“Ex-gay” activist Christopher Doyle is demanding an apology
from Exodus International for shuttering its doors and apologizing to
the LGBT community.
Last year, Alan Chambers, the group's president, began leading
Exodus away from supporting therapies aimed at “curing” gay men
and lesbians of their sexual orientation. Chambers, who at one point
starred in ads for the ministry touting “change is possible,”
reversed course, saying such therapies do not work and revealing that
his attractions to other men have not faded.
That admission eventually led Chambers to apologize for promoting
such therapies and announce the shuttering of Exodus.
Doyle, who heads the “ex-gay” group Voice of the Voiceless,
accused Chambers of “throwing some ex-gay leaders under the bus”
in a blog post.
“While I believe the apologies are sincere are well-meaning,
some of these statements, specifically their condemnation of the work
of ex-gay leaders, both within and outside the Exodus International
umbrella, are inappropriate and ill-advised,” Doyle
wrote. “In short, while attempting to right some wrongs for
members of the gay community they hurt, the Exodus leadership is
'throwing the baby out with the bathwater' when it comes to ex-gays.”
“It's really troubling to see these daggers thrown at the ex-gay
community without a proper response. So rather than simply point out
the errors in the Exodus leadership, I am going to propose an apology
that the now extinct Exodus International Board of Directors should
offer to the ex-gay community.”
“How very sad that the largest and most influential ex-gay
ministry has resorted to a popularity club for their narcissistic
leaders,” he added.
Doyle's proposed apology from Exodus to the “ex-gay” community
reads in part: “[W]e are deeply saddened that we attacked our
allies in the psychological community, most of who are also people of
faith. Out of fear and ignorance, we failed to embrace solutions
that could bring about real and lasting change.”