Reading Details‘ account of the gay demon exorcism performed on 20-year-old Kevin Robinson in Georgia sounds less like a calling out to the devil and more like the taunts Ricky Martin received: “Come out, come out! In the name of Jesus, I command you to come out!” Oh what fun these exorcisms can be! They’re also less effective than the twenty things BP tried to stop the oil from flowing. Man, that’s got to be frustrating for exorcisms’ cheerleaders.
We’ve already seen the horrors that are gay demon exorcisms. And we’ve heard how these rituals amount to “spiritual rape.” For Kevin, it was his 10th exorcism in four years. None of them took. But why not?
The obvious answer: Being gay has nothing to do with being inhabited by a demon. And it’s nothing you can really change. But that’s the explanation rational people, like yourselves, deliver. For the irrational folks who seriously place their faith in transforming a gay to a straight via exorcism, it must be terribly infuriating to see the torture yield some pretty unimpressive results.
Childhood trauma is often blamed for a person turning gay. That’s what the brilliant minds at NARTH and Exodus International and the Catholic Church often point at to explain same-sex attraction. (That, and not enough love from your father.) For the believers of gay demons, then, it’s less about trauma and more about an evil spirit. So how come calling out to the devil, and demanding he leave the physical body of a gay victim, keeps turning up empty? Is it because the exorcists aren’t trained well enough? The devil is too powerful a force? Homosexuality must be treated like cancer, with repeated therapies to ensure remission?
How about we take this to the next level?
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Or maybe it’s because exorcisms themselves are traumatic events. And trauma never brings about “positive” change.
Peterson Toscano, a gay Christian activist, underwent three exorcisms before coming to terms with his sexuality. One took place in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, another in an apartment on the West Side of Manhattan owned by Joanne Highley, who runs L.I.F.E. Ministry. During the latter exorcism, Highley had him lie down on her bed, then she sat beside him and began to press on his body, commanding the demons to exit through his mouth and rectum. Before the rite was complete, Toscano, who says he felt increasingly violated by Highley’s actions, stopped the ritual and left her apartment. Highley did not respond to requests to be interviewed, but she has previously stated that her process is to “cleanse and bind demonic powers . . . out of genitals, of course out of anal canals, out of intestines, out of throats and mouths if there’s been ungodly deposit of semen in those areas—we cleanse with the blood of Jesus, and we cast out the demonic powers.” Some practitioners of deliverance believe that a demon has a physical as well as a spiritual form and can be purged through the orifices—thus an exorcism can be judged successful if the subject vomits, coughs up sputum, or, in rare cases, evacuates his bowels.
Many of those who undergo gay deliverance are minors, and critics like Herrington and Toscano question whether child abuse is taking place. “For a young person, being told that you house evil, that you’re basically a mobile home for evil spirits—that is a very, very damaging concept,” says Toscano. “It’s one of the most extreme manifestations of the anti-gay rhetoric within the church.”
Is it illegal? Perhaps it should be, but cracking down on exorcisms would mean government authorities are cracking down on “religious expression.” Details‘ account tracks a handful of exorcism victims, who, notably, still have same-sex attractions; they also tell of foaming at the mouth, blacking out, and speaking in tongues during the rituals.
It reminded me of the upcoming film The Last Exorcism, which has nothing to do with homosexuality, but everything to do with the devil, the human spirit, and how exorcisms almost always end poorly.
Aaron
Because homosexuality is not a “demon”! Fuck, when will people get that through their thick skulls??? Fools! There’s nothing wrong with being gay! Anyone who says otherwise is either uneducated or a closet case! If there was no religion in this world, it would be a far better place to live in!
Jonathan
More evidence of the voodoo rituals of crazed religious people.
They should sacrifice chickens and vomit pea soup to make it really authentic. What bullshit – the insanity of some of these religions leads one to believe they are more than a few cards short of a deck.
S
Yeah, I remember the whole “you can cure the gay” thing is what made me stop going to the service during church in high school. Instead I sat in the bathroom and read books. I think I learned more that way.
Mike
We don’t need to be exorcised because ….
… we don’t have one of your perverted Judaeo-Christian models that embody the personification of “sin” lurking inside our bodies.
Do you know why that is ? …
…because they don’t exist.
B
At least the bottom of their sign “Pray help is coming” is reasonable (what it says is not what they intended), although I think dialing 911 would be more effective and get a faster response. Anyone who ends up being subject to those nuts really needs some help – to help him get out of there ASAP.
If anyone has the address, forward the picture of their sign to kink.com – maybe the exorcisms would make a good bondage video. (For those who don’t know, kink.com took over the old Armory building in San Francisco, leading to some NIMBY complaints and quite a few jokes – for example, http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/pictures/2009/01/27/012709-800×642-meyers.jpg .)
BamBam
Anyone seen repossessed? I can’t help but think of the live show.
Chris
These people are nuts. Homosexuality is a BLESSING for me. I am funny, I am smart, I am talented, I am creative, I have taste and I can’t have kids by accident.
PeterC
Interesting—-they gamble for money on Tuesdays and Fridays for money ; and with someone’s life on Wednesday.
Lamar
I was a Christian for 17 years so I know a lot about the BIble and not one time is it said that homosexuality is caused by demons inhabiting people. The fact that most ‘sexuality changing excorcisms’ are performed on males shows it was just made up to make sure men conform to the ideals of society which state that men need to strongly desire women or they are not really men.
SoylentDIva
Funny how they have no problem violating the Biblical prohibition against gambling twice a week, yet they force the one about homosexuality on others.
jeffree
Bingo **TWICE** a week?
Didn’t Jesus throw moneymakers out of the Temple?
The violence perpetrated by these so-called “exorcists” is abusive — physically & psychologically. It should be outlawed.
gilber
as a “gnostic” medium(since i was in my natal country Cuba at a very young age),and being exposed to different practices through out my life from Santeria,spiritism to voodoo,i always try to tell my fellows gay brothers and sisters the truth about this phenomena miscalled heterosexuality, i have explained it here as a scientist as well since i have 6 years of experience doing post-doc research in pharmacology and biophysics.it is understandable that so many people don’t believe in the existent of non-material beings ,so did my boyfriend until he got to live in the same house with me.he is starting to realize many things. what i will say is for those homosexuals that are open to this sort of things and i’m sure that many would “resonate” with what i’m saying is that the most important thing that homosexuals must know is that every consciousness is MAXIMA-bound.it is difficult to comprehend this concept specially for many who have been “programed” by false morality and pseudo-truth passing as legitimate.Remember this about the ethereal world,what is putrid shall get even nastier,what is inverted shall get even more inverted, and what is sane and pure will remain sane and even purer,truth will become even more truthful.after amplification and magnification occurs homosexuals will understand the process of maximization and minimization of certain energies operating in several ethereal dimensions ,and their truth origin and purpose as well as their relation with symmetric/asymmetric couplings: and how the “Creator” of these dimensions use it for purposes i will not going to get into.however i will give an statement that many won’t agree with it,”ALL forms of heterophilia is evil to the core” they are many possible scenarios and schemes that only those(homos and homosexuals) that have being exposed to our “MAXIMA or ASCENDANT” are able to understand with full clarity.
Joey O'H
These Bible beaters will do anything to get the sheep into their stables.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Tues and Fri: Lose your money
Wed: Lose your mind
That sign is the epitmay of Trailer Trash………
nikko
Gay/bi by God, thanks.Away from me, foolish heteroshituals!!!
Jonas
Really? can u play bingo but been a gay is a problem ….. come on ur religious people …. do u know u can play bingo at church if we going to talk about bible!!!! dont be that ignorant …….