Christian conservative Sandy Rios
laments that the media is keeping Americans from knowing the
“fabulous stories” of “ex-gays.”
Speaking at Values Voter Summit, the
three-day conference organized by the Family Research Council (FRC),
Rios criticized the lack of visibility in the media for people who
claim to have altered their sexual orientation from gay to straight.
“Did you know that September was
'ex-gay' awareness month? Anybody know that in this room? Anybody
know an 'ex-gay'?” she asked attendees who remained silent.
“You know what, they are everywhere.
And the reason you don't hear about them is because they are maligned
and threatened,” she asserted.
“I remember when [minister] Stephen
Bennett was speaking for us at CWA [Concerned Women for America] and
we wanted him to be on Bill O'Reilly. Stephen was trying to tell his
story about how he had came out and how he was married and had
children and wanted to tell his story and, honestly, Bill would not
let him talk.”
Rios went on to incorrectly state that
no “ex-gay” had told his or her story on television since.
“There are tons of 'ex-gays' with
fabulous stories but the American people don't even know about that,”
she added.
Later, Rios explained that Christians
could not turn their backs on millions of gay men and lesbians
trapped in “a powerful web of deceit that is breaking hearts.”
“Gay men and women love each other.
They love each other. But what happens is, because the love is
misplaced, they find themselves in a series of heartbreaking
situations. There is such heartbreak,” she added, saying that
older gay men are cast aside by the gay community. (The video is
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