The Sydney
Morning Herald's headline,
which went out to hundreds of Fairfax outlets, read 'Gay cure' therapy will
continue is lacking two more words says Venn-Brown "it should have
read 'Gay cure' therapy will continue ....to disappear"
Anthony
Venn-Brown, the founder and director of Ambassadors & Bridge Builders
International has been monitoring ex-gay organisations activities in Australia
for over thirteen years. Venn-Brown has just returned from attending the final
Exodus conference in Orange County CA, He was invited by Exodus International's
president, Alan Chambers to hear the historic announcement "it's
over".
According to
Ambassadors & Bridge Builders International research
released this time last year, two thirds of organisations offering help to
people with "unwanted same sex attraction" in Australia and New
Zealand no longer exist.
"Since
that research there have been further ground breaking developments and even
more organisations have shut up shop" Venn-Brown said.
Australian
and New Zealand "ex-gay" organisations have been a part of the Exodus
Global Alliance which is a loose affiliation of ministries outside North
America who believe that homosexuality is a sin, a choice and can be changed.
"Even
though the Sydney Morning Herald article stated that these groups will continue
the work it failed to mention what little there is left of the crumbling
Alliance" Venn-Brown commented.
"Mosaic
Ministries website has been taken down after the tragic suicide of one of its
participants and the only worker at Liberty Christian Ministries, Haydn
Sennitt, just resigned. Last year, Haydn admitted
that he had only seen less than a dozen people. Ministry One is another
organisation that has gone from the Asia Pacific Global Alliance website as the
founder and director, Simon Tinkler, came out as gay and been living with his
male partner since 2009. I released his story
and apology last week after the Exodus conference", Venn-Brown added.
Not only did
Tinkler apologise for leading others astray he said "Above all I
encourage gay people not to get married for the sake of the precious other
person involved and to avoid ex-gay ministries like the plague".
One of the
few remaining members of the Global Alliance is Living Waters and the director,
Ron Brookman vows to continue his work to see homosexuals change.
Venn-Brown
says this ministry will also disappear as he has also released a statement from
a former straight Living Waters leader, Alan Le May. In the statement
and apology Le May says he was "well meaning but misguided"
and added "After approximately 3 years facilitation and subsequently
many more years observation of other similar programs I have seen these hopes
dashed rather than fulfilled and the consequence being a range of social,
emotional and psychological problems for those whom we were compelled to help".
"The
vast majority of Australians don't see being gay as an issue and an increasing
number of Christian churches are welcoming and affirming. The struggling
Australian ex-gay organisations are swimming upstream against a tsunami.
Considering the tragedies I've seen these organisations create in lives, the
end can't come soon enough". Venn-Brown concluded.
Media
inquires
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+61 (0)416 015 231
Twitter:
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