Oh Lisa Ling, did you think you could host an episode of your new Oprah-backed show and call it “Pray The Gay Away?” without getting attacked by the radical gay left? Of course not — especially when the facts you present in your report are able to be debunked by simply visiting the websites of, say, Exodus International. Truth Wins Out’s Wayne Besen drops this muckraking report, which in under eight minutes drops more facts about Exodus than Ling’s entire report.
correcting the record
Wayne Besen Won’t Let Lisa Ling Lie To America About How Exodus International Lures Gays
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Jim Hlavac
Why do you call Wayne Besen “radical gay left”? What’s so “radical” about factual data and careful scrutiny? What’s “Left” about pointing out the absurdity of Exodus? A “plain vanilla conservative gay” could do this. A middle of the road gay could do it. We can all do it, regardless of our political persuasions. And gayness, and defending the reality of it, is not a political position. Some gays are right, some middle, some left. And why the word “radical”? The man seems like a corporate spokesperson: calm, reasonable clothes, normal looking. There’s nothing “radical” about the man at all. Looks like he could walk into a church and be the pastor.
In fact, the opposite would seem to be true: Exodus is the “radical” in this game. And weirdly, Exodus is the “Left” in this — for they’re out to make a “new man” out of something that’s real by simply stomping it out of existence. And the “left” throughout history — if we take it to mean “communists,” “socialists,” “Marxists” etc — has always sought to get around the reality in front of them to make “new men” for a better tomorrow. That’s what “Re-education” camps are all about, and the Leftist nations of this world have always loved “re-education” And Exodus is trying to “re-educate” us too.
While a nice thing Besen did as a “gay” man — “radical” and “left” it ain’t.
thematics
Ah yes: hard-hitting journalist Lisa Ling attempts a subject she thinks no one has reported on before and fails to do a cursory review of potential pitfalls. What happens? She hasn’t enough background or facts to determine who is a credible source; she hasn’t the chops to push back and ask tougher questions of people who are actual experts.
Miss Lee should go back to the fluffy reportages she did for Oprah, where she traveled the world and came away with a glib but startling observation. “Women across the globe experience the same difficulties, only differently.” True wisdom, that.
Ronbo
Is Oprah subjecting us to another “faux” thinker like Dr. (no, not a real Dr.) Phil?
Oprah is just another former liberal scouping up our money while planting false information into our collective conscious. I used to hope she’d run for office. But hey, we already have a fake liberal pushing the GW Bush agenda. His name is Obama and he is the third Bush term. America’s rich are smart enough to give us false gods to appease our need for equality.
They will own us, our opinions and our decisions – lock, stock and barrel. Sheeple, turn on the OWN and grow poor in knowledge as you are now impoverished. Goodbye middle-class. Oprah owns your thoughts.
GetBalance
Wayne could have pointed out more after running the clips. Lots of people don’t get it completely about Chambers and his lie. He needs to demostrate as if talking to a court of law that needs every minor nuance explained in detail i.e. i do not see fully where Chambers is lying via Waynes direction. Though i personally know it from following him over the years, if i were an uninformed person, id be confused and need it flushed out more.
hephaestion
Did he say “You, in fact, got JEWED”???? At 1:20. I re-played it in disbelief 5 times and it still sounds like Besen said “Jewed.” Please tell me I am wrong.
hephaestion
Dear Queerty: “Radical gay left”???????? Please.
Harbo
Programming such as this will cost OWN a lot of credibility, along with Oprah herself who obviously approved it. This type of therapy has been disproved so many times by so many people, all of whom know so much more than Lisa Ling. She apparently doesn’t know anything and did no independent research. This smacks of pure sensationalism. Oprah, I’m surprised and disappointed that you fell for this.
Tom
@hephaestion: he says duped, meaning decieved.
Shannon1981
The very title of this is damaging. Asking the “Pray the Gay Away?” question implies that not only is potentially possible, but that it is something you should attempt.
That alone was enough to make me question what is going on here.
Tony
@hephaestion: yeah really Queerty….”radical gay left” ???? really ?? shame on you Queerty…
greenmanTN
@Tony: Add me to the list. “Radical gay left”?? WTF? Was this some failed attempt at “snark”? Because all it does is give a false impression. I can state that as a fact because, as someone who isn’t familiar with many of the personalities in the “ex-gay” industry OR those who oppose them, I didn’t recognize Besen’s name and “radical gay left” skewed MY impression of who he was and what his video had to say. Due to that description I expected some nit-picking piece about Lisa Ling’s report, not a reasoned critique filled with examples. I’m glad I actually watched it or I would have been left with the impression that some “radical gay left” activist had complained unreasonably about poor Lisa Ling’s show.
I hope Lisa Ling does see Besen’s criticism of her report and responds to it. She misrepresented Exodus’ claims and promises and the connections between related therapists and ideologies, believing what they TOLD her rather than what even a cursory review of their own website would reveal, and that’s shoddy journalism.
GetBalance
“Radical gay left” should read “Rational gay left”.
Kent M
@hephaestion: He said “you got duped” — not what you thought.
McMike
So this guy isn’t gay anymore? Um, yeah, and he just happens to be channeling Cindy Brady??? I kept waiting for him to say “and GIRL!!!” every time he lisped.
GetBalance
Yeh im sure when the “wife” Alan Chambers snatched into marrying his gay ass, breaks out the strap-on, she winces at the high notes.
Tony
The good news is: almost no one saw it. OWN is not available to most cable subscribers unless they have digital cable. Even then the ratings for OWN are “soft”.
The bad news is: OWN has so little programming that this show will be re-run 13 hundred times this month.
BlogShag
No one on this blog has explained specifically what was wrong with Lisa Ling’s special? OWN Network shows interesting programming, perhaps that’s why its ratings are not good. Americans would rather watch stupid shit like Big Brother and Survivor (which is all acting and scripted) or JackAss. Yes a fitting name indeed
At least Lisa Ling has exposed a “church” that many didn’t even know existed. The special leaves one feeling that they know the president of Exodus is still lying about his true self and denying himself, which was the whole point of the investigation. It’s not only a farce, it’s phony and it is child and adult abuse
SavvyWindigo
@BlogShag: Did you watch the clip? Besen addresses two specific statements from the program, statements that unfortunately come from Lisa Ling’s own mouth, not from an Exodus spokesperson.
“Exodus no longer claims they can cure homosexuality.” That’s not true and it’s proved with an extensive selection of clips.
“Here’s a therapist who does claim to cure homosexuality, but she’s not affiliated with Exodus.” Again not true, since her name and contact information are listed on the Exodus website.
Like many journalistic examinations of the “ex-gay” industry, Ling takes the tack of letting letting their contradictions speak for themselves, like the Exodus leader saying in one breath he’s healed then saying he still has temptations. That’s fine as far as it goes, but the journalist also needs a firm grasp of the FACTS going in, what it is they claim they do, the financial and political connections between groups, the effects on people;s lives, etc. To not do that is irresponsible because it allows groups like Exodus to make themselves sound better and less predatory than they are. And for openly gay people the contradictions in what they say may stick out like a sore thumb, but they may not be as obvious to gay people and the parents of gay people trapped in a homophobic situations and only hearing Exodus’ claims that they “heal sexual brokenness.” Those people are susceptible to believing the false and self-serving claims of groups like Exodus, especially when the journalist/narrator backs them up without checking the facts.
To be fair, I did think it was fairly clear where Lisa Ling’s personal sympathies lay throughout the report, more with the young gay kids learning self-acceptance at The Naming Project than with the desperate and unfulfilled attempts at “change” via Exodus. However, that doesn’t excuse a lack of journalistic background work leading up to the project.
Just as an aside, it’s always interesting to me how many of the Exodus members cite their own drug, alcohol abuse and promiscuity, what THEY did, as the reason why they were desperate to be “cured” of their homosexuality, as if their actions and behavior are synonymous with being gay.
Desdemona
so sad that these ministers say homosexuality will disappoint you.. um no, not me! just because he couldn’t find love, let alone get any ass doesn’t mean it will disappoint everyone else!
just because this douche bag lives a straight lifestyle doesn’t mean he’s straight! what a sad way to live your life. ugh these people make me really mad
GetBalance
Alan Chambers is the poster gay boy living a str8 llifestyle. That’s as wierd and twisted as a str8 boy living a gay lifestyle.
Jeffree
@Savvywindigo: Nice summary! The reparative therapy people and their fundie preachers focus their results on ending same-sex “behavior” because 1) they know, even if they won’t admit it, that the “attraction” toward same-gender people doesn’t go away and 2) they can’t claim their results produce much increase in opposite-gender sex, other than some children being born.
The show still didn’t do too well highlighting the flawed outcomr research OR the flimsy theological arguments against LGB sexual orientation & behavior.
A better journalist would have asked better questions of both “sides.”
Ken
He says you got duped. You got suckered.
lourita
Chambers is a tragic little gay man who’s filled with self loathing and who lies to himself.
Kudos to Ling for showing Chambers for what he really is, I hope Chambers gets the help he needs and learns to accept who he really is.
It would be nice if Besen and others like him could express an opinion without sounding like vicious attack dogs. Besen is just pissed off because Ling wasn’t interested in having him on her show.
NYCNYC
Good reporting is not presenting your own beliefs, it’s showing you as much as possible and make the viewers question, ponder and decide or seek further education. Lisa Ling did just that and always does.
I watched this particular episode and felt sorry for so many being deceived by Chambers, same as those being deceived by faith healers, fake Evangelist preachers, Sarah Palin, etc….then again, there’s a fool born every minute, so it’s not a surprise.
Besen is bitter because he’s not good enough for the show and seized the opportunity to draw attention to himself.
Please, you don’t just read a title and jump all over it and make it about you. We already have Glenn Beck and that’s more than enough.