The
documentary Fish Can't Fly contains the stories of a number of gay people who
went through Christian ex-gay counseling in an attempt to become straight. Their experiences were painful. A review of the documentary can be found at http://www.stophate.us/review16.html. A DVD of the documentary can be purchased at
www.fishcantfly.com or Amazon.com.
Some of the methods described to help gay and lesbians
become straight include the following:
memorizing Bible texts
an hour a day of prayer and Bible studies
prayer to cast out demons (exorcism)
not wearing certain types of clothing, such as Calvin Klein brand clothing
make-over sessions for lesbians
learning how to change a car's oil for gay men
healing prayers for past experiences
encouraging gay people to get married in traditional
male/female marriages
The methods reported in the documentary show the ignorance of the people
who were working in the ex-gay ministries. Memorizing Bible texts might be valuable, but it does not change a person's sexual orientation. Prayer
does not change a person's orientation either. While prayer and Bible study might occupy time, they do not turn off physical and emotional attractions that are based on pheromones and hormones.
Lesbians cannot be made straight by dressing in very feminine clothes
and wearing makeup. Mascara, makeup, foundation, powder, eye shadow, blush, and lipstick do not make a person straight. A straight woman will not
turn lesbian if she is so rushed she does not have time to put on makeup,
foundation, powder, eye shadow, blush, and lipstick.
Gay men can be found in many different industries and occupations. There are gay men athletes, mechanics, cowboys, farmers, and tradesmen. Knowing how to change the oil in a car is not going to do a thing to stop a gay man from being attracted to other men. Changing the oil in a car is not going to make gay men hot for women any more than cutting a woman's hair will make a straight man hot for other men.
Being butch or fem does not make either a man or a woman gay or
straight. There are very effeminate
straight men and very butch acting straight women.
The ignorance, even when it borders on beliefs that are so illogical
they seem insanely stupid, is forgivable.
Ignorant people can become informed people; they can learn. What concerns me more is the sense that
people in the ex-gay movement are not ignorant, they are intentionally ignorant
and uninformed - read stupid.