Filipino President Claims He Was Once Gay But 'Cured' Himself

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte (screen capture via newscast)

Rodrigo Duterte, the controversial president of the Philippines, joked during a trip to Japan that he had once been gay but ‘cured’ himself upon meeting his ex-wife.

Duterte was in Tokyo for bilateral meetings with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and during a public appearance he mocked a political opponent, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, for moving like a gay person.

Rappler, a Filipino newspaper, reports that Duterte was asked about Trillanes sexuality and he replied, “Ask any gay man and see that moving, they say that’s gay.”

“Good thing Trillanes and I are similar, but I cured myself,” he added. “When I began a relationship with Zimmerman, I said, this is it. I became a man again.”

Elizabeth Zimmerman was married to the Filipino leader for 25 years before filing for an annulment in 1998. She told the courts at the time that Duterte was a “womanizer.”

Admitting he once believed he was gay is an odd confession coming from Duterte who has had wildly inconsistent positions when it comes to the LGBTQ community.

Before being elected president in 2016, he expressed support for same-sex marriage.

During an appearance on the Vice Ganda talk show in 2015, he said, “Same-sex marriage is good. Everyone deserves to be happy.”

But he later flip-flopped on the issue saying he preferred same-sex unions instead.

He once asked the head of the country’s Commission on Human Rights if he was a gay pedophile because he was concerned about young boys being killed in the war on drugs.

More recently, before the recent elections in the Philippines, the 74-year-old president called out former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay who was running to be a Senator.

During a campaign rally, Duterte told the crowd, “Hilbay’s girlfriend is Agot Isidro. Her boyfriend is gay.”

He continued mocking Hilbay saying that as Solicitor General he had “filled his office with homosexuals.”

In 2017, the Filipino president mocked the idea of transgender people in the U.S. saying during a speech, “There is no gender because you can be a he or she.”

“That’s their culture,” he added according to the BBC. “It does not apply to us.”

Duterte is most well known for not only encouraging but overseeing the killing of thousands in his brutally violent war on drugs.

(source: Newsweek)

Notorious 'Ex-Gay' Therapist Announces He's Gay And Actively Seeking To Date Men

David Matheson (image via Facebook)

My grandmother used to say all the time, "Ye who protesteth the loudest, do it the mostesth!"

That echoes in my mind as I report that a prominent therapist in the so-called conversion therapy industry has announced he has left the ‘ex-gay’ movement and is actively looking to date men.

Truth Wins Out, a nonprofit think tank and advocacy group that fights against anti-LGBT prejudice and discrimination, obtained screen captures of a private Facebook group that shared the news David Matheson, who penned the controversial ‘ex-gay’ book, Becoming a Whole Man, is now living his life as an openly gay man.

During his career as a therapist, Matheson has authored several ‘ex-gay therapy’ programs including the notorious Journey Into Manhood program.

Rich Wyler, Journey Into Manhood’s director, broke the news in the Facebook group writing, “David…says that living a single, celibate life ‘just isn’t feasible' for him, so he’s seeking a male partner.”

Wyler added, “He has gone from bisexuality to exclusively gay.”

TWO reached out to Matheson and received a statement which was appallingly absent any regret for his actions in the past. He also reveals he plans to remain in the Mormon Church.

“My time in a straight marriage and in the ‘ex-gay’ world was genuine and sincere and a rich blessing to me,” Matheson said in text messages to TWO. “I remember most of it with fondness and gratitude for the joy and growth it caused in me and many others. But I had stopped growing and was starting to die. So I’ve embarked on a new life-giving path that has already started a whole new growth process.

“I wasn’t faking it all those years,” he added. “I’m not renouncing my past work or my LDS faith. And I’m not condemning mixed-orientation marriages.”

“I continue to support the rights of individuals to choose how they will respond to their sexual attractions and identity,” he wrote in closing. “With that freedom, I am now choosing to pursue life as a gay man.”

At least one former client of Journey Into Manhood rejected the announcement.

“While I am pleased for Mr Matheson that he has found a path forward for his life, I can’t help but think of the hundreds if not thousands of people who are still stuck in the closet, a closet that was created in part by Mr Matheson himself,” said Chaim Levin, who was psychologically harmed by the program Matheson helped design for Journey Into Manhood. “I hope that Mr. Matheson will do whatever he can to rectify the harm that he’s inflicted on many people in the LGBTQ community, myself included.”

A 2007 New York Times article revealed Matheson had earned a master’s in counseling and guidance from Brigham Young University. He began full-time practice in New Jersey in 2004, where he charged clients $240 per 90-minute session.

Matheson helped develop the ‘program’ for Journey into Manhood, which took gay men go into the forest where they were encouraged to engage in “manly” activities in an effort to change their sexual orientation.

“For some people ‘gay’ is never going to work,” he told ABC’s Nightline in 2010 while discussing Journey Into Manhood. “That kind of life, and that kind of living, is never going to gel — ever — with their value system.”

“For those men, that’s why we exist, so that they can have another way, another approach of dealing with their sexual feelings,” Matheson added.

Since the publication of TWO's report, Matheson has posted a coming-out essay on his Facebook page, which reads in part:

I know my work helped many, many people because they’ve told me so. But I’m sure I’ve hurt some people too.

Not that I would excuse myself, but any shortcomings I had as a therapist came from too narrow a view of what “emotionally healthy” can look like. They came from my own homophobia and narrow mindedness. I am truly sorry for those flaws and the harm they have surely caused some people. And I’m sorry for the confusion and pain my choice may be causing others.

Even today, as a newly-out gay man, I still find too much homophobia in myself.

David Matheson seems more invested in his own journey than the people whose lives he’s ruined. May his “growth” bring him to a place where he can help his victims, as well as prevent future harm. Perhaps with time, he will become a better human being. https://t.co/1XYCZBP7zV

— Truth Wins Out (@truthwinsout) January 22, 2019

(h/t Truth Wins Out)

Former Gay Escort Now Straight After A Year Of Celibacy

Dominic Hilton says a year of celibacy turned him heterosexual
(image via Instagram)

A former male escort says he’s now straight after a year of celibacy.

According to The Mirror, Dominic Hilton resolved to take a year off from having sex after breaking up with his last boyfriend on Christmas Day 2017.

Now, after 365 sex-free days, Hilton plans to begin dating again, but he says he feels no attraction to men and he’s looking to date women.

The mental health worker, who came out as gay at the age of 14, told The Mirror, "Sex is always something I enjoyed, but this past year, that sexual attraction to men has just gone.”

"I’d been wondering if perhaps I was bisexual, and attracted to both men and women, but now, I just don’t find men attractive anymore,” he says. “I have no intention of sleeping with a man again.”

"If you’d have asked me in the past if a person can change their sexuality, I’d have said no – but I’m living proof that you can,” he adds.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by D o m i n i c (@dvhilton) on Jan 28, 2018 at 12:37pm PST

Hilton is getting some media attention lately having appeared on the UK dating show, Naked Attraction, where contestants meet potential dating partners for the first time naked.

Hilton is open about the fact that when he was 18-years-old he worked as a male escort for a couple of years. But he gave that up to become a ‘serial monogamist.’

He estimates he has had between 100 and 150 male sex partners, but now wants to settle down with a woman - although he’s never had sex with some of the female persuasion.

“I’ve had sex with men, but not women, so I want to find an open-minded girl I can lose my virginity to,” says 27-year-old.

That said, Hilton admits being honest about his gay past with prospective females on dating apps can “shut down a conversation.”

He says many women stopping communicating with him once he shares the news. "I told one girl, and she ended up blocking me an hour before we were due to meet which was hurtful.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by D o m i n i c (@dvhilton) on Dec 26, 2018 at 6:38am PST

Hilton says he understands some people don’t understand his new heterosexuality, but says this isn’t a phase.

“I have no doubt that I am straight,” he declares.

And he definitely recommends celibacy to folks who might be feeling “a little lost in life.”

“Even if you don’t go a whole year, just take some time and focus on yourself - you may be surprised at what you learn.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by D o m i n i c (@dvhilton) on Feb 1, 2018 at 5:40am PST

(h/t The Mirror)

Former "Ex-Gay" Poster Boy Speaks Out Against Harmful Reparative Therapy

After years of being used as an "ex-gay" poster boy, Christian Schizzel has come out publicly against the techniques and practices used to try and change his sexuality.  Says Schizzel of the "ex-gay" movement, "I won't be a weapon anymore."

From Religion News Service:

In an exclusive interview with RNS, Christian tells about his experience with the Janet Boynes Ministries and The Bachmann & Associates counseling centers, the latter operation owned by U.S. Rep. Michelle Bachmann and husband Marcus Bachmann. Both entities were associated with the now closed Exodus International but are currently still in business. (No response yet for comment. Will update post if that changes.)

At nine years of age, Christian was sexually and physically abused by his step father — a missionary who used Bible verses to silence Christian into submission. He even used scripture during the acts itself to justify the abuse. Years later at the age of 18, after coming out to friends and family, Christian was encouraged to seek help at the ministry. It was there that they used this horrific experience to pinpoint the “cause” of Christian’s sexuality, although Christian said he knew about his sexuality before the abuse.

"Coming out publicly and sharing is important to me because my sexuality has been exploited my whole life by the Christian community both knowingly and un-knowingly."

Christian ends the Q&A by saying he considers his sexuality a natural gift from God, and urges those who support reparative therapy to rethink it's harmful and excruciatingly painful practice.

(h/t JMG)

Renounce Your "Gayness" For $100

This video, apparently from the "COGIC 107th Holy Convocation" (whatever that is), went viral today all over Facebook.

A 21 year old in Missouri is cleansed of his "gayness" by the Holy Spirit. According the goings-on in the video, at least.

"I am not gay no more! I am delivered! I don't like mens no more! I said I like women! Women, women, women, women, women, blub, blub, blub! I said women! I'm not gay! I would not date a man! I would not carry a purse! I would not put on makeup! I will, I will love a woman!"

And then the reverend who oversees the whole shebang hands him a $100 bill...

"Ex-gay" Matt Moore says parents shouldn't "fault" themselves for children's homosexuality

In a blog post on the anti-gay website Barb Wire,  so-called "ex-gay" Matt Moore tries to tell parents that they should not fault themselves for their child's homosexuality:

Neither you nor your psychologist nor your pastor nor your doctor will ever fully know why your kid is attracted to the same sex, but you can know that it isn’t your fault. Yes, you are a sinner and yes, you have sinned against your kids… and yes, you do need forgiveness for that — and you have it fully if you’re in Christ. But don’t blame yourself for their broken sexuality. There are a million different sinful things inside and outside of them (the main three being the flesh, the world and Satan) that have continually worked to shape, feed and further distort their sexual desires.

I know this blog isn’t a fully comprehensive overview of the doctrine of original sin, etc., but I just wanted to briefly tell the parents out there to stop beating yourself up. Please, hate sin and hate all of it’s workings and twistings and distortions in your own heart and in your kid’s heart — but don’t hate yourself for your kid’s sexuality. You are not to blame for this.

What misses by a mile here is that there is no "fault" to begin with.

To begin with fault means to accept that something is fundamentally wrong. That being gay is fundamentally wrong. And it's not.

Moore has publicly struggled with his own sexuality going from gay to "ex-gay" to being found on the hook-up app Grindr earlier this year while in New Orleans.  (Moore later explained that he sold his computer and "locked" his phone so he wouldn't be tempted again).

So,  I'm not sure that Moore is the person to calm anyone's concerns about who their children may or may not be.

Texas state Republican Party endorses "ex-gay" therapy

Over the weekend, the Texas Republican Party voted to endorse controversial "ex-gay" therapy as a plank to the state GOP's platform.

More than 10,000 attendees voted to add the following language to the party platform:

'We recognize the legitimacy and efficacy of counseling, which offers reparative therapy and treatment for those patients seeking healing and wholeness from their homosexual lifestyle. No laws or executive orders shall be imposed to limit or restrict access to this type of therapy.'

According to CNN Cathie Adams, president of the Texas Eagle Forum, championed the inclusion of conversion therapy.

'Nothing is mandatory,' Adams said to CNN. 'If a person chooses counseling, then it should be made available. California and New Jersey have passed bills outlawing it altogether, which is under litigation. It's a freedom issue.'

The American Psychological Association has stated that "ex-gay" therapy, also known as "reparative therapy" is 'unlikely to be successful and involve some risk of harm.'

(via Gay Star News)

More Scott Lively on Uganda: Gays should get reparative therapy or go to jail

In an interview with SiriusXM host Michelangelo Signorile, anti-gay crusader Scott Lively explains that his goal in advising Uganda on their recent Anti-Homosexuality Act was to have the government offer reparative or "ex-gay" therapy instead of punitive sanctions.

When asked what should happen if gays and lesbians in Uganda didn't WANT such therapy (which has been shown to be very damaging to patients to the point of becoming torture), Lively says those people would have to “take whatever the other alternative is, which was probably going to jail.”

Listen below:

PFOX fails again to draw a crowd for "Ex-Gay Awareness Month" Lobby Day

Right Wing Watch reports that Greg Quinlan and his "ex-gay" group PFOX failed again to gather the "thousands" of "ex-gays" for a Washington lobby day he swears are TOTALLY out there. Although the group claims 'thousands of Ex-Gays' were ready to march on D.C. - only 15 showed up:

Despite claims that “there are more ex-gay people in the world than there are gay people in the world” and that there are “thousands of ex-gays” ready to march on Washington and make their voices heard, ex-gay gatherings always seem to assemble just a small handful of people. And it’s always the exact same people.

Ex-Gay Awareness Month, which immediately followed the disastrous Ex-Gay Pride Month lobby day, managed to muster “about 15 ex-gay activists to lobby Capitol Hill” yesterday.

The pathetically unsuccessful lobby day was followed by an equally feeble First Annual Ex-Gay Awareness Dinner and Reception for 60 people, that attracted such "Christian" haters of Mathew Staver of the Liberty Counsel, and Bishop Harry Jackson, the Christian Post reports.

The winner of their "ex-gay theme song contest", a dramatic ode called "Rise Up" by Dennis Jernigan, was announced and debuted at the event.

(source)

New York renews push to ban "ex-gay" therapy

In the wake of New Jersey's passage of banning "ex-gay" therapy for minors, a trio of New York state legislators are renewing the push to ban the practice in New York state.

State Sens. Brad Hoylman (D-Manhattan), Michael Gianaris (D-Queens) and Assemblywoman Deborah Glick say New York pols should swiftly pass a similar bill they introduced earlier this year that stalled in Albany.

“Conversion therapy is among the worst frauds in history and has been discredited by the American Psychological Association and other leading mental health organizations,” said Hoylman, the state’s only openly gay senator.

The New York bill would bar mental health providers from trying to change the sexual orientation of anyone under the age of 18. If enacted, a licensed mental health provider who ignored the law would be cited for unprofessional conduct and subject to licensing sanctions.

The anti-gay Liberty Counsel yesterday announced that it will sue to block New Jersey's bill from being implemented. California's bill, which was signed last September by Gov. Jerry Brown, remains on hold due to the Liberty Counsel's appeal.

(via JoeMyGod)

Maggie Gallagher criticizes NJ ban of "ex-gay" torture

A once high-profile opponent of same-sex couples’ marriage rights took aim Monday at Gov. Chris Christie’s decision to sign legislation into law that would ban therapy aimed at changing the sexual orientation of minors.

Maggie Gallagher, the former head of the National Organization for Marriage, who has kept a low profile over the past year, reappeared on the public scene Monday to attack the New Jersey governor for his bill signing.

“The new law communicates to gays and lesbians seeking to conform their lives to their values that they are second-glass [sic] citizens, without the same right to seek help that other people enjoy. It is a right of self-determination that Gov. Christie has shut down,” Gallagher said in a statement in her role as chairman of the Freedom of Conscience Defense Fund.

New Jersey’s LGBT group, Garden State Equality, defended Christie and the legislation — an unusual position for the group that has been fighting Christie on his opposition to marriage equality.

“It’s not about self-determination. What she’s advocating for is taking away self-determination from the youth of New Jersey,” Garden State Equality executive director Troy Stevenson said.

More at Buzzfeed

New Jersey: Gov. Christie to sign bill outlawing "ex-gay" torture for minors

Today New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will sign into law a bill that bans "ex-gay therapy" for minors:

"Government should tread carefully into this area," he said in the signing note, which was obtained by The Associated Press, "and I do so here reluctantly."

"However, I also believe that on the issues of medical treatment for children we must look to experts in the field to determine the relative risks and rewards," Christie said, citing a litany of potential ill effects of trying to change sexual orientation, including depression and suicide.

"I believe that exposing children to these health risks without clear evidence of benefits that outweigh these serious risks is not appropriate."

Gay rights groups say the practice of conversion therapy is damaging to young people because it tells them that it's not acceptable to be whoever they are.

Christie's signing message also declares that he believes that people are born gay and that homosexuality is not a sin. The Associated Press notes that such beliefs are "inconsistent with his Catholic faith." We'll see how that squares with the far-right fringe whose support Christie will need should he run for President in 2016.

(source)

New Jersey: State Assembly passes "ex-gay" therapy ban

The New Jersey Assembly has approved legislation that would outlaw "ex-gay" therapy by a vote of 56-14.

Passage in the state senate is expected on Thursday.

Governor Chris Christie in March said he opposed the practice of conversion therapy, but on Monday his office declined to comment on whether he would sign or veto the bill.

If enacted, the measure would ban therapists or social workers from performing therapy that aims to change the sexual orientation of patients under age 18.

Currently, California is the only U.S. state to outlaw the practice. But, a federal appeals court has put that law's implementation on hold while it weighs the issue.

The legislation cites American Psychiatric Association studies that found sexual orientation is determined at birth.

Chris Matthews and guests discuss the demise of the "ex-gay" movement

Chris Matthews, of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, and guests Wayne Besen of Truth Wins Out and psychotherapist Laura Berman discuss the shutdown of Exodus International and the harm done by so-called reparative therapy, aimed at turning gay people straight.

Both the host and his guests denounced such therapy as wrongheaded and harmful, and lauded the progress toward LGBT equality in the U.S., which much remains to be done. “Today, it’s gone beyond tolerance to acceptance,” said Matthews. Added Besen: “Equality is an unstoppable train.”

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

(via Advocate)

Exodus International, so-called "ex-gay" organization, ends it's harmful run

Exodus International, the most prominent "ex-gay" ministry, is closing up shop after more than three decades.

Decades have passed as we've seen Exodus and other offer so-called "reparative therapy," seeking to turn from gay to straight, only to find the therapy is not only ineffective but harmful.

From the Exodus International website:

“We’re not negating the ways God used Exodus to positively affect thousands of people, but a new generation of Christians is looking for change – and they want to be heard,” Tony Moore, Board member of Exodus. The message came less than a day after Exodus released a statement apologizing  to the gay community for years of undue judgment by the organization and the Christian Church as a whole.

“Exodus is an institution in the conservative Christian world, but we’ve ceased to be a living, breathing organism,” said Alan Chambers, President of Exodus. “For quite some time we’ve been imprisoned in a worldview that’s neither honoring toward our fellow human beings, nor biblical.”

Chambers continued: “From a Judeo-Christian perspective, gay, straight or otherwise, we’re all prodigal sons and daughters. Exodus International is the prodigal’s older brother, trying to impose its will on God’s promises, and make judgments on who’s worthy of His Kingdom. God is calling us to be the Father – to welcome everyone, to love unhindered.”

Alan Chambers has also released his own apology in a post entitled I Am Sorry "to the people within the LGBTQ community who have been hurt by the Church, Exodus International, and me":

Please know that I am deeply sorry. I am sorry for the pain and hurt many of you have experienced. I am sorry that some of you spent years working through the shame and guilt you felt when your attractions didn’t change. I am sorry we promoted sexual orientation change efforts and reparative theories about sexual orientation that stigmatized parents. I am sorry that there were times I didn’t stand up to people publicly “on my side” who called you names like sodomite—or worse. I am sorry that I, knowing some of you so well, failed to share publicly that the gay and lesbian people I know were every bit as capable of being amazing parents as the straight people that I know. I am sorry that when I celebrated a person coming to Christ and surrendering their sexuality to Him that I callously celebrated the end of relationships that broke your heart. I am sorry that I have communicated that you and your families are less than me and mine.

More than anything, I am sorry that so many have interpreted this religious rejection by Christians as God’s rejection. I am profoundly sorry that many have walked away from their faith and that some have chosen to end their lives. For the rest of my life I will proclaim nothing but the whole truth of the Gospel, one of grace, mercy and open invitation to all to enter into an inseverable relationship with almighty God.

I cannot apologize for my deeply held biblical beliefs about the boundaries I see in scripture surrounding sex, but I will exercise my beliefs with great care and respect for those who do not share them. I cannot apologize for my beliefs about marriage. But I do not have any desire to fight you on your beliefs or the rights that you seek. My beliefs about these things will never again interfere with God’s command to love my neighbor as I love myself.

You have never been my enemy. I am very sorry that I have been yours. I hope the changes in my own life, as well as the ones we announce tonight regarding Exodus International, will bring resolution, and show that I am serious in both my regret and my offer of friendship. I pledge that future endeavors will be focused on peace and common good.

Good riddance to Exodus and others who have caused great harm and injury to so many.

The Oprah Winfrey Netowork will air a special tonight that features Alan Chambers apologizing to gays and lesbians who were affected by his organization. Check times on your local guide.

Exodus International leader to apologize for damaging "cure" for homosexuality

For almost 40 years, Exodus International claimed to offer a "cure" for homosexuality. Alan Chambers, the leader of Exodus, decided last year to stop endorsing the controversial practice of gay-reparative therapy. And now, he has a new message: an apology.

In a special episode of Our America, Lisa Ling is joined by a group of survivors of the condemned and damaging practice of "reparative therapy" as they confront Alan Chambers.

Chambers recently asked Ling to help orchestrate an opportunity in which he could formally apologize to those who felt deceived and defrauded by Exodus' practices and to announce that the organization will cease to be an "ex gay" organization.

Tune in Thursday, June 20th at 10/9c for a special presentation of this powerful report.

For more on Our America with Lisa Ling, click here.

Dan Savage on putting an end to "gay conversion" camps

Dan Savage answers the question "What can we do to help kids forced into gay-to-straight conversion camps?"