Yes!  Research shows there are more ex-'gays' than 'gays' in the world.

  • Recent studies make it clear the evidence for the effectiveness of counselling far outweighs any evidence of harm.
  • Change is achievable for a substantial percentage of those who want to change.
  • It's much safer to try counselling than not.

Many people leave the homosexual lifestyle.  For some, their sexual preference just changed with time, spontaneously.  Others may decide the lifestyle is no longer what they want and may seek help to change their sexual preference. 

  • The latest research shows over two-thirds - 68% - of married men with unwanted SSA find counselling works!
  • They can confidently reject the “must stay gay” propaganda and instead live as they choose. That's their human right.
  • Counselling bans take away their ability to receive this demonstrably safe and effective support.  Such bans are unfair, unreasonable and irrational.  Such bans can themselves be harmful.

‘Sexual orientation’ (attraction/behaviour/identity) can change.  ‘Once-gays’ exist.

  • For many people, ‘sexual orientation’ does change over time, with or without professional therapy or other counselling support.
  • Same-sex attraction almost always changes in the direction of opposite-sex attraction over time.
  • “Can change” (as well as “Not born that way”) strikes at the heart of LGBT ‘rights’ advocacy. That is why LGBT advocates attack any suggestion that change is possible so strongly.  It undermines their claims for ‘equality’, ‘equal marriage’, ‘same love’ etc.

Even LGBT advocates are now admitting “can’t change” is a lie (e.g. Lisa Diamond, 2013).

“Santero et al.” – July 2018

68% experienced “some to much decrease in same-sex attraction and behaviour and increase in opposite-sex attraction and behaviour”.  This is “comparable to the effectiveness rates of psychotherapy in general for any unwanted issue,” under which “the average person who received counselling for whatever problem was better off than 70% to 75% of the persons who did not receive counselling.”

Note: Even a shift of one or two steps along a scale from homosexual, to mostly homosexual, to bisexual, to mostly heterosexual, to heterosexual can help some live in an opposite-sex relationship or be celibate as they desire.

  • 18% “experienced heterosexual attraction for the first time”.
  • 14% changed completely from exclusive SSA to exclusive OSA.
  • “Marked” improvements in self-esteem, social functioning, self-harm, depression and suicidality.
  • “Extreme” improvement in substance abuse.

Santero et al. concluded:

  • “The hypothesis of ineffectiveness of therapy and counselling is rejected”
  • “The hypothesis that harm predominates is rejected strongly”

 

 

The “Santero et al.” research – July 2018

68% experienced “some to much decrease in same-sex attraction and behaviour and increase in opposite-sex attraction and behaviour”.  This is “comparable to the effectiveness rates of psychotherapy in general for any unwanted issue,” under which “the average person who received counselling for whatever problem was better off than 70% to 75% of the persons who did not receive counselling.”

Note: Even a shift of one or two steps along a scale from homosexual, to mostly homosexual, to bisexual, to mostly heterosexual, to heterosexual can help some live in an opposite-sex relationship or be celibate as they desire.

  • 18% “experienced heterosexual attraction for the first time”.
  • 14% changed completely from exclusive SSA to exclusive OSA.
  • “Marked” improvements in self-esteem, social functioning, self-harm, depression and suicidality.
  • “Extreme” improvement in substance abuse.

They concluded:

  • “The hypothesis of ineffectiveness of therapy and counselling is rejected”
  • “The hypothesis that harm predominates is rejected strongly”

The “Sprigg” research – September 2018

"Sexual orientation change efforts" (or SOCE) are efforts to help people with unwanted same-sex sexual attractions overcome those attractions and/or abstain from homosexual behaviour.

SOCE may include professional therapy or less formal (often religious) counselling.  Critics of SOCE make two claims—that it is ineffective, and that it is harmful.

Sprigg reviewed six studies/surveys from 2000 to 2018 (including Santero).  All show SOCE can be effective for some clients in bringing about significant change in some components of sexual orientation.  Few ‘harms’ reported.

Older reports, including 600 studies and five meta-analyses, showed the same.  One widely-cited report on harms (Shidlo and Schroeder), with a sample selected for that purpose, offered almost entirely anecdotal rather than statistical evidence.

Items to read...

Are Sexual Orientation Change Efforts (SOCE) Effective? Are They Harmful? What the Evidence Shows, Family Research Council, Sprigg, P., 2018,  www.frc.org/issueanalysis/are-sexual-orientationchange-efforts-soce-effective-are-they-harmful-whatthe-evidence-shows.

Effects of Therapy on Religious Men Who Have Unwanted Same-Sex Attraction, Paul L. Santero, Neil E. Whitehead, and Dolores Ballesteros, The Linacre Quarterly, July 2018.  journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0024363918788559.

Effects of Therapy on Religious Men Who Have Unwanted Same-Sex Attraction, Dermot O’Callaghan, Research and Development Council, IFTCC, August 2018.  Discusses Santero.  Read at www.core-issues.org/leading-stories-and-research/new-study-effects-of-therapy-on-religious-men-who-have-unwanted-same-sex-attraction or download the .pdf from www.core-issues.org/UserFiles/File///documents/O_Callaghan_Effects_of_Therapy_on_Religious_Men_who_have_Unwanted_Same.pdf

Items to watch

The Right to Therapy, Laura Haynes’ address at the IFTCC launch event on 15.10.18.  Includes key points from Santero and Sprigg.  33 minutes.  Go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHzCAFi6NWU.

Anecdotal evidence of people who experienced “change” –
their first-hand stories

  1. International Federation for Therapeutic and Counselling Choice (IFTCC) – iftcc.org/stories/

“Home for the once-gay, those coming-out and the de-transitioners... because we're free to choose.”

6 stories from people “who were once-gay and have begun to transition in new directions”. 

  1. CORE Issues Trust - www.core-issues.org/leading-stories-and-research/

11 personal stories in Voices of the Silenced: Personal Accounts of Counselling Interventions for Unwanted Same-Sex Attractions, free booklet, downloadable from www.core-issues.org/UserFiles/File/Downloadable_publications/CIT_VOS_Testimonies_2018_Edition_Jerusalem.pdf 

  1. Voices of the Silenced – www.voicesofthesilenced.com

Documentary film including 15 stories by people moving away from homosexual lifestyles.  Both downloadable from the website and available for purchase as a DVD.  Filmed in 7 countries and more than 50 locations.  Extracts from the interviews viewable, free, on the website.  Launched February 2018.

“All over the world there are men and women who experience transformation in their lives, and who no longer identify as “gay” nor describe themselves as homosexual.  They are empowered to abstain from unwanted behaviours and may experience the diminishing of unwanted homosexual feelings. They reject the idea that their ‘orientation’ is innate and immutable.” 

  1. Changed#oncegay stories - changedmovement.com/

“#oncegay is a community of friends who once identified as LGBTQ+.”

34 stories, all told by the people themselves.  Once-gay and detransitioners.  For example, David Rasmussen at changedmovement.com/stories//david-rasmussen.

CHANGED: #OnceGay Stories.  Book, recently republished with 15 additional stories.  Available from changedmovement.com/changed-book. 

  1. Voices of Change - www.voicesofchange.net/our-stories.html

108 stories as downloadable .pdf’s, all with titles, making searching for particular issues easy.

Also 11 audio stories and 12 video stories.

“And so...here we are, represented by over a hundred (and increasing) authentic stories from men and women who have made lasting change in their sexualities through profound therapeutic experiences.  Some of these stories also represent people of faith.  We invite you to listen to them, walk with them, as they tell you what their personal experiences have been.  Every one of these testimonials represents someone who ultimately believed in themselves and who refused to be forced to believe other viewpoints concerning homosexuality that simply did not apply to them.  We believe that true tolerance includes tolerance for all.  There's no shame in these stories, only real growth into true identity.” 

  1. “Brothers on a Road Less Traveled” - www.brothersroad.org/stories/writtentestimonials/

Known as ‘People Can Change’ for 16 years, changed name in October 2016.  Short form: “Brothers Road”.  10 very detailed stories.

Page has links to 11 book-length testimonials:-

Also 7 video stories at www.brothersroad.org/about/videos-presentations/.

Extensive booklist (some 55 books) described at www.brothersroad.org/resources/book-list/.

George Orwell Quote

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