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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 15, 2002)
15 . 2002 ' PTTTHTTiTlneutf L ies W on O ut Protest challenges "e x - g a y " seminar's misleading messages by W ayne B esen 17 E—C A R R —M E R C E V O U R NEXT S U B A R U With a few clicks on your computer you can research, and purchase Internet direct from the nation’s #1 Subaru dealership. Tell me what you are considering in your next Subaru (New or Used). I will accurately answer your questions and provide you with an Internet direct purchase price on the car of your choice. You have my guarantee, this will change the way you purchase your next vehicle. E , Precise accurate and professional. 0 Schedule a time to take our "No Obligation Test Drive" and then decide. Over 350 new Subaru's in stock. We earn your business, not expect it. u “I will personally handle the entire transaction start to finish/' 1 —Ken Eby, Internet and Fleet Sales Manager \ 0 2003 Forester 2.5X (AT) P S/PW /PL/, tilt, cruise, AC, CD, cass, air bags & more. A diverse crowd came from as far away as Roanoke, Va., to counter Focus on the Family’s hateful symposium f* V* he John Paulk Welcoming Com mittee picketed the anti-gay “Love Won Out” conference Nov. 2 in Springfield, Va. For three hours Jm * almost 100 demonstrators waved signs and demanded that Focus on the Family stop its campaign of discrimination, dishonesty and hate against queers. The conference seeks to change a person’s sexual orientation through discredited therapy and prayer. The symposium was led hy “ex-gay” spokesman John Paulk, who was caught at a gay bar two years ago in Washington, D.C., despite appearing on Oprah, 60 Minutes and the cover of Newsweek saying he had gone straight. Several signs condemned his hypocrisy and urged him to stop deceiving and deluding peo ple— including himself. “John Paulk Hit on Me” was scrawled hy committee organizer Daryl Herrschaft, memorializing their Sept. 19, 2000, encounter at Mr. P’s. Other signs read, “I Saw J. Paulk in a Gay Sakxin” and “Paulk, Unlike Focus, We Love You for Who You Are.” “Our message made it to dozens of conference- goers, some of whom were visibly depressed and conflicted," Herrschaft said. “They conversed with protesters and were drawn to the feeling of open ness, acceptance and free expression that the demonstration provided. John Paulk and his cronies aren’t helping these people or the other confer- encegoers; they are hurting them and providing the tcxils and the justification for them to hurt others.” Close to 1,000 people attended the seminar at Immanuel Bible Church in suburban Fairfax County. The grassroots demonstration encom passed a coalition of organizations and individuals throughout Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia. Also on hand were “ex-ex-gays"— peo ple who have been through the ministries and say these groups are harmful and ineffective. Chants at the rally included: “Who do we want? John Paulk! Where do we want him? Mr. P’s!” According to the American Psychological Association, efforts to change sexual orientation can cause “depression, anxiety and self-destructive behavior." The American Psychiatric Association, American Medical Association and American Association of Pediatrics also condemn “repara tive” therapy and say it often can he harmful. From the very beginning, the ministries have been enmeshed in a series of high-profile failures. In addition to the crestfallen Paulk, these are the most well-publicized defections and scandals in the colorful annals of “ex-gay” history: • In 1973, John Evans co-founded the world’s first modem “ex-gay” ministry, Dive in Action, on the outskirts of San Francisco. However, after his best friend, Jack McIntyre, committed suicide in despair over not being able to change, he real ized the program was not working and denounced it. To this day, he condemns the program as a dangerous— and sometimes fatal— fraud. • In the early 1970s, Gary Cooper and Mi chael Bussee were counselors at an “ex-gay” ministry in Anaheim, Calif. In 1976, they organized the first “ex-gay” ministry national conference, where the world’s largest “ex-gay" organization, Exodus International, was formed. While traveling on behalf of Exodus, the two men acknowledged that they had not changed and were in love with each other. They soon divorced their wives, moved in together and eventually held a commitment ceremony. • In 1979, Seventh-day Adventist minister Colin Cook founded Homosexuals Anonymous. Appearing twice on Donahue, he solidified his reputation in the early ’80s as the nation’s pre mier “ex-gay” spokesperson. But Cook's efforts collapsed in 1986 after he was exposed for giving clients nude massages. He made a comeback in 1992 by helping Colorado for Family Values and Focus on the Family promote their anti-gay agenda. But in 1995, Cook’s efforts unraveled once again after several of his clients accused him of phone sex and inappropriate hugs. • In 1987, Jeremy Marks founded Courage, London’s first “ex-gay” ministry. In 2001, after nearly 15 years of watching people— including himself—struggle in vain to change, he renounced Exodus’ methods hy saying they were failing in their efforts to change people’s sexual orientation. • In 2000, Wade Richards appeared as a media spokesman for a group called the Saviors Alliance for Lifting the Truth and gave his testi mony of “change” at a major press conference sponsored by right-wing leader Peter LaBarhera, who now works for an affiliate of Concerned Women for America. But a year later, Richards rebuked the “ex-gay” ministries when he came out in an interview with the Advocate magazine. “Those who do not study history are destined to repeat it," Herrschaft said. “And the history of the ‘ex-gay’ myth is clearly one of extreme sadness and failure. We implore Focus on the Family to stop this campaign of ill will and tell the truth: Many people escape the ‘ex-gay’ hoax and go on to live satisfying, spiritually fulfilling lives as openly gay men and women.” J H is the Human Rights Campaign deputy communications director and author of the upcoming hook Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth. W AYNE B es en ¥ MSRP $22,261.00 Dealer Invoice $20,227.00 3 Internet Direct Price $ 20 , 327.00 2003 Outback (AT) PW/L, AT, tilt, cruise, AC, CD, cass, power drivers seat, power mirrors, all weather, and lots of extras. 2 MSRP $24,948.00 Dealer Invoice $22,519.00 1 internet Direct Price $ 21 , 619.00 Over 100 Outbacks, LL Beans & VDC Models of VV*#»w*L r CARR All purchases on advertised vehicles & price must be through internet. This otter not available through the retail sales dept. The nation’s leading online Subaru distributor auto-dealerdaily. com — SUBARU. 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