Statement from Exodus Global Alliance on Banning 'Gay Conversion Therapy' in Victoria, Australia

Conversion Practices - Legislative Option to Implement a Ban in Australia and New Zealand

A Response from Exodus Global Alliance

People should have the freedom to pursue what brings them true happiness and joy. This proposal will cut people off from their own pathway to happiness. This ban tells New Zealanders and Australians of many religions that the faith of LGBTQ+ people is unacceptable to the government.

Definition of Conversion Therapy

The discussion paper on conversion therapy refers to abusive practices used in the past such as electro-shock and other kinds of aversion therapy. These practices were performed by medical practitioners. That these practices were ever used is deeply disturbing.

Exodus Global Alliance does not engage in these practices. Our members or affiliates do not engage in these practices.

Exodus Global Alliance is concerned that discussion papers and Bills link compassionate spiritual care, religious services, and professional support with clearly disreputable practices. Papers such as the one produced by the La Trobe University, grossly misrepresent pastoral care, support groups, prayer, and Christian discipleship as something similar to the abusive practices mentioned above.

A definition of conversion therapy that includes religious instruction or the provision of pastoral care is a serious concern for Christian individuals and groups. It vilifies LGBTQ+ people who seek to live according to their faith and vilifies churches and Christian organizations who offer compassionate care to LGBTQ+ people who seek out such care.

All people must remain free to voluntarily participate in support groups or receive spiritual care that supports them in living in a way that is consistent with their beliefs. This includes support in the areas of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expressions and way of life. This includes religious and non-religious LGBTQ+ people.

Faith-based groups should not be prohibited from offering spiritual care that is voluntarily sought out by individuals or from offering religious instruction on matters of sexuality. Religiously traditional parents, pastors, faith-based ministries, and therapists are uniquely able to assist individuals who experience unwanted same-sex attraction or unwanted gender incongruence to enjoy this happiness. Politicians should not take away the freedom to obtain their help.

Protection

People should have the freedom to pursue what brings them true happiness and joy. Many discussions being current presented are proposing to harm LGBTQ+ people who are followers of religion by making it impossible for them to seek religious services that integrate faith, gender, and sexuality.

Religious Freedom

Some claim that modern LGBT conversion practices are religious rather than medical in nature, consisting of pastoral and prayer activities. This view goes on to say that freedom of religion should be restricted or not permitted when religion does not agree with the secular ideology of sexuality. It claims that religion is sexual discrimination.

Exodus Global Alliance views the proposed bans being proposed across many nations, to be discrimination against LGBTQ+ people who are followers of religion by making it impossible for them to seek religious services that integrate faith, gender, and sexuality. The bans proposed by governments will harm LGBTQ+ people who are religious.

Current views misrepresent the happiness of LGBTQ+ people who are religious

Arguments being promoted misrepresent the happiness of LGBTQ+ people who are religious. Both anecdotal findings and research done conjointly by both afﬁrmative and change-allowing researchers together ﬁnd that LGBTQ+ individuals who live according to their traditional religious faith are no less happy or healthy than individuals in liberal faiths or no faith who live out an LGBT identity. In fact, many experience happiness, thriving, and health (^[i]).

The Exodus Global Alliance website and the Exodus Asia Pacific website contain the personal stories of LGBTQ+ people who have found happiness through faith and living in a way that integrates their faith, sexuality, and gender. The La Trobe report along with other articles never make mention of these people. It seems the intent is to deny such people exist and cause them harm by making it difficult for LGBTQ+ people to form religious organizations or participate in religious activities.

The experiences of LGBTQ+ people who find happiness in religion are available online in numerous places including:

https://www.exodusglobalalliance.org/testimoniess17.php

https://www.exodusglobalalliance.org/testimoniesc877.php

https://couragerc.org/

https://changedmovement.com/

https://www.twoprisms.com/

https://www.freetochange.org

Religious freedom is an inalienable right recognized within the context of Australia and New Zealand’s heritage and law; it rests upon the insight that human beings of every kind are endowed with equal worth because each and every one of us bears the glorious image of Nature’s God. Every person in this part of the world therefore is entitled to the freedom to develop their own sense of identity whether traditionally unto God or not. Religious leaders have the right to teach religious doctrine in accordance with their faith, and the government has no right to tell clergy what is moral, dictate the content of their sermons, or religious teaching.

Current views misrepresent the religious organizations created by LGBTQ+ people to serve one another

Exodus Global Alliance was founded by LGBTQ+ people who are followers of Jesus, who found that a life of faith in Jesus Christ brought happiness and freedom, and that God called them to let Him work through them to bring His grace and truth to other LGBTQ+ people.

Exodus Global Alliance responds to those who seek the transformational, life-changing experience of submitting to Jesus Christ as Lord. We do this through one-on-one spiritual direction, small group and large group laity, and pastoral care. We are not a therapeutic organization.

Exodus Global Alliance does not use coercion, shaming, nudity, pornography, promiscuity, abusive techniques, or aversion techniques.

Our approach to what we teach and the services we provide is rooted in the belief that all people are created and loved by God. Each person has the right to dignity and respect. This applies to LGBTQ+ people both secular and religious.

God wants and invites LGBTQ+ people to become part of His family, to be followers of Jesus.

God clearly says in Scripture that He loves people. John 3:16 says "God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die." God says and we believe that He loves everyone. It doesn't matter whether they're gay or straight, male or female, trans or other... God created everyone and everything, and He loves all the people He made.

God has demonstrated His love for all people by providing a way for every person to receive His love and become part of God's family. Jesus Christ is the way. In John 14:6 Scripture records Jesus as saying that He is the way, the truth, and the life.

Some people are worried that the attractions they experience, the way they experience sexuality or things they have done mean that God cannot love them. God does say in Scripture that He wants us to follow His design for sex and sexuality. And He warns that not following His design for sex and sexuality has physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual consequences. But it does not say that God hates LGBTQ+ people. Scripture actually says that God has done everything He possible can to redeem people and invites all people to accept His redemption that comes through Jesus Christ.

Exodus Global Alliance wants to assure all LGBTQ+ people that God loves them, and the Gospel of Christianity is good news for them.

Exodus Global Alliance recognizes that churches often have not done a good job of communicating this. As a result, one of our missions is to proclaim God’s love for LGBTQ+ people, and one of our missions is to equip churches to do the same. Scriptures record the ways that Jesus demonstrated compassionate love to people. We seek to equip the church to do the same.

Current views claim that goal of Christian organizations such as Exodus Global Alliance is that lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people could, with faith and effort, become straight and cisgendered. This is not true. The goal set out in Scripture, to which Exodus Global Alliance adheres, is that LGBTQ+ people become Christ-like; that they know and follow Jesus Christ.

The paper claims that Exodus Global Alliance and conservative Christian communities believe that people who are not heterosexual and cisgendered are in some ways especially broken, disordered and sinful — more so than other humans. This is not true. Scripture teaches, and we affirm, that all people are created in the image of God and all people have a sin nature. LGBTQ+ people are the same as everyone else in this. For too long LGBTQ+ people have been stigmatized as not being made in the image of God. Scripture teaches each person is due dignity and respect because all people are created and loved by God. Scripture also teaches that all people have a sin nature. It is not discrimination against LGBTQ+ people to say that this also applies to them. It is a recognition of the condition that all people share. The purpose of this recognition is not to shame, condemn or reject but to ensure LGBTQ+ people are not excluded from God’s invitation to redeem us from this condition.

God offers life and transformation to all people who become followers of Jesus Christ. God's offer of life and transformation is not a formula or program that you follow, but a person - Jesus Christ. Scripture says we are full in Christ, made alive in Christ and set free in Christ.

Exodus Global Alliance affirms that Scriptures teach that change and freedom are an integral part of God's work in us. So much so that God says we are new creations. From the time we come to Christ until the time we go home to be with Him, God calls us to change. We have been changed by His grace, are being changed by His grace, and will be changed by His grace. The change God offers to LGBTQ+ believers is Spirit-empowered living.

Growth in God’s grace is a process and not an event. God wants LGBTQ+ people to be willing to grow into mature expressions of the person that God created them to be. The transformation that Christ leads people in brings a growing capacity to turn away from temptations, embrace one’s identity in Jesus Christ, and be transformed into His image.

Temptation is a reality in every Christian’s life. Scripture does not guarantee the absence of temptation but does guarantee the power to overcome it. We can overcome temptation through the power of the Holy Spirit. Scripture also teaches that change occurs in spite of on-going temptation.

God’s love comes into our lives to change what we live for. We must live by the Holy Spirit. God requires the same for all believers regardless of sexual attractions or gender issues.

LGBTQ+ people can passionately love Jesus, serve in His body, use their gifts in the church, and experience abundant life as single people or in marriage to the opposite sex. God’s favour is equally upon people who are single or married. Becoming a new creation in Jesus, enables us to move towards healthy relationships with both men and women.

While we allow God to bring about transformation in our lives, we cannot dictate to God when or what He should do. Sexual orientation may or may not change during our journey with God. Transgender experiences may or may not change during our journey with God. Whatever the experience of an individual, our primary goal is to follow Christ and live lives dependent upon Him. Exodus Global Alliance affirms the diversity of people’s testimony as they live out their lives of faith. We do not teach that everyone must experience the same kinds of change in sexual orientation or gender identity. Scripture does not teach that all followers of Jesus become identical; it teaches that followers become Christ-like.

Asserting that change is possible is simply being true to Jesus as we mature into what it means to be new creations in Christ.

It is not intrinsically harmful to counsel someone from a Biblical perspective, offering them tools and insights to use while they are seeking sanctification, resisting sexual desires they do not want to express, and investing in healthy relationships.

Current views misrepresent the findings of science related to sexual fluidity

The discussion paper misrepresents the findings of science related to sexual fluidity, proposing that any activity that addresses the possibility of change in sexual orientation or gender identity is harmful because change can’t happen, and it is harmful to try.

Current views ignores twenty renowned empirical case studies that demonstrate that over 40 percent of homosexually oriented people who underwent therapy, often in the care of compassionate, insightful and trained professionals, experienced some degree of healthy shift towards heterosexuality(^[ii]).

They also ignore contemporary research undertaken by Dr Lisa Diamond, a non-religious lesbian researcher at Utah University, and Ritch Savin-Williams, professor emeritus of developmental psychology of Cornell University who specialises in gay, lesbian, and bisexual research.

Both Diamond and Savin-Williams produced conclusive evidence that many people experience change in sexual attraction and that sexuality can be incredibly fluid. Science confirms the stories from people who experienced orientation change and went on to live what they speak of as more fulfilling and stable lives, with some marrying the opposite sex and enjoying parenthood. The recently birthed Changed movement bears witness to this; LGBTQ+ people who publicly speak about their experiences of sexual fluidity.

Current views also ignore a peer-reviewed 2018 study undertaken by Dr. Neil Whitehead, Paul Santero and Dolores Ballesteros. Whitehead and colleagues examined the reported benefits of sexual attraction fluidity exploration in therapy (SAFE-T) as well as the positives and harms in a sample of religious men with unwanted same-sex attractions. Their outcomes show that, “as found in previous surveys, there was real change, little harm, much good, completely opposite to the findings of the [2009 American Psychological Association] report”.

Current views misrepresent the findings of science related to sexual attractions & gender dysphoria

Professional organizations agree that same-sex attraction and gender dysphoria are not simply biologically caused (^[iii]), they often change (^[iv]) (^[v]), and they have psychological influences (^[vi]) that may be modified (^[vii]).

Current views claim that people are born with same-sex orientation or born transgendered, that change is impossible and that there are no psychological influences. These claims are used to say that any form of religious or therapeutic activity must be harmful.

Current views misrepresent the nature of talk therapy provided by counsellors

The often-misrepresented American Psychological Association task force report (2009) actually said there was no research that met its standards and showed change-allowing therapy is ineffective or harmful. It acknowledged that contemporary change-allowing therapy does not use aversive methods. It further acknowledged that it based its tentative conclusions on anecdotal, not scientiﬁc, evidence from a small number of studies it said did not meet its scientiﬁc standards. Yet it neglected to give the same weight to anecdotal evidence from a century of research showing that attractions toward people of the same sex have changed.

Contrary to misrepresentations, therapists who are open to a client’s goal of change use non-aversive, well-established mainstream practices and evidence-based treatments for trauma and addictions; practices that are used by professional therapists worldwide. Victims of child sexual abuse have a right to client-directed therapy that may, as a by-product, result in a change in sexual attraction or behaviour or result in embracing one’s innate biological sex.

Reasons people seek professional change-allowing talk therapy include:

They identiﬁed as gay or transgender and lived as such but ultimately did not ﬁnd it fulﬁlling.
Some same-sex attracted moms and dads love their spouse and children and want to change their attractions to save their marriage and family. Introducing ban laws propose to take away their right to get help from a therapist or even their pastor.
Some want to live in accordance with their values and beliefs that should be respected.
Some feel same-sex attraction or rejecting their sex was forced on them by perpetrators of childhood sexual abuse, and they want therapy to heal and change. Is it more compassionate to help them or to just give them coping methods to go on living with it? Failure to treat trauma is negligent and increases suicides.
Some individuals suffering from gender dysphoria do not want body harming medical procedures or cannot have them for medical reasons (^[viii]); prohibiting talk therapy leaves them nowhere to go.

By deﬁnition, “change-allowing” therapies are compassionate not coercive, accepting not condemning, physically non-invasive rather than causing permanent body harm. Self-selected self-care directly rests upon the underlying foundation of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to the pursuit of happiness.

Conclusion

Exodus Global Alliance contends that the proposed legislation will achieve the opposite of what it claims will be achieved. The proposed legislation will harm LGBTQ+ people by preventing them from exploring spiritual faith and how faith can be integrated with sexuality and gender, or seeking religious services that help them experience the full expression of religious life. .

Endnotes:

^[i] Liberals & conservatives thriving: Barringer, M., Gay, D. (2017), Happily religious: The surprising sources of happiness among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender adults, Sociological Inquiry, 87, 75–96, DOI: 10.1111/soin.12154; Stephen C. (2017), The LGB Mormon Paradox: Mental, Physical, and Self-Rated Health Among Mormon and Non-Mormon LGB Individuals in the Utah Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Jour- nal of Homosexuality, 64:6, 731-744, DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2016.1236570; Lefevor, G., Sorrell, S., Kappers, G., Plunk, A., Schow, R., Rosik, C., & Beckstead, A. (2019), Same- Sex Attracted, Not LGBQ: The Associations of Sexual Identity Labeling on Religiousness, Sexuality, and Health Among Mormons, Journal of Homosexuality, DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2018.1564006

^[ii] Studies showing change towards heterosexual after therapy:

Jones & Yarhouse, Book: Ex-Gays? A Longitudinal Study, InterVarsity Press, 2007. Experiencing at least some heterosexual shift: 33 out of 73

Shidlo & Schroeder, Professional Psychology: Research & Practice, 2002 – 14 out of 202

Nicolosi, Byrd & Potts, Psychological Reports, 1997 - 573 out of 882

Berger, American Journal of Psychotherapy, 1994 - 1 out of 1

MacIntosh, Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Assocn, 1994- 276/1215

Golwyn & Sevlie, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 1993 - 1 out of 1

Schechter, International Forum of Psychoanalysis, 1992 - 1 out of 1

Van den Aardweg, Book: On the Origins & Treatment of Homosexuality,’86 – 37 out of 101

Schwartz & Masters, American Journal of Psychiatry, 1984 - 35 out of 54

Pattison & Pattison, American Journal of Psychiatry, 1980 - 11 out of 11

Birk, Book: Homosexual Behavior: A Modern Reappraisal, 1980 - 1 out of 29

Masters & Johnson, Book: Homosexuality in Perspective, 1979 - 29 out of 67

Socarides, Book: Homosexuality, 1978 - 20 out of 45

Callahan, Book: Counseling Methods, 1976 - 1 out of 1

Freeman & Meyer, Behavior Therapy, 1975 - 9 out of 11

Canton-Dutari, Archives of Sexual Behavior, 1974 - 44 out of 54

Birk, Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 1974 - 14 out of 66

Liss & Weiner, American Journal of Psychotherapy, 1973 - 1 out of 1

Barlow & Agras, Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1973 - 2 out of 2

Pittman & DeYoung, Int’l Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 1971 – 3 out of 6

Truax & Tourney. Diseases of the Nervous System, 1971 - 20 out of 30

Hatterer, Book: Changing Homosexuality in the Male, 1970 - 49 out of 143

McConaghy, British Journal of Psychiatry, 1970 - 10 out of 40

^[iii] Not Simply Biologically Caused: Homosexuality: Kleinplatz, P. & Diamond, L., (2014) in APA Handbook of Sexuality and Psychology, American Psychological Association, 1: 256-257. Rosario & Schrimshaw, 2014, in APA Handbook of Sexuality and Psychology, 1: 583. Diamond, L. & Rosky, C. (2016). Scrutinizing Immutability: Research on Sexual Orientation and U.S. Legal Advocacy for Sexual Minorities. Journal of Sex Research, 00:4. DOI: 10.1080/00224499.2016.1139665. Transgender: Bockting, W. (2014). 2014) in APA Handbook of Sexuality and Psych, 1:743. Gender non-conforming: Bailey, J.et al, (2016). Sexual Orientation, Controversy, And Science. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 17:76. DOI: 10:1177/1529100616637616.

^[iv] Change in sexual attraction: APA Handbook of Sexuality and Psychology: ”...research on sexual minorities has long documented that many recall having undergone notable shifts in their patterns of sexual attractions, behaviors, or identities over time."  Diamond (2014), in APA Handbook, 1: 636. "Although change in adolescence and emerging adulthood is understandable, change in adulthood contradicts the prevailing view of consistency in sexual orientation.” Rosario & Schrimshaw (2014), in APA Handbook, 1: 562. "Over the course of life, individuals experience the following: (a) changes or ﬂuctuations in sexual attractions, behaviors, and romantic partnerships;…" Mustaky, Kuper, & Geene (2014), in APA Handbook, 1:619. Diamond & Rosky, 2016.

^[v] professional organizations—American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, American Society of Andrology, European Society for Pediatric Endocrinology, European Society of Endocrinology, Pediatric Endocrine Society, and World Professional Association for Transgender Health: Hembree, W., Cogen-Kettenis, P., Gooren, L., Hannema, S., T’Sjoen, G. (2017), “Endocrine treatment of gender-dysphoric/gender-incongruent persons: An Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline”. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 102:10, http://dx.-doi.org/10.1210/jc.2017-01658, p. 10.) American Psychiatric Association (2013), Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association, p. 455. American Psychological Association: Bockting, W. (2014), Chapter 24: Transgender Identity Development, In Tolman, D., & Diamond, L., Co-Editors-in-Chief (2014) APA Handbook of Sexuality and Psychology, Washington D.C.: American Psychological Association, vol.1, p. 744. Research: Cohen-Kettenis P., Delemarrevan de Waal, H., & Gooren L. (2008), The treatment of adolescent transsexuals: Changing insights, J Sex Med, 5:1892-1897, DOI: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2008.00870.x); Zucker, K (2018), The myth of persistence: Response to “A critical commentary on follow-up studies and ‘desistance’ theories about transgender and gender non-conforming children” by Temple Newhook et al. (2018), International Journal of Transgenderism, p. 2-3, 11, https//doi.org/ 10.1080/15532739.20181468293

^[vi] Endocrine Society Guideline (2017), pp. 6-7; American Psychological Association: APA Handbook of Sexuality and Psychology (2014), 1: 743-744, 750; American Psychiatric Association: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-5, p. 451, 457; American Association of Pediatricians: Rafferty J, AAP Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health, AAP Committee on Adolescence, AAP Section on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health and Wellness (2018), Ensuring Comprehensive Care and Support for Transgender and Gender Di- verse Children and Adolescents. Pediatrics 142(4): p. 2, see also p. 4.

^[vii] Child sexual abuse or other trauma as causes: Mustanski, B., Kuper, L., and Geene, G. (2014), APA Handbook of Sexuality and Psychology, 1:609-610; Laumann et al, 1994; Tjaden, Thoennes & Allison, 1999; Bearman & Bruckner, 2002; Frisch & Hviid, 2006, 2007; Francis, 2008; Wilson & Widom, 2009; Wells, McGee, & Beautrais, 2011; Roberts, Glymour, & Koenen, 2013; Balms, 2018); Rosik, C. (2012). Did the American Psychological Association’s Report on Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation apply its research standards consistently? A preliminary examination. Journal of Human Sexuality, 4:70-85. http://media.wix.com/ugd/ ; Bockting, (2014) in APA Handbook of Sexuality and Psychology, 1: 743-744, 750; WPATH(2011). Standards of Care, http:// www.wpath.org/ site_page.cfm?pk_association_web- page_menu=1351, p. 24.

^[viii] Cavanagh, J., Carson, A., Sharpe, M. & Lawrie, S. (2003), Psychological autopsy studies of sui10 cide: a systematic review, Psychological Medicine, 33: 395–405, Cambridge University Press, DOI: 10.1017/S0033291702006943

^[1] Liberals & conservatives thriving: Barringer, M., Gay, D. (2017), Happily religious: The surprising sources of happiness among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender adults, Sociological Inquiry, 87, 75–96, DOI: 10.1111/soin.12154; Stephen C. (2017), The LGB Mormon Paradox: Mental, Physical, and Self-Rated Health Among Mormon and Non-Mormon LGB Individuals in the Utah Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Jour- nal of Homosexuality, 64:6, 731-744, DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2016.1236570; Lefevor, G., Sorrell, S., Kappers, G., Plunk, A., Schow, R., Rosik, C., & Beckstead, A. (2019), Same- Sex Attracted, Not LGBQ: The Associations of Sexual Identity Labeling on Religiousness, Sexuality, and Health Among Mormons, Journal of Homosexuality, DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2018.1564006

^[1] Studies showing change towards heterosexual after therapy: