This week I received an email from Truth Wins Out, the group headed by Wayne Besen, that focuses on exposing groups like Exodus International, who engage in fraudulent and psychologically damaging ex-gay therapy.
Last year, TWO's John Becker, who subjected himself to conversion therapy early in his young life, went undercover to expose the Bachmann Clinic, owned and operated by Marcus Bachmann, and his wife, failed presidential candidate and teabagger queen, Michele Bachmann. The couple had repeatedly denied engaging in such therapy. Becker documented what he experienced and exposed their lies.
Becker writes, "The PBS show In the Life is a monthly newsmagazine that exposes social injustice by chronicling the lives and experiences of LGBT people. An institution in our community, it’s the longest-running LGBT television program in history. And this month, as part of a show dedicated to the discussion of LGBT issues in the Midwest, it’s airing a segment that focuses on Truth Wins Out and the dangerous “ex-gay” industry, using my personal journey and my experience going undercover for TWO in the Bachmann clinic last year as a springboard from which to tell the story."
NEW YORK -Truth Wins Out called Marcus Bachmann a liar today for falsely telling the Minneapolis Star Tribune that his clinic was not anti-gay and had no "agenda or a philosophy of trying to change anyone." His untruthful assertions contradict the evidence that clearly shows his clinic is disdainful towards LGBT people and practices a discredited and harmful brand of therapy designed to "cure" gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
"Marcus Bachmann is not telling the truth when he dishonestly claims that his clinic is not anti-gay," said Truth Wins Out's Executive Director Wayne Besen, responding to Bachmann's new statement in the Star Tribune. "Our investigation clearly shows that his clinic has great antipathy towards gay and lesbian people and his therapists work to convert clients from gay to straight."
"Marcus Bachmann is willfully and wantonly misrepresenting what I experienced during my five therapy sessions at his clinic," said John Becker, TWO's Director of Communications and Development, who led an undercover operation at Bachmann's clinic. "We urge Bachmann & Associates to stop misleading the public and commit to ending the harmful and discredited practice of 'ex-gay' therapy."
According to The Star Tribune article, Bachmann explained that he only offered "ex-gay" therapy at a client's request.
"Will I address it? Certainly we'll talk about it," Bachmann said. "Is it a remedy form that I typically would use? ... It is at the client's discretion...We don't have an agenda or a philosophy of trying to change someone.''
Bachmann said counselors at his clinics follow the wishes of patients and don't force any treatment.
"This individual came to us under a false pretense,'' Bachmann said. "The truth of the matter is he specifically asked for help.''
"Bachmann & Associates was under no obligation to offer a quack therapy treatment that is rejected by every mainstream medical and mental health association in America," said TWO's Wayne Besen. "Taking a clients hard-earned money for a 'cure' that is not possible is unethical and a form of consumer fraud."
The notion that a counselor is required harm a client just because he or she asks is patently absurd, asserts TWO. Similarly, if a bodybuilder had asked a doctor to help him or her inject steroids, the practitioner could refuse. If an African American asked a doctor for a skin bleaching, he or she could decline. If a physician is urged to help manage a model's anorexia, he or she could turn the model away and instead offer real medical help.
While Bachmann claims that his clinic is not anti-gay, nor invested in "ex-gay" therapy, his office sells a book written by a viciously homophobic minister named Janet Boynes who calls homosexuality a "dirty and shameful life." In her tome, Called Out: A Former Lesbian's Discovery of Freedom, she says:
"What are the effects of living a homosexual lifestyle? The list is long: Hurt. Despair. Frustration. Loneliness. Depression. Restlessness. Shame....Hollywood would have you believe gays and lesbians are happy, humorous, well adjusted people, but very rarely do they show the other side - the ugly side. They don't show the tears behind the mask. They don't show the desperate ache to be loved beneath all the jokes, clever comebacks and playful remarks." (pg. 184)
"If Marcus Bachmann's clinic is not anti-gay, than why is he selling homophobic trash like Janet Boynes' hateful and deceptive book in his office?" asked Besen.
An investigation by Truth Wins Out revealed Friday that the clinic of Marcus Bachmann, the husband of presidential candidate Michele Bachmann (R-MN), practices reparative therapy, a controversial and discredited clinical method designed to "cure" gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people. TWO's findings contradict claims by Mr. Bachmann that he and his clinic, Bachmann & Associates, do not participate in reparative therapy. The story broke Friday in The Nation magazine where Mariah Blake reported on the results of our investigation.
"The results of our investigation should end all doubt whether Marcus Bachmann's clinic endorses and practices reparative therapy aimed at changing a gay person's sexual orientation," said Truth Wins Out's Executive Director Wayne Besen. "The facts plainly show that Bachmann's clinic does try to cure gay people and he is being evasive when he claims otherwise."
"It's time for Michele and Marcus Bachmann to stop denying, dodging, and stonewalling," added Truth Wins Out's Communications and Development Director John Becker. "They owe it to all Americans to provide a full and honest explanation for their embrace of these dangerous and fraudulent practices."
During a weeklong Truth Wins Out undercover investigation inside Bachmann & Associates with hidden cameras, Becker, attended five private sessions with Bachmann & Associates counselor Timothy Wiertzema.
The undeniable goal of the sessions was transforming Becker from homosexual to heterosexual. To his credit, the counselor did not claim that change would be instantaneous or even complete. However, he did explicitly promise that sexual conversion could occur as a result of prayer and therapy at the clinic.
During one of the sessions Wiertzema said, "...It's possible to be totally free of [same-sex attraction]. For sure." And that, "It's happened! It really has happened to people." In the fifth session, Wiertzema said, "...Obviously your goal is not to have any feelings of attraction for men...And I really am going to recommend that we start working on how you can develop your attraction towards women."
At no time during the therapy was homosexuality portrayed as a natural variation of human sexuality. Instead it was presented as a treatable condition at odds with a normal and healthy sexual orientation. Becker was told by Wiertzema that "God designed our eyes to be attracted to the woman's body, to be attracted to everything, to be attracted to her breasts." Furthermore, according to Timothy, "We're all heterosexuals, but we have different challenges." Attraction to the same sex "is there, and it's real, but at the core value, in terms of how God created us, we're all heterosexual."
Becker was never given nor asked to sign any kind of informed consent document that disclosed the dangers of or alternatives to "ex-gay" therapy. As such, TWO believes Bachmann & Associates to be practicing unethically, even by the standards of the American Association of Christian Counselors. Such therapy is considered ineffective and potentially harmful by The American Psychological Association, The American Medical Association, The American Academy of Pediatrics, and The American Psychiatric Association.
"What I found was particularly disconcerting given the fact that Marcus Bachmann's clinic has received significant funding from the State of Minnesota and the federal government," said Becker.
For sale inside the clinic wasMinnesota "ex-gay" minister Janet Boynes' book Called Out. It was accompanied by a typewritten note featuring Mr. Bachmann's endorsement: "Janet is a friend. I recommend this book as she speaks to the heart of the matter and gives practical insights of truth to set people free. - Marcus Bachmann, PhD."
"It appears that the Bachmann family is trying to distance themselves from some of their more extreme beliefs in an attempt to appeal to mainstream Americans," said TWO's Besen. "We think it is important that voters have accurate information and we hope our investigation sheds some light on their genuine views."
Truth Wins Out is a non-profit organization that fights anti-LGBT religious extremism. TWO specializes in turning information into action by organizing, advocating and fighting for LGBT equality.
BURLINGTON, Vt. - Truth Wins Out and Change.org praised Apple today after the company removed a virulently anti-gay iPhone app launched by Exodus International that promoted "curing" gay people. The move came after 146,000 people signed a Truth Wins Out petition on Change.org calling on Apple to remove the app from iTunes.
"Apple made a wise and responsible decision to dump an offensive app that demonized gay and lesbian people," said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. "The real winners today are LGBT youth who are safer and less at risk for receiving Exodus' malice and misinformation."
"We're thrilled that Apple has removed this 'gay cure' app from the iTunes store after more than 146,000 people signed this petition," said Mike Jones, Editor at Change.org, the platform used by Truth Wins Out to launch the petition. "The message Apple is sending here is clear: there is no place for 'ex-gay therapy' on the Apple platform."
Exodus' app was not only offensive, but it relied on twisting legitimate research in its effort to dehumanize LGBT people. For example, Gary Remafedi, a researcher from the University of Minnesota, asked Apple earlier in the week to remove Exodus International's app from its online store because he claimed it grossly distorted his work.
Apple's move to drop the app brings it in line with every respected mental health organization in the nation. The American Psychological Association, American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, and American Counseling Association have all rejected "ex-gay" therapy, saying that it can result in serious harm to the mental health of its victims.
"This is not a question of free speech, but of stopping a virulently anti-gay organization from peddling false speech at the expense of vulnerable LGBT youth," said John Becker, Truth Wins Out's Director of Communications and Development. "Exodus may pose as the victim, but they are a victimizer that has left a trail of shattered lives and broken families. We are grateful that Exodus has lost at least one platform with which to disperse its dangerous message."
Editor's note: when I first wrote this piece Thursday night, the quote below from the press release was included. At some point in the editing process it was deleted and the article was posted without it. I discovered the mistake and have re-added the quote for context.
I got an e-mail this afternoon from Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out(TWO) containing a press release entitled, "TWO Praises Pastor Rick Warren for Speaking Out Against Anti-gay Uganda Bill".
In the press release reads: "We applaud Rick Warren for speaking out with force and clarity on a bill that would lead to the persecution and prosecution of gay and lesbian Ugandans," said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. "Today, Warren showed true moral courage and stood for what is right and just. We urge other leading pastors and world leaders to stand up and condemn Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill."
WTF!? How insane is it to praise someone for speaking out against a proposed policy of genocide that was a direct result of his own words and actions in the first place? Moral courage?
Let's take look at Pastor Rick's moral courage in this clip from MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show on Thursday night.
Warren has said that he does not interfere in the politics of other nations, yet he has been actively spreading his homophobic ministry in Uganda and has become so highly regarded and respected there that they were motivated to enact a genocidal policy that was in no small part motivated by Warren's work.
Pastor Rick is anything but praise worthy. He plays down his influence in Uganda, but one word from him and the proposed "Kill the Gays" legislation was quickly changed to "Convert the Gays". That's right, the Ugandan penal system will not be a Nazi death camp clone. If the reports coming out are true, it will more closely resemble a system straight out of George Orwell's "1984", where citizens convicted of the crime of nonconformity were sent off to re-eduction centers in order to make them more socially acceptable.
Nothing in Uganda's violent, bloody history indicates that its government is sophisticated enough or has the know-how to pull something like this off without some outside help.
Enter ex-gay guru Richard Cohen, author of "Coming Out Straight". Cohen's multimedia reparative therapy program is highly respected in Uganda, even though the American Psychiatric Association, the American Medical Association, and countless other groups of medical professionals have repeatedly stated that sexual orientation cannot be changed and Cohen has no medical credentials whatsoever.
Pastor Rick's intervention in a potential LGBT holocaust is not so much a humanitarian act of Christian love, as it is a marketing strategy. He is currently the most influential preacher in the US. His entire snake oil empire would be lost if his words became the inspiration for genocide. He's doing what he always does when his past comes back to bite him in the ass, damage control.
For years we have been saying that hate speech can have deadly consequences. The situation in Uganda is proof of exactly that. You don't have to say the words "kill the gays" to people who are ready, willing and able to do it anyway. All you have to do is demonize them to the gullible and uneducated masses using your Bible-based bigotry and let them take it from there.
In a way, the Uganda story is actually a sign of LGBT progress. The radical Evangelical Christians understand that the tide is turning in our favor in the US and the rest of the western world, so they're focusing their efforts on under-developed, under-educated, third-world countries.
Wayne Besen and TWO have done our community a lot good over the years by exposing the myths behind the ex-gay movement, but this time they are way off base. Rick Warren is nothing more than a stereotypical, bible-thumping, venom-spewing, two-faced bigot. The only purpose driving his life is self promotion. The sparing of innocent lives is purely coincidental.
received significant funding from the 
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