In the United States, the “ex-gay” movement is collapsing under the
weight of its own bullshit. In case you’re unfamiliar, the ex-gay
“conversion therapy” is snake oil BS that claims to be able to turn gay
people straight. It’s so dangerous and so completely ineffective that
the largest ex-gay group in the country, Exodus International, has folded up shop and officially denounced the practice they’d previously pushed.
The problem with “conversion therapy” is the tremendous psychological and emotional harm it inflicts on the subjects. First, they convince patients that homosexuality is a disease, that it’s not normal, and that it’s terribly immoral — on the scale of pedophilia. Then, it promises to “cure” them. Since the initial argument that homosexuality is a disease is false, the cure fails. And, since they believe they still have this horrible disease that makes them sinful monsters, the patients become despondent and even suicidal.
The good news is that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is signed a bill that will make forcing minors into “conversion therapy” illegal. The bad news is that the religious right is still stupid and hostile to scientific evidence. Check out this reaction from the rightwing news website Rightscoop:
That’s the problem with religious conservatives, they think “faith” means “I get to believe whatever crazy shit I want to believe and ignore all consequences.” Actually, that seem to be the problem with all conservatives. From global warming to evolution to ex-gay therapy, they only believe what they want to believe — facts and evidence be damned.
[photo via Wikimedia Commons]
The problem with “conversion therapy” is the tremendous psychological and emotional harm it inflicts on the subjects. First, they convince patients that homosexuality is a disease, that it’s not normal, and that it’s terribly immoral — on the scale of pedophilia. Then, it promises to “cure” them. Since the initial argument that homosexuality is a disease is false, the cure fails. And, since they believe they still have this horrible disease that makes them sinful monsters, the patients become despondent and even suicidal.
The good news is that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is signed a bill that will make forcing minors into “conversion therapy” illegal. The bad news is that the religious right is still stupid and hostile to scientific evidence. Check out this reaction from the rightwing news website Rightscoop:
You’ve got to be kidding. How can someone who claims to be a Christian sign a piece of legislation like this? Does he not believe that Christ has the power to heal? Well apparently not…at least in regard to this. He is expected to announce when signing this bill that he doesn’t believe homosexuality is a sin.Yes, Chris Christie hates Jesus because he doesn’t believe in Christ’s ability to cure something that was never a disease in the first place. And all the evidence that this “ex-gay” crap is all hogwash? They don’t want to hear it, which means they won’t believe it — no matter how convincing the evidence against it is.
That’s the problem with religious conservatives, they think “faith” means “I get to believe whatever crazy shit I want to believe and ignore all consequences.” Actually, that seem to be the problem with all conservatives. From global warming to evolution to ex-gay therapy, they only believe what they want to believe — facts and evidence be damned.
[photo via Wikimedia Commons]
