During the first 15 years or so of this century, debate raged about whether or not homosexuality could be changed via therapy or religious intervention. One of the voices in that debate was the blog Ex-Gay Watch. From 2002 to 2015, XGW maintained an important presence in that discussion and in some ways became a hub for those on both sides to argue, compare notes, and occasionally find points of agreement.
From my vantage point, it appeared to me that XGW bowed out when it seemed the blog was no longer needed. The ex-gay movement had taken a significant hit by the closure of Exodus International and Focus on the Family had long since gotten out of the “Love Won Out” ex-gay road show. Also, NARTH just kept shrinking and embarrassing itself. XGW’s David Roberts says essentially this in his return to business post over at the blog.
Ex-Gay Watch essentially ended operations in 2015. Exodus International, the main ex-gay organization at the time, had shut down. Its principals accepted that their homosexuality was not incompatible with their faith and moved on with their lives. Many other ex-gay organizations followed suit. The allure of the ex-gay movement had faded. Then came Obergefell which struck at the heart of the reason why evangelical political groups financially supported ex-gay ministries.
As Roberts says, the role of Obergefell in recognizing gay marriage as a civil right was also critical to the demise of the ex-gay movement. During the decade between 1998 and 2008, I had been to enough meetings of right wing think tanks to know that the ex-gay movement was not a mental health or religious issue to right wing political groups. It was principally a political tool to argue against gay marriage. If gays could change, then the court did not need to apply a strict scrutiny analysis to their pleading, or so the right wing argument went. Once that battle was lost, there was no real political value in the ex-gay narrative.
Well, XGW is back at a good time because interest in that ex-gay narrative appears to be resurrecting. I suspect the political motivation is again at work. Now that a majority of the Supreme Court is decidedly conservative, hope has arisen among conservatives for the Court to overturn Obergefell. There are more justices who might be sympathetic to the argument, untethered to reality though it is, that being gay is a choice or at least being gay is an illness which can be treated.
Of course, this is more than a theory. Justice Clarence Thomas suggested that Obergefell be reconsidered in his concurring opinion overturning Roe v. Wade. My guess is that the outcome is already decided by the relevant justices; they are just waiting for the right case to come before them. However, I suspect there might be an increase in ex-gay ministries and/or articles about reparative (now often called reintegrative) therapy.
It appears that the fellows at XGW will be watching, and I will be as well. Go check out the page and, if you have some time, browse through the archives. Welcome back, gentlemen.
While I'm glad to see them back I'm saddened by the reason why.
Thank you for the proper send off. It's good to hear you will be monitoring these issues again as well. There is so much to cover. I really had no idea that they had come back in force. So much deception and misinformation, mostly for the usual reasons - cash. See you on the front lines!