Ex-gay movement as genocide

The Broken Image by Christine Bakke

Mixed Media, 2007

The ex-gay movement fits the definition of genocide as outlined by the United Nations, according to startling new scholarship that may help prevent mass murder.

Most people think of genocide as mass murder of a group, but the “social death” inflicted on LGBT people by the ex-gay movement is a form of genocide that can lead to mass murder, according to professors Sue E. Spivey and Christine M. Robinson of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Their groundbreaking article “Genocidal Intentions: Social Death and the Ex-Gay Movement” appears in the April 2010 issue of the scholarly journal “Genocide Studies and Prevention.”

Using UN documents, they present genocide as a continuum of oppression, with social death at one end and mass murder at the other. The UN definition of genocide includes “causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group.”

If causing serious MENTAL harm is genocide, then the ex-gay movement is clearly genocidal. Art by ex-gay survivors shows the serious mental harm inflicted by ex-gay conversion therapies. These therapies can break the spirit and shatter lives.

The damage is made visible in powerful art by ex-gay survivors appearing with this blog post and at BeyondExGay.com. More ex-gay art may be viewed online at:
http://www.beyondexgay.com/resources/visualarts

Spivey and Robinson explain that the ex-gay movement is “predominantly an evangelical Christian Right social movement which aims to purge society of homosexuality and transgenderism.” The movement promotes the belief that “same-sex attraction” is a sinful disorder that can be cured through “reparative” and “conversion” therapies. The professors do an excellent job of analyzing the genocidal intentions expressed by ex-gay movement entrepreneurs and organizations such as Exodus International and Focus on the Family.

The UN definition of genocide also includes “imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group” and “forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.” As Spivey and Robinson point out, “ex-gay organizations seek to deny reproductive technologies and adoption rights for homosexuals, and support policies and court decisions that have forcibly removed children from the custody of their parents solely based on their homosexuality.”

The conclusion is clear. “The ex-gay movement is actively pursuing public policies that would, if implemented, constitute state-sponsored genocidal practices in the United States and globally,” Spivey and Robinson say in the article. Uganda’s notorious 2009 Anti-Homosexuality Bill is given as an example.

The authors admit that the original UN definition of genocide did not include social or political groups and was not applied to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. However, they noted that the recent International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda established a precedent by broadening the definition of possible genocide victims as any group sharing a common culture. The UN has also begun to formally recognize human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The new understanding of genocide can benefit people beyond the GLBT community. Seeing genocide as a continuum enables people to recognize its early stages, thus predicting and preventing mass murder.

Meanwhile, genocide or not, those who have survived ex-gay experiences are joining together to heal, thrive and create art. Two artists from the BeyondExGay.com exhibit, Christine Bakke and Jason Ingram, agreed to share their work here at the Jesus in Love Blog.

Bakke takes the title of her artwork from the classic ex-gay book “The Broken Image.” Bakke explains, “For those of you who read ‘The Broken Image’ by Leanne Payne, or who were fed the notion that our sexuality or gender identity were broken, this piece of art is for you. For all those years that you were taught to see a broken image....perhaps it was only the mirror that was broken.”

Many thanks to the artists, the scholars and to Jallen Rix, author of “Ex-Gay No Way,” whose Advocate article first alerted me to the “Genocidal Intentions” scholarship.

Broken by Jason Ingram

Mixed media

“Save Me” is the story of a young gay man who undergoes ex-gay therapy, but ends up finding romance with a guy he meets at the ex-gay retreat center. Told with compassion for both gays AND conservative Christians.

Same-sex marriage ban overturned

“Stop the H8” protest from 2008 (More photos here)

California’s ban on same-sex marriage was just overturned by a U.S. federal judge.

The judge ruled that the Proposition 8 ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. This is a big victory for justice, and for lesbian and gay couples. Thank God!

This is hot news that just happened around 2 p.m. Wednesday (Aug. 4).  I wanted to let you know right away.

Update:

Two key sentences from the ruling by Judge Vaughn Walker: “California has no interest in differentiating between same-sex and opposite-sex unions. The evidence shows conclusively that moral and religious views form the only basis for a belief that same-sex couples are different from opposite-sex couples.”

He concluded, “Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California constitution the notion that opposite sex couples are superior to same sex couples.”

Here is a link to a news report from the Advocate

You can read the full text of the ruling by clicking this link to HuffingtonPost.com. According to commentator Rachel Maddow, “it’s better than whatever novel you are currently reading right now.”

Enjoy a video of the victory speech by Prop 8 plaintiff Chad Griffin. He’s the “mastermind of the federal lawsuit against Proposition 8,” according to the Advocate. Click here to see it.

Firsthand reports: Pro-GLBT clergy in Washingon

Rev. Neil Thomas, pastor of Metropolitan Community Church of Los Angeles, sends this report from Clergy Call for Justice and Equality, held last week:

“I have spent much of this week in Washington, DC. I was one of 300 clergy of various faiths and denominations who had gathered to speak with our Congress and State legislators about LGBT equality. So often our legislators hear from Christians who do not represent a more progressive faith message and it was refreshing for them to hear from people of faith who advocate for LGBT inclusion. I have done this before and I have to say that the feeling on Capitol Hill this time was far more optimistic and hopeful that on previous occasions. I left with a feeling that for once our words were heard and real change is happening.”

For another first-person report on Clergy Call 2009, visit the Rev. Cyn blog of Rev. Cynthia Landrum, a Unitarian Universalist pastor in Michigan: http://revcyn.blogspot.com/search/label/HRC Thanks, Neil, Cyn and everyone else who went to Washington for GLBT justice!

Clergy Call lobbies for GLBT justice

Clergy Call for Justice and Equality -- two days of prayer and lobbying for GLBT rights -- begins tomorrow, May 4, in Washington, DC. May God be with them! Clergy of all faith will gather from across the U.S. to worship together and get “tools for the journey,” including specific training on lobbying. Then Tuesday, May 5 is “Lobby Day,” when they make lobby visits to assigned politicians. They will raise progressive religious voices in favor of important laws such as the Hate Crimes Bill and the Employment Non-Discrimination Act. They will also support an end to the military’s Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy. This looks huge. My partner looked over my shoulder as I was browsing through the announcement on my computer. “Are those all the attendees?” she asked. “No, that’s only the SPEAKERS!” The Clergy Call is sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign. I’m thrilled that the HRC is doing so much about spirituality these days. They are also joining with MyOutSpirit.com to sponsor this year’s National Coming Out Day on the theme “Coming Out Spiritually.” More about that as we get closer to National Coming Out Day, Oct. 11, 2009.