Homosexuality is a flashpoint in the culture wars, but that lifestyle is more than simply a political issue for gays and lesbians who struggle with it. For those who want to change, there are a number of organizations which are willing to help them find freedom.
Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX) is one of them. It was founded in 1998 by families who had homosexual children, and by friends of the ex-gay community.
"PFOX was started because there were no organizations supporting parents in loving their homosexual children unconditionally," said Regina Griggs, executive director of PFOX, in an interview with AFA Journal. At the time, she added, the secular-minded organizations dealing with homosexuality insisted "that parents love their children only if they affirm the child's homosexual behavior."
But Griggs said PFOX takes a different approach, because it "believes that parents can love their children unconditionally and without any stipulations." That principle allows parents to love their children without surrendering parental beliefs about homosexuality itself.
The Ex-'Gay' Lifestyle
One of those core beliefs is that same-sex attraction is not immutable. While parents and friends can -- and must -- still love the homosexual, there is an open door of hope for those who want to change. That view, however, sticks in the craw of homosexual advocates, who believe that gays and lesbians have no choice in the matter of sexual orientation. It is the way they were born, activists insist, and it is best to accept that reality.
As it turns out, that's not the reality for everyone. "Each year men and women with same-sex attractions make the personal decision to leave homosexuality," Griggs said.
Of course, the existence of ex-gays has become quite problematic for the homosexual community. The presence of men and women who once claimed to be homosexual, but who now say they have left the lifestyle for good, undercuts the agenda of activists.
Ironically, while the heart of the gay agenda is the demand for respect from society when gays and lesbians "come out of the closet" and declare their homosexual orientation, activists seem to forget about respect when it comes to ex-gays. Homosexuals "refuse to respect that decision .... Consequently, formerly gay men and women are reviled simply because they dare to exist," Griggs said. "Ex-gays are not respected or protected from harassment, and are in need of our support ...."
