A group of self-described “ex-gays” tried to rally against the Equality Act in Washington DC this weekend. In an unsurprising twist, very few people actually attended.
Our sister website LGBTQ Nation reports that the “Freedom March”–the generically titled rally–attracted more bewildered onlookers than actual participants at the Washington Monument on Sunday (June 6). Press for the event had hyped it as a “diverse group of former LGBTQ individuals in worshipping, sharing our testimonies, and celebrating freedom in Christ publicly on the Mall in Washington.”
The event comes as a part of a campaign by CHANGED–a group of people who claim to have been “cured” of queer identity through Christian conversion therapy. According to founder Elizabeth Woning, members of CHANGED identify as “Christians with LGBTQ in our past. Many, like us, have changed. We left LGBTQ because we wanted to.”
Footage of the event by The Washington Blade shows only about six people dancing, while a few others stand by filming or just gawking at the bizarre sight. In a statement about the rally, Woning further added that “CHANGED has come to DC to appeal to Congress to focus on human dignity, not identity politics.”
How about we take this to the next level?
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Covering an “ex-gay” Freedom March for @WashBlade pic.twitter.com/yOH4mIakbs
— Michael Patrick Key (@MichaelKeyWB) June 5, 2021
Riiiight.
CHANGED has made it a priority to oppose the Equality Act, which would make discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation illegal nationwide. The group has launched a nationwide tour to drum up opposition to the Equality Act; the Washington dance party was just the latest in a series of stops. Besides opposing the Equality Act, CHANGED also lobbies lawmakers to keep conversion therapy–psychological or spiritual “treatment” aimed at changing sexual orientation or gender identity–legal.
The United Nations, American Psychological Association and American Medical Association have deemed conversion therapy ineffective at changing sexual orientation or gender identity, and moreover, a practice deeply harmful to the patient. Recent years have seen a number of states ban the practice, much to the ire of groups like CHANGED.
Hdtex
And GRNDR was off the charts!!!
JJinAus
Ha! My thoughts exactly. 20 people less than 10m from you.
Centrism
They should start recruiting from the gay porn industry. Plenty of ex-gays there these days.
Cam
Awww the right wing troll account desperate to deflect from the topic.
Centrism
@ Cam You should book a therapist. Your paranoia isn’t normal.
MissTerri
snicker!!!!
Jacksonville
Really!?
Cam
@Centrism
LOL!!!! Same old troll, you had to switch screenames and have your @MissTerri account come on for back up.
Oh sweetie, you’re just embarrassing yourself at this point.
mailliw110
You need to be gay first. Not just paid to act gay.
Mister P
They were probably twirling batons.
jcool
and those batons were on FIRE!
Cam
Reminds me of when “Gays for Trump” finally had their big nationwide event and around 12 people showed up.
Doug
I’m willing to bet the majority of the people in this “march” are straight family members and friends.
Donston
In order for something like this to be “successful” a lot of people would have to publicly acknowledge that they ever saw themselves as “queer”, which is not gonna happen for most unabashed homophobes. And for the most part even the majority of “Christian social Conservatives “ don’t support such an ostentatious displays of hate. These are a bunch (or rather a handful) of people who can’t handle their “queerness”, insecurities, internalized phobias, past traumas, mental health issues, fluidity, contradictions, and/or where they are in the gender, romantic, sexual, affection, emotional investment, relationship contentment spectrum. They’re not focused on human dignity or trying to eradicate identity politics or even their relationship with religion. They’re simply filled with resentment, homophobia/queer-phobia/anti-gay instincts and traumas, and they want everyone else to be as miserable as them.
Fahd
The US is a country of some 330 million people – there will always be “ex-gays”, although I didn’t know it was now actually down to only around a dozen. As long as they’re peaceful and don’t try to influence any young people, I think the U.S. society can tolerate such a tiny aberration.
Donston
The issue isn’t that they see themselves as “ex gay”. You can see yourself however you wish. Sexuality, gender and the romantic, affection, emotional investment, commitment spectrum are individual things and can be complicated stuff. And a lot of people contend with religious guilt and religious dependence, fluidity, contractions, confusions, traumas, mental health issues, internalized phobias. They can live their lives however and see themselves however and love/commit to whoever.
The problem is that they are very much trying to inspire people to hate and reject and are certainly trying to influence young people. That’s the point of these type of “protests” and the point of things like conversion therapy. And believe me, there are far more people out there like that. Both my sister and brother are “former ‘queers” who tried to guilt me into staying closeted and then tried to guilt me into hetero commitment when they found out I wasn’t homo. There are many like this. They just don’t try to have “parades”.
arnieca
Of course they are trying to influence people. why else would they have a public demonstration?
ShiningSex
Suppressing your sexuality doesn’t make you an ex gay. No such thing exists. You can’t pray that away. Anyone who thinks they exists are morons.
Kangol2
Tragic. They were probably cruising each other heavily too.
Chrisk
There is no such thing as an ex gay. You’re either straight, bi, or gay. This is just messaging to young confused kids bankrolled by hate groups.
nowliveit
…and then they rented a hotel suite to celebrate their homocelabecy together. Lots of drinks and lowered inhibitions lOL
Leash
An event so embarassing that even the “famous” “ex-gay” Milo Yiannwhatshisname didn’t attend. And he usually does everything for attention!
Mr. Stadnick
He only comes (cums) for pay.
hotttt123
Correct the Headlines: The Never Gays held a stroll in Washington.
ggontarek
Great edit!
James
Nothing but a hate group hiding behind a bible.
linedrive
Yep and that sadly describes so many people…
toddlicious
More people pay to come to my drag shows
mailliw110
You should have said more “straight people”. Just visit Darcell’s here in Portland to notice that!
ShiningSex
No one showed because there’s no such thing as “ex gay”.
Stopping sex with the same sex doesn’t changed what’s inside and being suppressed.
BoomerMyles
Did you hear Milo Y. said dogs have stopped barking at him since he became an ex-gay.
ta2t2o
White Party just not the same since Jeffery Sanker died.