Some Guys Are Normal

The Father Speaks Out About Love In Action Situation

I learned from a comment over at Ex-Gay Watch that the father of Zack (the boy at the center of this whole Love In Action Ordeal that I mentioned here) has given an interview to CBN.com, the website of Pat Robertson's conservative Christian organization.

At the very least, we have verifiable proof that this Zack person does exist and that he was sent to LIA against his will. There go the right wing non-believers.

Let me go on a brief tangent here by showing you a link where Bob Davies, an Exodus leader, "dispelled" a few myths about ex-gays, one of these myths being that Exodus didn't force anyone (specifically teens) into their programs. The exact quote is this:

"One ministry leader told me last week that a gay reporter sounded genuinely surprised when he was told that this director would NOT counsel a gay teen unless the teen wanted it. In other words, if he was brought in by his Christian parents, the director would refuse to proceed with any type of counseling unless the teen wanted it."

Seeing as how LIA is an Exodus member ministry, I think these guys should get their stories straight. I've got several other issues about that myth list, but I'll save that for another time.

Back to Zack's dad. A money quote from him is this, "We felt very good about Zach coming here because… to let him see for himself the destructive lifestyle, what he has to face in the future, and to give him some options that society doesn't give him today,” Stark said. “Knowing that your son... statistics say that by the age of 30 he could either have AIDS or be dead.”

Now, that is some pretty heavy-handed stuff. By the age of 30 he could either have AIDS or be dead? Well, I guess he could be run over by a truck too, but I don't think that's what he meant. The quote also shows that, as much as it tries publicly to distance itself from the anti-gay rhetoric out there, at least some Exodus ministries do feed off very bad science, stereotypes, and the fear that those things cause.

All in all, I'm diappointed. Not really in Zack's parents, but in Exodus as a whole. These are the guys that are fueling the stereotypes, the fears, and the misinformation. Why go there. Zack's dad himself said that he didn't send Zack to LIA to learn that being gay was a sin. They sent him there to learn about how terrible being gay was, and that information simply isn't based in fact and reality. Does anyone see how this type of misinformation could lead a gay person away from Christianity, rather than closer to it?

I've said this before, so maybe this should be the theme of my blog. If being gay is a sin, let it be a sin. But, don't go around telling lies, half-truths, and perpetuating streotypes that make being gay (and gay people) this terrible monster that it isn't (and they aren't).

posted by Brady @ 11:49 AM