Exodus International is sorry for nearly four decades of insisting LGBTs can simply pray the gay away.
The Orlando-based ministry shut down June 19 and Exodus president Alan Chambers issued an apology to the gay community:
Please know that I am deeply sorry. I am sorry for the pain and hurt many of you have experienced. I am sorry that some of you spent years working through the shame and guilt you felt when your attractions didn’t change. I am sorry we promoted sexual orientation change efforts and reparative theories about sexual orientation that stigmatized parents. I am sorry that there were times I didn’t stand up to people publicly “on my side” who called you names like sodomite-or worse. I am sorry that I, knowing some of you so well, failed to share publicly that the gay and lesbian people I know were every bit as capable of being amazing parents as the straight people that I know.
Exodus practiced what is commonly known as conversion therapy or ex-gay therapy for 37 years. It’s an effort to turn gay people straight, many times via prayer but sometimes through more aggressive behavior modification. The therapy has also attracted controversy for its focus on teenagers.
The Exodus board of directors has announced they’ll kick of a new ministry called Reduce Fear, with the goal of ensuring churches are “safe, welcoming and mutually transforming communities.”
