Thursday, July 19, 2007

Word Usage in Ex-gay Conversions.

While browsing for more information on ex-gays I've found a web site which includes a detailed analysis on reparative therapy, also called conversion therapy. The whole analysis can be found here, but I just wanted to include in this post their comparison on terminology. Very interesting.

Common Conservative Christian Usage
Common usage by other groups
  • Homosexuality is a behavior
  • Homosexuality is an orientation
  • Homosexuality is what one does
  • Homosexuality is what one is
  • Sexual preference
  • Sexual orientation
  • "I am cured from homosexuality" OR "I am an ex-gay"
  • "I was a sexually active homosexual. I am now a homosexual who has chosen celibate"
  • "I was once in the homosexual lifestyle, but I am a heterosexual now"
  • "I was a bisexual who engaged in same-sex relationships. My orientation is still bisexual, but, I now choose to have only relationships with the opposite gender."
  • A person involved in the homosexual lifestyle
  • A person with a bisexual or homosexual orientation who is sexually active with members of the same gender.
It would be worth checking how much money is involved in such called conversion therapies if the groups advocating those (which are most commonly conservative Christians) really try that hard to make therapies appear successful.

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