for yourself hating others.
What a bunch of paranoid, abeophobic, hatemongering.
posted by Anonymous, at
6/14/2007 12:13 PM
CommonSense,
I have only read the first of Mr. Besen's two books, plus his writings here, not his latest book "Bashing Back", but I have to say that I disagree entirely with what you allege regarding his tone and style.
"Anything But Straight" is entirely rational in tone, and meticulously researched. There is not the slightest suggestion of "rant", and indeed he counsels those in the "gay community" - if one may use such a term - to be pleasant and avoid stridency.
Anyone is at liberty to agree or disagree with some or all of Mr Besen's viewpoints or beliefs, but no-one who makes such expressions as you have done here is entitled to be taken seriously.
CommonSense, do you personally know any persons who have undergone a change in sexual desire from homosexual to heterosexual desire as a result of any kind of clinical therapy?
posted by Anonymous, at
6/14/2007 12:36 PM
With inferior mothers like Griggs - maybe we should pass a law outlawing fundamentalist adoptions? Her poor son must have a complex with a mother like that. He must be damaged goods or a pathetic Momma's boy who just takes it good and hard with a fake smile.
"Talk about delusions of grandeur and a messianic complex...maybe just good old narcissistic personality disorder.
What a bunch of paranoid, abeophobic, hatemongering."
posted by CommonSense ___ Total projection and mind-blowingly typical. Never a shred of dispute in regard to anti-gay hypocrisy and dishonesty. But make sure to attack the observer and defend the liar.
Morally perverted CommonIdiocy is more like it.
posted by Anonymous, at
6/15/2007 1:20 PM
CommonSense just seems to be the the embodiment of the latest anti-gay means of avoiding the issue: you're attacking me, you hate me, see who is really the bigot.
Somehow, they turn THEMSELVES into the victims when we make it clear that it is prejudice, it has been, and that we're not going to sit by any more and let it pass, but say clearly and forcefully: "This is about prejudice, not '(fill in the blank)' ".
Their response: "Oooh, those bignasty fags are being mean to us."
This is about the fact that there are people who still take their faith and study of the Bible more serious than anything on this earth. Until Christianity is destroyed or completely removed from the US (some are trying very hard at this), this will never change. Why? Because Christ offers what no other Religion including Atheism doesn't. There is a reason why the firs thing communist countries did was to start teaching evolution. They new the "free" and absolute moral compass of some held higher than the state would be a problem. Make no mistake, those in power both rep. and dem. understand how power works and are now using groups like you to manipulate this country into a new version of communist dictatorship. It still won't change anything. Christian and Jews have been persecuted since the beginning of time for believing in something higher than man. The Bible states homosexuality is one of many types of sexual sins. I did not write this, but all spiritual aspects of this aside, from what I know about history and cultures, its a pretty good idea even if its not Sin with a capital S. I happen to believe the Bible is in fact inspired. I now do not view the act of homosexuality any worse than any other sexual sin or temptation. As far as I am concerned the sexual sin I committed having sex outside of marriage is no different then homosexual acts I committed and no different than lusting in my heart.
I changed but it took time, the right plan, and effort on my part. You all need to understand that my belief in Jesus Christ's sacrifice on my behalf and yours has given me more joy and freedom from the bondage and confusing nature of the enemy than any other thing I have tried, drugs, sex, whatever. I am very spiritually sensitive and I know what a spirit of bondage feel like (now) no matter how is may manifest itself in the oppressed. I fight a spiritual battle everyday, in fact, my particular stronghold is mostly that of a sexual nature. Its not that it just goes away when you embrace Christ, the difference is that the gift of salvation and spiritual freedom I found in the work of Christ on the cross gives me the grace to overcome it. The Joy and Happiness in Christ is just, well, better than anything I have gotten from embracing the flesh. Yes, flesh, I am not stupid nor is the vast public. Its pretty obvious that being gay is very much about the flesh. The cool thing about Jesus is when I fail, he is there with open arms to love and forgive me and give me another chance. No, this is not a license to sin, I don't want to sin because I want to be as much like Jesus as I can.
At some point early on, I had to make a choice. Either I would succumb to the nature of my flesh or not. Either God exists or he does not. Either The Christians are right or they are not. The more I studied the different religions the more I realized how mutually exclusive they really are. This is why groups like Bahia are so absurd in my mind. I had many questions and doubts about religion. I have looked into many of them and even did research into the occult. As an INFP (meyer briggs) I am very sensitive to emotions and feelings. What I found was no other religion dealt with the issue of guilt. You see, though I eventually after many years came to point that my conscious was what I call "seared", (sin lost its effect) However, I found the guilt was manifesting itself in other ways. The overall joy I consistently felt daily, my attitude toward other people, and my relationships with other people was suffering. There had to be more. I searched and searched... No other religion, new age or other offered a long term effective solution accept Jesus. So, once I narrowed it down to that, I figured I should find out as much as possible. After 3 years of much historical, sociological, and theological study, I am convinced beyond a reasonable doubt in the truth claims of Christianity. That would be Reformed Theology to be specific (Catholicism is much to guilt centered). I am here to tell you that there is another option to what you are searching for.
If you look throughout history, every major empire that has embraced the carnal nature of man has simply been destroyed or destroyed itself from the inside out. Of course this gets into a whole separate discussion of: What is truth? Is a moral consensus necessary for the long term survival of a society? Questions like that. Now that I accepted the payment of my sin debt to a righteous and just God that Christ gave freely...all I can say is, FREEDOM. You need to understand, the hate you see coming from much of the Christian right is actually sin too! I am talking about he vicious hate, beating of gays, etc... Not those trying to protect the Biblical definition of marriage. Not those who reach out to you in concern for you eternal soul (that's what this is really all about). Well, I suppose some could be the same individuals.
Shame on those "Christians" who hate and abuse gays. Jesus didn't separate himself nor hate sinners, he ate with them, walked with them, loved them. He didn't mince words and made it clear to "sin no more". The point is, that much of the time you are not getting a fair and accurate portrayal of Christianity and what it offers. Now, just as there are hateful Christians who are poor examples of what the Christian world view should be, there are also what I would call Wolves in sheeps clothing. Beware of them as well. You will know them because they tend to operate their ministries in reverse. They use the sensationalistic nature of man to attract people. They hope if they send a liberal enough image, people will come in, and then they will gain interest in the Bible. This produces a strange phenomena. You get a very large church very quickly. Unfortunately, what you don't get is long term changed lives. Beware, its a bill of goods. If you are interested, if you have ever asked yourselves the big questions I asked for so many years, the answer is available.
When you start to study Theology and Scripture, you will find considering what its been through, the Bible is reliable and has stood the test of time better than any other ancient writing we have. Yes, there are some errors, but they are obvious copyist or grammar errors. Yes, there are better translations than others, but they are there. You just need to find out what they are.
And yes, you can control sexual desire with the grace of Christ. Control leads to consistent behavior, and consistent behavior leads to permanent change. I am living proof. If Christ good heal the sick and blind, don't you think he could good change and/or control your desires?
Anyway, God Bless your search for truth. Know that there are man Christian who genuinely care about you and simply want to share what they have found with you.
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