How Sexual Abuse Made Me Ex-Gay
Lots of "ex-gay" proponents claim that one of the causes of same-sex attraction is childhood sexual abuse. I don't think they are lying; they truly believe it. In fact, I imagine that the majority of people who attend their programs have been sexually abused, so in their logic they have concluded that sexual abuse + other factors (family, gender confusion, etc) = GAY.Instead of searching for the elusive root causes of same-sex attraction, I wish they would ask themselves, "Why do our programs attract same-gender loving people who have also been sexually abused?"
I think of my own story. I was sexually abused as a young boy. Age seven. That abuse filled me with shame and guilt, partly because it was a much older boy who perpetrated it, and I actually enjoyed some of it. I was already gay before I was abused--I felt an attraction towards other boys.
Filled with shame and guilt, I grew up in a decidedly homophobic society that proclaimed that being gay was a sickness, an aberration, a sin, an abomination. Because of the abuse I suffered as a child, I felt dirty, evil, shame-filled and unloveable. (These feelings are common for many who have experienced sexual abuse.)
These negative feelings made me a target for the Evangelical church which promised that I could be a child of the King, a holy servant of God and a new creation with robes washed clean in the blood of the Lamb. I jumped right in!
After becoming a born-again Christian, I still felt dirty; the blood of Jesus did not wipe away the shame from the abuse I suffered. I then discovered Exodus and Life Ministries' "ex-gay" program in NYC.
They promised wholeness and freedom from homosexuality. With my poor self image and mountain of shame, I felt lured into the loving family they offered and the "ex-gay" lifestyle. (Yes, there is an "ex-gay lifestyle--but more about that in another post).
Like many people who had been abused, I was vulnerable to even more abuse. I let these "ex-gay" leaders impose their sexuality and their theories on me. I have no question they meant well, but they still did harm, and I let them.
Ultimately I ended up in Love in Action, the Memphis-based "ex-gay" residential rehab program. I still felt dirty. I still felt shame. I still felt unwanted--spoiled goods.
And in a wonderful paradox I found freedom from the shame of sexual abuse through the ministry of Love in Action. Through counseling, writing, and rap sessions, I acknowledged for the first time in my life that I suffered genuine abuse, and more importantly that I did not cause it. I learned that there is a difference between being gay and being abused. I separated my same-sex attractions from the toxic feelings I felt from being abused.
Shortly after I exited the program, I came OUT. Having addressed the horror of the childhood abuse, the angst, confusion and dissatisfaction with myself melted away. I understood that I had been fighting the wrong battle all those years in the "ex-gay" programs.
Many lesbians, gays, transsexuals, bisexuals and other queer folks never dream of entering an "ex-gay" program. Their sense of self is untarnished from childhood abuse, and in spite of the effects of societal homophobia, they feel comfortable in their skins. The "ex-gay" leaders rarely meet these folks, but they too exist.
Having been sexually abused did not make me gay; I was gay anyway. But living with unresolved childhood sexual trauma made me the perfect candidate for the dehomosexualization process.
But I learned the truth, and that truth set me free.
16 Comments:
What a powerful and heartfelt blog entry.
Bob P., thanks for writing. It is interesting when we look at abuse, it comes in different forms. Sounds like you experienced Bible Abuse. The Bible was used to condemn and oppress you and fill you with shame. That's a heavy burden.
The weight of homophobia in society in another form of abuse. Daily as a child I heard all sorts of negative messages about gay people, HIV/AIDS and the evil gay agenda. Homophobia soaked into me until I became auto-homophobic (no, not only in my car). I began to oppressed myself more than anyone else in my life.
But then you know about this sort of abuse from your own experience. Thanks for posting your comment. You always add more light and depth through your wirting.
I wasn't abused as a kid, but I sure wish I could have figured out out how to seduce two fellow classmates when I was in high school in the 1960s.
Believe I am kidding? No, I am not.
"Abuse" is a term of art. Nobody knows what it means. With a five year old, probably. With a 15, 16 or 17 year old, highly questionable. If a 16 year old has consenual sex with a 15 year old, is that abuse? I tend to doubt it, but I'll leave it for you to decide. Similarly, if a 40 year old has consensual sex with a 16 year old, is that abuse?
Note, I haven't listed the sexes of the people involved in the respective scenarios, but I could envision the likely interpretation. It is probable that most people would envision the male predator vs. the female or young male victim.
--raj
I have often wondered if the reason that ex-gay ministries insist on the abuse theory is because they attract people who have been abused -- people who naturally feel shame about their sexuality (even straight victims of sexual abuse feel shame about their sexuality).
I have also wondered the same Raj because when I was 14-17 I had attractions not only to classmates, but to men who where 20 and 30 years old. I do not think for once that a 16 should be doing anything with a 30 year old but I do not think I would have resisted it at age 16. I also ran into some gays who had relationships at really young ages with much older people that generally turned out to be abusive . I wonder how many of the ex-gays act on those teenage attractions with older people then feel guilty or angery about it.
I also wonder what other issues tend to go with abuse. The gays I know who were abused (as opposed to acting on teenage desires) tended to have all sorts of other issues such as setting boundaries and sexualizing everything about the relationship.
I know that I am thankful that the people who I did have attractions to did not take advantage of me despite the fact that they knew I was attracted to them. As for why ex-gay programs don’t search for the reason why so many abused gays are drawn to them. They can’t do so honestly because that would require them to look deeper at the issues of homosexuality. At a level beyond the bible says it is wrong. In order to do so they would have to be open to the possibility that they might be wrong.
If homosexuality is wrong then something negative must have caused it(abuse ect….). If you can find homosexuals who have had great relationships with same sex parents, reasonability good childhoods, and have not been abused then a theory that presumes that homosexuality is caused by those events is in deep trouble.
Anonymous because I want to be and I don't have anything to say except thank you so very much for writing this, because I can really identify. (also, Regan, if you're around? Word.)
This is kind of an old post, so I don't know if anyone will see this comment or not, but I wanted to thank you for your openess regarding your abuse. It helps others of us feel safe enough to come out of the shadows.
hi there being brought up in pure african way of life i had ful life as a child. We played together with other children and i really enjoyed the company of my group. Well being gay to me i cant blame to anybody i think may gay people have bee told young people who wre abused alway would be gay but i think is just the blame culture of human being not accepting who they are.
I firmly believe heterosexuality and homosexuality is a "choice" although it may not feel like a "choice" to most gay people. Gays and lesbians have poor sexual boundaries and "sexualize" their feelings for the opposite sex. There are two sexes, not four, something psychological is going on. It is psychodynamic in origin.
It is not genetic as evidence by "identical" twins where one is heterosexual and the other is homosexual.
I'm just shooting in the dark here...
I think some of the ex-gay people blame sexual abuse for homosexuality because it seems so neatly isomorphic. Someone casting about for answers for "why am I this way" can latch onto childhood abuse as a seemingly easy answer.
I once knew a person who had been sexually abused as a boy, by men. He wasn't gay in the least--he was a flaming heterosexual who paradoxically hated women. I think he hated sexuality at some level. I think maybe some of this dynamic is at work with gay victims of sexual abuse. However much they may like sex, they also may hate it as a means of their early betrayal. Combine that with societal disapproval of homosexuality and there's a nasty combination.
dr, great insight and observations. I once heard the term "sexual anorexia"
"sexual anorexia is an obsessive state in which the physical, mental, and emotional task of avoiding sex dominates one's life. Like self-starvation with food or compulsive dieting or hoarding with money, deprivation with sex can make one feel powerful and defended against all hurts."
from http://www.sexhelp.com/what_is_sex_anorexia.cfm
I was abused mentaly and sexually for over 6 years when I was a child. I have to say I hold nothing but anger for the church and religion that I know my partner does not understand. I could never enter any of these groups, I can barly maintain politness when I speak to someone who is devoutly religous, i want to scream at them that they are fools. I think these types of groups and the people who run them are beyond sick. Even writing this I can feel the anger welling up in me, strange, over 12 years later that Im still so angry.
Not everyone who doesnt join these groups had a happy upbringing.
Anyway, It was nice to read and its nice to know some people can learn to accept their past, I hope one day I can say that to.
Peterson,
I am Jack Lochleighis, and thank you very, very much for your site. We need as much honesty, truth, and movement as we can get. We grow and change as we go forward on our path to wholeness. My story is at jacklochleighs.blogspot.com
This comment has been removed by the author.
Hello, I am Chinese, I discover your blog, and I was gay too, I hope to be your friend, my email is baixu727@qq.com
Icc champion trophy start in england get all the news live updates ball by ball commentry live socres update and all match schedule icc champion trophy 2017 All match live updates on a single click.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home