It's happening in France right now. Phony "gay
cures" are touring 10 countries, teaching gays and lesbians to hate
themselves for being who they are. This practice is so damaging it
drives many to self-harm and even suicide. Starting with France this
week, then moving on to the United Kingdom, we are kicking off a
global domino effect to shut down these sessions and ban "gay cures"
for good.
The splinter group Desert Stream has kicked off their world
tour of phony "treatments" - pushing thousands of gay people to the
edge. We are building the largest ever petition against these "gay
cures" to be delivered to all 10 governments along the route. There
is no time to lose - we are delivering the petition to the French government on
Thursday - will you call on France and the governments of every tour-stop to
stand against "gay cures"?
Last month, the father of "gay cures" denounced his
own research. And the biggest pusher of this quack "ex-gay
treatment" also recognized the damage caused by these fraudulent
sessions. The ex-gay movement is breaking apart but one small group has split
off and is ramping up this ridiculous practice.
While sometimes these "treatments" can seem
ridiculous - they cause great harm to the people exposed to them. Organizations
like Desert Stream teach people to hate who they are - and that they're a
failure for being unable to change that. This kind of self-loathing has
life-long effects and can even lead to suicide. The World Health
Organization, along with psychiatrist associations around the world, has already
denounced these "treatments" as ridiculous at best and suicidal
at worst. But sessions are happening in France right now, Argentina next
week - with Australia, Finland, England, Lithuania, Netherlands, Philippines,
Switzerland and the USA to follow.
This is a moment of great weakness for the "ex-gay"
movement - even the "father" of these so-called cures has publicly
renounced his own research. If we stop Desert Stream and make it illegal
for them to do more harm, we can put an end to "gay cures" everywhere.
We will be delivering these signatures straight to Health
Ministers around the world to demand immediate action.
Desert Stream is the last global group to push for these
dangerous "cures". We have no time to lose - we are
delivering the first petition to French officials on Thursday. Will you
sign now?
Even though Exodus - the largest group leading the extremist
Christian anti-gay crusade - has recently renounced "ex-gay
treatments," they haven't stopped punishing people for being who they are
or funnelling money into global homophobia. Exodus, Desert Stream and
their followers sell the idea that people who are not straight should stifle it
- they should smother it so deeply that they don't recognize or love
themselves.
Charging up to $1,200 for each "treatment" session,
these groups make millions selling the idea that gay people are diseased just
because of who they love. "Desert Stream" is currently selling
"gay cures" in more than 30 countries. Every reputable source
has rejected this approach citing its nearly 100% failure rate and dramatic
damage to self-esteem for gays and lesbians. Will you call on Health Ministers
around the world to denounce and ban "gay cures"?
