Christian Right

On Wednesday, Exodus International Executive Director Alan Chambers once again created a storm of controversy and media attention by announcing the dissolution of the prominent “ex-gay” organization.

SOMERVILLE, MA: Despite the Wednesday announcement that the prominent U.S. “ex-gay” organization Exodus International would be closing its doors permanently, a vibrant global network remains committed to the discredited project of converting LGBTQ people into heterosexuals through conservative Christian ministry and pseudo-scientific psychotherapies.

This post was originally published on The Advocate on May 2, 2013. Is the “ex-gay” movement over yet? Certainly not at the global level. Though the movement shows signs of weakening in the United States, international organizations like Exodus Global Alliance still pose a serious threat to public health, human dignity, and human rights. It’s time to take a good look beyond our borders at the widespread influence of the “ex-gay” movement and its impact on the lives of LGBTQ people around the world, with the help of a new report from Political Research Associates, which examines the problems caused by Exodus in Latin America.

Following Executive Director Alan Chambers’ announcement that Exodus International would shut down and begin a separate ministry, the “ex-gay” movement has again been pulled into the spotlight.

Should military personnel have a license to discriminate? Rep. John Fleming (R-LA) thinks so. As part of the Fiscal Year 2014 Defense Authorization Act, Fleming recently proposed an expansion to an existing “conscience provision.” Rep. Fleming argues that this expansion would allow all military service members to freely express and act in accordance with their moral beliefs.

But for those who are religious—and out and active in their faith communities—great gains have been made.

A new book on ‘only children’ adds an interesting dimension to the politics of making babies.

A new book by a Constitutional scholar argues that the founding document does not protect religion—it protects religious freedom.

Tony Perkins is the president of the Washington D.C.-based Family Research Council (FRC), a Christian lobbying group that describes a LGBTQ lifestyle as “unhealthy” and “destructive” to “individuals, families, and societies.” The FRC, perhaps the most powerful right-wing Christian presence in Washington, has strong connections to its grassroots base, and is considered a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

During Wednesday’s hearing on Arizona Representative Trent Franks’s proposed 20-week abortion ban, Franks claimed “the incidence of rape resulting in pregnancy are very low.” Using the same pseudo-scientific reasoning as Todd Akin (who infamously said pregnancy by “legitimate” rape was unlikely because “the female body has ways to try and shut that whole thing down”), Franks joined the ranks of conservative rape-deniers who privilege “fetal personhood” over a pregnant person’s autonomy.