Ex-ex-gay

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As ex-ex-gay are mainly in the United States lesbians and gays referred to again publicly homosexuality confess after where they their participation ex-gay movement and its highly controversial attempt sexual orientation to heterosexuality out to change, have finished. Some refer to themselves as "ex-gay survivors" (German: ex-gay survivors, which avoids the passive and defeatist term "ex-gay victims" or "victim").

description

Evangelical associations such as Wuestenstrom and Young Christians Offensive offer what they themselves describe as therapy for changing sexual orientation . These "therapies" enjoy no recognition outside of the Christian fundamentalist scene and are rejected by all relevant medical and psychological professional associations. Evangelical activists, however, point out that everyone must be free to therapeutically question their sexuality. Nevertheless, the 64th General Assembly of the World Medical Association decided in October 2013 in Fortaleza, Brazil, that homosexuality is not a disease and therefore does not require any cure. The delegates of the World Medical Association also strictly reject reparative or conversion therapies.

Therapies to combat one's own homosexuality often lead to severe depression and self-esteem problems and could sometimes end in suicide even after a long desperation . Dropouts from the ex-gay movement often go one step further and speak of brainwashing methods and polarity reversal therapies. They have come together to form various initiatives, the entirety of which is understood as a counter-movement. Above all, they try to put the partially exaggerated claims and expectations about the effectiveness of reorientation therapies in the right light, to unmask and protect Christian gays and lesbians again and again wrongly asserted facts that are underpinned by bad or badly cited claims. The American initiative Beyond Ex-Gay held a major conference for the first time in the summer of 2007.

Some ex-ex gays in Germany and Switzerland are members of the organization Zwischenraum , who understand homosexuality as a God- given sexual orientation, which must be understood and integrated in all its diversity and forms as a life-fulfilling gift.

Some former senior Exodus leaders have since apologized for the damage they have done.

Injuries suffered

The American actor and co-initiator of the Beyond Ex-Gay initiative, Peterson Toscano , was contacted by 1000 ex-gay survivors and “fighters” from the beginning of 2003 to the end of 2007 and in October 2007 he first got a structured overview of the various traumas he had suffered summarized.

“Some have experienced various good things during their time as ex-gay, but in the majority the injuries predominate. They arise not only directly from the ex-gay experience, but also from the homophobic society, anti-gay churches and preachers and in many cases the own family is involved. The ex-gay experience deepens these hurts because it offers hope for some kind of change or freedom. Led by sincere and compassionate people, ex-gay programs, therapists, and counselors encourage us, and because of their kindness and sincerity, we often try to keep going under pressure even when we've long realized that it doesn't help. Only afterwards do we begin to understand the trauma that we have experienced as a consequence of submitting to the ex-gay experience. "

- Peterson Toscano : Ex-Gay Harm - Let Me Count the Ways , Peterson Toscano's A Musing, October 16, 2007
  • Emotional trauma:
    Evident in feelings of shame, fear, stress, disappointment, exhaustion and rejection (especially when one is avoided)
  • Psychological injuries:
    Manifested in the form of depression, suicidal tendencies, post-traumatic stress disorder, and in some cases the induction of mental breakdown
  • Mental trauma:
    • in the form of chronic discouragement, fear of God, and losing faith communities or even the faith itself.
    • Distrust of spiritual leaders
    • a spiritual crisis of integrity and consensus through the constant message that one cannot be gay and Christian.
  • Relationship trauma:
    by losing essential relationships or destroying relationships with
    • parents
      • who believe that change is possible and necessary and therefore reject the children if they do not choose to be ex-gay
      • who feel guilty for the sexual orientation of their children through ex-gay training courses, which creates tension between parents and child (and also causes deep pain and shame for the parents)
    • Spouse / partner
      • of the opposite sex, with whom one had relationships and possibly even was married, because one believed that such a life was possible, but this led to divorce, pain and loss of the partner, not only for us and our partners, but also for others, such as possibly common children
      • Same sex, as relationships with same sex partners are mutilated because of the shame and fear hammered into us by our ex-gay experiences
    • Friends
      • which are kept at a distance because one is trained to distrust intimacy for fear of entering into an emotionally dependent / entangled relationship or a romantic / sexual relationship
      • which were rejected as being ex-gay and who pose a risk to continue ex-gay life
      • who reject one by the conditioned nature of friendship. When one no longer identifies as an ex-gay or a struggling party, they end the relationship.
  • Financial loss:
    • Some spend hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars on ex-gay treatment, seminars, conferences, books and recordings
    • Some parents refuse to fund college or even basic needs if the child does not join an ex-gay program.
  • Career damage:
    • Some leave their career path because it is perceived as "unsafe" for a fighter
    • Some interrupt school or their career "to take a diversion into ex-gay treatment"
  • Physical impairment through psychosomatic complaints, which are triggered by stress (internal conflicts) or depression.
  • Sexual trauma:
    in the form of harmful "sex eduction"
    • Sexually naive people (many who have never had sex) learn about "gay sex" from sex addicts who describe their sexuality as too risky, and even about illegal behavior because they feel shame and disgust for themselves.
    • Program leaders, therapists, and “witnesses” convey a negative message about sexual behavior between two same-sex partners. This can prevent people from experiencing healthy, fulfilling sexuality even after they finish ex-gay treatment.
  • Developmental
    delays : due to stunted growth in key areas, because many focus their efforts on the ex-gay experience. Many have ended their previous lives and are directing their limited powers to the ex-gay process, which prevents people from growing personally in “vital developmental moments”.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Opinion of the DGPPN opinion ( memento of March 30, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) of the German Society for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Neurology , accessed on March 30, 2014.
  2. ^ Statement of the professional association of German specialists for psychiatry and psychotherapy on the public discussion about "conversion therapies" or "reparative therapies" for homosexuality. 2009.
  3. ↑ a b Press release ( memento of March 5, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) of the German Medical Association: World Medical Association: Homosexuality is not a disease. Resolutions of the 64th General Assembly of the World Medical Association. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  4. ↑ Royal College of Psychiatrists: Submission to the Church of England's Listening Exercise on Human Sexuality (PDF; 43 kB), point 5 (p. 3): Psychotherapy and reparative therapy for LGB people. Retrieved July 22, 2008.
  5. ↑ Just the Facts Coalition, American Psychological Association et al .: Just the facts about sexual orientation and youth: A primer for principals, educators, and school personnel.
  6. ^ Kurt Wiesendanger: Opinion on polarity reversal therapies for homosexuals from a psychological and psychotherapeutic point of view. 2005.
  7. ^ Statement of the Society on the Scientific Investigation of Para-Sciences on Homo-Healing Advertising at Universities, accessed on March 30, 2014.
  8. ↑ Position Statement of the American Psychiatric Association: Therapies Focused on Attempts to Change Sexual Orientation Reparative or Conversion Therapies. March 2000, accessed March 30, 2014.
  9. ↑ Commentary by the Federal Association for Gay Healthcare (BASG) on fundamentalist organizations and their therapies. 2005, accessed March 30, 2014.
  10. ↑ Statement of the professional association of German psychologists on Christian sexual counseling by Wüstenstrom eV, therapy of homosexuality. 2006, accessed March 30, 2014.
  11. ↑ E.g. Udo Rauchfleisch says: "The actual sexual orientation with the associated feelings, the erotic and sexual fantasies as well as the social preferences cannot be changed." [1]
  12. ↑ gay.com - Report of June 28, 2007 ( Memento of May 17, 2008 in the Internet Archive ): "Ex-'ex-gays' apologize for 'bringing harm'" (Engl.)
  13. ↑ Peterson Toscano: Ex-Gay Harm - Let Me Count the Ways , Peterson Toscano's A Musing, October 16, 2007