2010 Student Research Conference:
23rd Annual Student Research Conference

"We're Here! We're No Longer Queer! Get Used to It!": The Politicization of the Ex-Gay in the Modern Anti-Gay Movement
Adam D. Conway
Dr. Thomas Zoumaras, Faculty Mentor

Since the launch of a concerted ex-gay ad campaign in 1998 by a coalition of conservative political and religious groups, ex-gay ministries have grown increasingly political in their efforts to thwart gay rights as they believe that homosexuals can change. Their message that individuals can free themselves from homosexuality is a conscious political strategy to undermine the gay rights movement through the language of healing and compassion. This project engages in an historical analysis of the politicization of the ex-gay identity, exploring ex-gay organizations' efforts to disarm homosexuals as a political unit, to deny gay inclusion in public education, and to be recognized as a sexual orientation and political force. This discussion's ultimate argument is that the promotion of ex-gay therapies by the religious right has generally backfired, with a stronger gay rights movement and a dramatically higher acceptance of homosexuality in 2009 than in 1998.

Keywords: Ex-Gay, The Religious Right, Gay Rights, Sexual Conversion Therapy, Exodus International, Teenagers and Sexuality, Psychology of Sexuality

Topic(s):History
Women's and Gender Studies

Presentation Type: Oral Paper

Session: 16-2
Location: MG 2090
Time: 8:15

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