What do you think about 'ex-gay' people?

You are right. This is America and a person should be able to do whatever they want/need to do for themselves to make them happy. We must remember, all of us live our lives walking down each of our own roads, and whatever you feel works for you, go for it. Now I don't believe that these ex-Gay ministries do anything other than lower your self-esteem further from where it is presently, so I do believe everyone should have the right to express their opinions and "warn" Gay people about the dangers as we perceive them to be. However, ultimately, everyone who is an adult is responsible for their own happiness, so it is up to the individual to listen to our advice as we see it and believe it to be, or they can choose to go to these ministries. It is up to them, but if we warn them about getting hurt psychologically, then again ultimately, it was their decision to go and we did all we could do by pointing out the potential dangers.

With though, I don't believe those who are going to these ministries are hurting anyone.....except for themselves, but that is my opinion and I should have the right to express it. (Not that anyone would care to listen.)

I have watched many interviews with ex-gays, and the one reoccurring statement I hear from them is that it's a daily struggle, something they have to deny themselves of. Now in my book that isn't cured. If they were cured then they would no longer have the desires or urges.

What happens is they are guilt-ed into submission. Normally by family and church, which are the same ones that guilt-ed them for their true orientation. Also statistics have shown that these cured individuals have an extremely high suicide rate.

The outrage you are hearing about from the gay community is because if you actually watched interviews or documentaries on the subject you would find that many of the people that have been through gay deprogramming have done so against their will. A lot of teens are forced to go by their parents, and a lot of adults are basically forced by family and church pressure.

L

[THIS ANSWER IS LONG, BUT PLEASE READ IT BEFORE FORMING AN OPINION]

"Reparative Therapy" Is the therapy aimed at changing gays to straight.

"Reparative therapy" does not work. Years ago, when the American Lung Association proved that smoking causes lung cancer, the tobacco companies provided "scientific" information that smoking does not cause lung cancer. Reading the information, you would be tempted to believe them, but now we know it is not true.

Reparative therapists work under the false consensus that "everyone is heterosexual, but some people suffer from homosexual feelings". They believe that if homosexual desires and the tendency to act upon those desires are suppressed, then the person will automatically be straight, since "everyone is straight".

So "Reparative therapy" simply represses homosexual desires. It does not change orientation. I could see if someone is straight but has some gay thoughts (like if they were molested by a member of the same sex and liked it, they continue to have sexual fantasies, etc) then the therapy would work because it would eliminate those thoughts and they could focus on their heterosexuality (which they naturally are).

But for someone who is gay, it wouldn't be so successful because not only do they have gay thoughts (duh, they're gay) but they do nothave any sexual thoughts or desires for the OPPOSITE sex and so the reparative therapy would suppress who they are (but does not change them) and sometimes even cause depression, anxiety, even suicidal thoughts.

Experts on "reparative therapy" and homosexuality (watch video): http://www.truthwinsout.org/what-the-experts-say/

I have personally went through a "reparative" therapy program and it made me feel horrible, depressed, and I wanted to kill myself. That is until I saw a real therapist and realized there is nothing wrong with me.

What organizations, oppose reparative therapy and believe homosexuality is unchosen, unchangeable, and not abnormal?

The following:

American Psychological Association

American Psychiatric Association

American Psychoanalytic Association

American Medical Association

American Counseling Association

American Academy of Pediatrics

National Association of Social Workers

What does it tell you when every major mental and medical health organization in the United States says homosexuality is not abnormal or unnatural for a minority of people, yet these "ex gay" ministries (usually based in religion and NOT science) say it is?

And no they were NOT taken over by gay activists! Over 500,000 mental and medical health professionals are going to side with a minority over the sizeable majority who is against homosexuality without evidence? That doesn't make sense. There are options that they could have taken if someone was "pressuring" them to remove a then existing mental condition from the list.

Exposing the "Ex-Gay" Myth (Video): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57kdMfv-izY

To answer your question though, once someone is granted their right of seeing how potentially harmful reparative therapy can be and how pseudo-scientific it is, and to know that there are homosexuals living happy, healthy, and successful lives, and to know what all the mental health PROFESSIONALS say about it, then wish to still try it, I have nothing against that. It's their emotional well being at stake, not mine. I went through a reparative therapy program and had my share of that misery already.

Simply put, I think accepting yourself the way you are is the way to go.

I think if a person is gay then they are gay.... period... I do not believe they "become" gay, but rather "discover" they are gay. I also believe bisexuals are just really horny people and don't care what they're doing.. literally. Now to discover you are gay and then decide "Oh nvm, I'm not gay" is a cover up to make they're family, friends and whoever else happy.. give them a couple of alcoholic beverages and see what really comes out..

These are only my beliefs.. and I am always open to new ideas, beliefs, and whatever else...

Good Job lol you got me going now, i have many opinons on gay people some good and some bad. But nothing be.

1. Let them be, I mean really if they are gay, u don't think they can be changed back, you will never wake up the next day and said" hm..i think i am going to be gay/staright today" and if they wanna be gay fine, just please don't let me see you making out with your bf/gf just like ppl don't want to go to the mall and see even straigth ppl all over each other.

2. People say all the time talk bad about gay people, and how wrong they are and they are going to hell, yes i agree, more than likly they are going to hell, sorry guys but being gay is a sin, and something God says no about. but God also say to always act Christin Like, and being mean, rude and hatefull to gays is not very Chirstin like.

3. And a women i know said that being gay is a disorder, and they can't help it they just act stright b/c of what ppl will do/say to them. Well sorry that is wrong, b/c you can not fix a disorder, caused by a unblanced chemicals in you brain. and God would never send somebody to hell b/c of a disorder

so yeah that is wat i think lol

My sister is a lesbian and her ex-girlfriend of like 11 years broke up with her and moved away with their male landlord to United Arab Emirates (both of them are Caucasian.. so she didn't go to her or his 'home country') to pursue her career....

She didn't need an organization to turn her straight - she did it on her own.

And she changed her image and style as well at the same time, growing out her hair, acting more feminine..

I've always wondered why she turned straight.

When she was with my sister, they lived day by day.. pay check to pay check - both were potheads etc

Maybe she wanted a whole new fresh start in a completely new COUNTRY and knew that being with an Asian girlfriend would only make things difficult with her.. or maybe she did fall in love with the guy, or maybe she felt she needed 'someone' to be complete as well, but that it couldn't be a woman..

Ex-gay people..

I don't know..

I think love can be love..

I'm totally straight and trying to step into the shoes of a lesbian, and I can't..

I can acknowledge the beauty of the female body, but I don't have any sexual attraction, which I think is the key because in this world, nothing is solidified unless there's sex involved you know lol..

But I guess ex-gay people are maybe.. bisexual................?

Or they just decide to 'go back in the closet'?

Maybe the gays are upset that evangelicals and republicans will point to these people are say that homosexuality is a disease and it can be cured, and look there's proof. Don't know if that's exactly true, but the people who try to "cure" themselves should be left alone. A big argument is that people should be free to be who they want, maybe these people don't want to be gay, despite whom they are sexually attracted to. A person can always choose to repress it if they want.

Because it makes gay people look bad. Like, we could become "normal" straight people anytime we wanted and we're just choosing not to.

"ex-gay" is something people convince themselves to be. I cannot remember where I read this, I swear, but I remember seeing an article on it and it says brains studies show the attraction is still there. They simply don't act on their desires.

Ridiculous..

Makes no sence.

If a person claims to no longer be gay, how is that different from some one claiming to no longer be straight?

Those "Ex-Gay" organizations are worthless. The people who have claimed that they have "turned" them straight are either really confused or were not homosexual to began with! They were bisexual and ALREADY had an attraction to both sexes and were convinced by crazy a** people that it was wrong or an "abomination" to have same sex sex!