WARNING ABOUT EX-GAY GROUP
The LGBT community has been warned about a South African organisation that is claiming to “heal” people from unwanted same-sex attraction.
This week, Mambaonline, along with numerous other LGBT groups and organisations received an e-mail from André Bekker, director of the South African branch of the US-based International Healing Foundation in Kempton Park.
The organisation describes its aims as “helping men and women heal from unwanted same-sex attraction, to assist family members and friends whose loved ones experience same-sex attraction, and to educate the religious and secular communities about the truth of same-sex attraction”.
According to the International Healing Foundation, same-sex attraction is caused by “unresolved childhood wounds and unmet love needs that leads to gender confusion”.
In the letter, Bekker – who claims to be a “Certified Sexual Reorientation Coach” – says that he believes “that bridges can be build [sic] and that we can share with each other and understand each other with respect and love”.
He also offers the organisation’s services to the LGBT community: “If we can assist you and your community with education, speaking on certain topics regarding same-sex attraction, or counselling and therapy, you are more than welcome to contact me.”
SA GLAAD’s Christina Engela responded to the letter with alarm: “These groups do not only prey on gay people, they also target children experiencing doubts about their sexuality, as well as bisexual and transgender people. Parents are known to pack their children off forcibly to their facilities for ‘camps’ to shame them and isolate them into denying who they are.”
She added: “We have to assume that this is a sign that the mostly silent ‘ex-gay’ movement in South Africa, which has been here for over a decade now, is gearing up for a major offensive against our community.”
Engela described groups such as the International Healing Foundation as “charlatans and a danger to human rights, freedom of expression and the well-being of individuals within our community” and warned LGBT people not to comply with their requests under any circumstances.
Mainstream medical and scientific organisations around the world have rejected conversion therapy as unscientific, unethical and potentially dangerous.
“The scientific fields devoted to mental health and well-being, including psychiatry, psychology and sociology, do not consider homosexual orientation to be a disorder, but rather view it as a naturally occurring variation of normal human sexuality”, stated the Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA) earlier this year.
Horrific!. I am appalled by what this organization and their affiliates are doing. Not only are they destroying GLBT people’s lives their actions are also unethical and a disgrace to the mental health profession. “Same Sex Attachment Disorder” doesn’t exist and their “treatment” is nothing more than brainwashing and poses a clear danger to the recipients mental health and wellbeing.
May I say that Andre was my counselor and has helped me more to understand and respect myself than any other human being. He is a great man and taught me accept and love myself – something I could never do. The focus of his counseling is not on homosexuality at all but on unconditional love, personal boundaries and self respect. Please acknowledge that there are people who have gay feelings but don’t want to live a gay life. It is our right to make that choice. Concerning the comment that this kind of therapy leads to suicide I can testify to the exact opposite. I was almost suicidal and today I am happy again. Some of these comments just goes to show that the people who wrote them have very little experience of the love of God and are very judgmental of that which they haven’t experienced. I challenge any of you to make an appointment with Andre. Tell him to council you without mentioning your homosexuality once and without attempting to change it. Open your hart to him and see what happens. Then come back here and see if your conscience will allow you to say such ugly things about you. May God bless you dearly. In Jesus Mighty Name.
come out the closet. the happy couple looks like the are both in denial who is fem and who is butch ??? LOL – what a lot of bull – leave 2qtbstr people alone and check out your own identity – open the closet door and climb out – the world is your oyster or cock a doodle doo or you can have both the choice is yours – so make that choice and make S.A. a beter place for us all
Mondjie. met daai mondjie kan mens sommer sien hy laaaik piel daai ene …
Certified?. Love to know who certify this wackjob.
LOL. Nie eers al het MOSES met sy staf op my geslaan om die Gay uit my te kry sou dit werk nie…. Hierdie mense is belaglik en teer net op n bietjie onsekerheid wat in baie Gay mense is.
LMFAO. Maybe what they need is an influx of cries for help from the gay community – pretending to want to turn straight – so much so that they wont know who thier real “patients” are.
Would love to go for their “therapy” and prove to them that I’m incureable. Imagine calling them up the next day and saying “I don’t think the therapy’s working Doctor Bekker, I f*cked a guy AGAIN last night – what, oh what do I do now?”
“Certified Sexual Reorientation Coach” – would love to know what kind of studying is involved in obtaining this status. Wonder if there is now some or other diploma on how to be straight? Which university? Can you buy it online?
😛
….. What they need is a big hug (and a kick up the butt!) Judging from their pictures one can tell that they have lived their lives in denial for way too long now. Behind Andre’s smile it is so obvious he is screaming out for help and Lina doesn’t look comfortable at all having him touch her. It’s such a pity that they have taken their self-hatred and projected into the LGBT community. Their faces clearly show years of regret, emotional abuse and a definite heartache to be who they were meant to be. But for some reason, be it outside pressure or religtion, they have chosen to deny themselves a wonderful life. They are just pathetic losers now who, for some unknown reason, see as it their duty to “help” gay men and women. Well, we don’t need it. Never will. So pack your bags for Uganda … I’m sure that dumbass government there will welcome you.
Oh, as for the cause of same-sex attaction being “unloved childhood wounds and unmet love needs….” what a load of BS. My parents were nothing but loving and supportive of me. My parents love me unconditionally. I was deprived of nothing, emotionally or otherwise. These crackpots should be deported to a little island where they can confront their own “unmet love needs” as it’s clear their parents didn’t love them at all (and who can blame them?!)
Disturbing. This is particularly disturbing when considered in the light of the increasingly radicalised opposition to homosexuality, whether here or elsewhere in Africa. Our South African government has time and again proven itself to be a false ally at the best of times, who regards the constitution and the protection of gay rights as an optional nice-to-have. When the damage these organisations cause are brought to light, will we have recourse to the courts? Will we receive support from the state?
This kind of therapy is also often sponsored by those same US organisations who have had a hand in the Kenyan, Ugandan and Malawian extreme responses to homosexuality in their home countries. Many of those organisations have now been officially classified as ‘hate groups’ in the US.
I wonder: are they affiliated to any specific church?
Turn or Burn Ideology. Believe me their is a real danger in this. I suppose our dearest pastor Ray McCauley will be the front runner to give his support to these idiots.
Remember that Zuma’s favourite pastor, Ray McCauley is leading the newly created religious structure called NILC
Beevis & Butthead. My my, what a lovely couple; our very own Sakkie & Sally De Kock.
What would posses anyone of sound frame and mind to meander to that delightful little shit hole (No offence to those living in the “far east”) for some sexual healing and homo-cure?
I had to slap myself silly, to awake from a hypnotic transition, having just stared at that crimplene shirt.
I’m so blessed to have cretins like these, to permeate into my weekly perusal of my favourite homosexual lifestyle and news website so that I have to reach for my “Jeff Stryker” and endure invigorating moments of anal self gratification.
I’ve taken great care to reproduce that enduring photograph for my S-crap book.
Comedians!. “Certified Sexual Reorientation Coach” HAHAHA!! Brilliant!!
Truworths. Doesn’t “Certified Sexual Reorientation Coach” (es) normally shop at Edgars? This one shopped at Truworths .. makes u think !?
Change my ass. I sent these freaks an email to explain GAY to them! They are seriously pissing off so many people in SA………