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| Group That Promoted ‘Curing’ Gays Ceases Operations | Group That Promoted ‘Curing’ Gays Ceases Operations |
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| A Christian ministry that was the leading proponent of the “ex-gay” movement — which held that gays could be “cured” through prayer and psychotherapy — said that it was ceasing operations amid widening internal rifts and growing skepticism of its mission. | A Christian ministry that was the leading proponent of the “ex-gay” movement — which held that gays could be “cured” through prayer and psychotherapy — said that it was ceasing operations amid widening internal rifts and growing skepticism of its mission. |
| The decision by the board of Exodus International to stop operating comes as the group’s president, Alan Chambers, has been increasingly vocal in proclaiming that there was no cure for homosexuality and that therapy did not work in changing a person’s sexual orientation. In a statement posted on the group’s Web site Wednesday, he cited a recent letter he had written to gay men and lesbians. | The decision by the board of Exodus International to stop operating comes as the group’s president, Alan Chambers, has been increasingly vocal in proclaiming that there was no cure for homosexuality and that therapy did not work in changing a person’s sexual orientation. In a statement posted on the group’s Web site Wednesday, he cited a recent letter he had written to gay men and lesbians. |
| “I am sorry for the pain and hurt many of you have experienced,” he said in the letter. “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 for the pain and hurt many of you have experienced,” he said in the letter. “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.” |
| The group’s underlying approach toward homosexuality had been that people are not born with such sexual inclinations, but rather choose them, leaving the potential for them to be cured. Such thinking has been a rationale among some conservatives and evangelicals for their staunch opposition to same-sex marriage. | The group’s underlying approach toward homosexuality had been that people are not born with such sexual inclinations, but rather choose them, leaving the potential for them to be cured. Such thinking has been a rationale among some conservatives and evangelicals for their staunch opposition to same-sex marriage. |
| But in recent years the group had come under increased criticism as professional associations denounced its focus on reparative therapy to “cure” homosexuality, saying it was not only ineffective but potentially harmful. At the same time, polls have shown an increasing number of Americans more accepting of homosexuality and approving of gay marriage. | |
| Exodus, which was founded in 1976, had 150 member churches as of last year, and after Mr. Chambers’s decision to renounce reparative therapy he said the ministry’s evolving mission was to continue helping people who were struggling with their homosexual feelings. But many affiliated churches continued to attack gay men and lesbians. | Exodus, which was founded in 1976, had 150 member churches as of last year, and after Mr. Chambers’s decision to renounce reparative therapy he said the ministry’s evolving mission was to continue helping people who were struggling with their homosexual feelings. But many affiliated churches continued to attack gay men and lesbians. |
| In announcing that it was ceasing operations, the group cited “the organization’s place in a changing culture.” | In announcing that it was ceasing operations, the group cited “the organization’s place in a changing culture.” |
| “We’re not negating the ways God used Exodus to positively affect thousands of people, but a new generation of Christians is looking for change — and they want to be heard,” Tony Moore, an Exodus board member, said in a statement on the group’s Web site. The group said that affiliated ministries could continue operating, but not under the banner of Exodus. | “We’re not negating the ways God used Exodus to positively affect thousands of people, but a new generation of Christians is looking for change — and they want to be heard,” Tony Moore, an Exodus board member, said in a statement on the group’s Web site. The group said that affiliated ministries could continue operating, but not under the banner of Exodus. |