Hope for Homosexuals: Rev. Mario Bergner, founder of Redeemed Lives, once practiced homosexuality, but is now happily married to wife Nancy and the father of five kids. Through Redeemed Lives, Bergner helps others overcome sexual sin patterns through a relationship with Jesus Christ. In his article, “Go and Sin No More,” he writes, “The most loving thing we can do for anyone caught in the grips of sexual sin is to help them bring their sin to the Cross of Jesus and there find forgiveness, redemption, healing and hope for a new beginning.” For more information on Redeemed Lives, based outside Boston, Massachusetts, click HERE or call 978-356-0404.

I sent a version of the following letter to Jeff, who wrote Americans For Truth in February urging us to respect the “civil rights” of homosexuals (who he believes are born that way). Jeff’s letter is beneath mine at bottom. — Peter LaBarbera:

Peter LaBarbera’s Letter to Jeff:

…Jeff, I doubt the accuracy of your numbers (I believe 1-3 percent of the population is homosexual), but did you know that there are many men and women who once identified as “gay” or “lesbian” who left that lifestyle and are now living happy lives free of homosexuality?  I respect them and their choices; do you? Have you ever met a former homosexual or read one of their testimonies?  If not, here’s a website for you to visit: www.exodus.to.  (Keep in mind that homosexual activists like Wayne Besen (www.truthwinsout.org) relentlessly demean, ridicule and even harass former homosexuals and the whole idea of “ex-gays” — strange conduct from a group that demands tolerance and respect from others.)

We disagree on the morality of homosexual practice, it’s that simple. I don’t ask you to “respect” all my decisions and behaviors — or my arguments — but I do ask you to respect my freedom to live according to my conscience, in a nation founded on religious freedom. And though as a Christian I respect the dignity of all human beings (who are made in the image of God), I will never respect the choice to embrace homosexual/bi/trans behavior — any more so than I would respect people self-identifying by any other sexual sin. (Of course, there are no Adultery Pride Parades.)

Terrorizing Churches — Are Zoos Next?  Anti-ex-“gay” homosexual extremist Wayne Besen of the mischievously named “Truth Wins Out” is shown with a bullhorn yelling into the window of Park Street Church in Boston in May while the church was hosting a conference to help men and women overcome unwanted homosexual desires. (So much for “tolerance.”) Will Besen — who like other “gay” flat-earthers denies the reality that homosexuals can change — be heading next to the San Francisco Zoo to protest Harry, the happy ex-“gay” penguin? Photo courtesy of MassResistance.org.

Opinion piece by J. Matt Barber [Note: Barber will be keynoting Americans For Truth’s fund-raising banquet on Sat., Oct. 24 in suburban Chicago]

The highly contentious “nature vs. nurture” debate over whether “gay” penguins choose the homosexual lifestyle or are hatched that way has reached a hard boil.

San Francisco’s Fox affiliate KTUV reports: “The San Francisco Zoo’s popular same-sex penguin couple has broken up.

“Male Magellan penguins Harry and Pepper have been together since 2003. The pair nested together and even incubated an egg laid by another penguin in 2008, but their relationship hit the rocks earlier this year when a female penguin, Linda, befriended Harry after her long-time companion died.

“Zookeepers say Harry and Linda are happy and were able to successfully nest this year,” reported KTUV.

But not everyone is celebrating Harry and Linda’s newfound love. Some believe there can be no such a thing as an “ex-gay” penguin. Upon news of Harry’s decision to fly the same-sex-coop, outspoken pro-homosexual activist and anti-ex-gay crusader Wayne Besen cried fowl:

“Attempts to change sexual orientation are patently offensive, discriminatory by definition, theologically shaky, uniformly unsuccessful and medically unsound!” exclaimed a visibly angry Besen. “There is no ‘ex-gay’ sexual orientation. Harry is simply in denial. He’s living what I call the ‘big lie.’”

Besen Expands Definition of “Bigotry”: “Gay” militant Wayne Besen — who targets former homosexuals for harassment disguised as activism (see below) — told FOX News’ Bill O’Reilly last night that he considers opposition to same-sex “marriage” to be “bigotry” (See YouTube at end of piece below.) Homosexual activists for decades have labeled religious and moral conservatives as “haters” — and a proposed pro-homosexual federal “hate crimes” law would create the basis for their biased, anti-Christian viewpoint affecting federal prosecutions. In other countries, “hate crimes” laws have presaged “hate speech” codes that directly punish Christian speech opposing homosexuality or Islamic radicalism. TAKE ACTION: call your Congressman and Senators to oppose “Thought Crimes” legislation, H.R. 1913: 202-224-3121 or www.congress.org.

_________________________________________

The following release was sent out by PFOX April 7:

Contact:  Greg Quinlan, Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX); PFOX@pfox.org

Gays Hating Ex-Gays

Hate Crimes Bill Introduced in Congress

A commentary by ex-gay Greg Quinlan

Washington D.C. – April 7, 2009/ What happens when ex-gays dare to come out of the closet?  When I helped staff the exhibit booth for the Ex-Gay Educators Caucus at the National Education Association conference in June 2006, Wayne Besen, the former spokesperson for the gay Human Rights Campaign, approached our booth and began to insult us for having the audacity to live as heterosexuals.  He took photos of our booth for his ex-gay bashing website which targets the ex-gay community for ridicule and harassment.  Mr. Besen and gay rights organizations do not believe ex-gays are entitled to the same rights and respect that gays currently enjoy.  They picket ex-gay conferences and protest vigorously against ex-gay equal access.

Why is this man held up as an authority on “tolerance”?

Who Is the Real Hateful Bully? Professional homosexual-hater-of-EX-gays Wayne Besen (left) got in former homosexual Greg Quinlan’s face and spewed vulgarities at Quinlan, accusing him of “still having gay sex” before being led away by security.

How fascinating that Wayne Besen (left) is given the opportunity to appear on FOX News, of all places [this YouTube clip features Besen whining about a hilarious Snickers ad that was pulled], to critique alleged “homophobic” attitudes and speech toward homosexuals — when he has such a well-deserved reputation for being one of the nastiest “queer” activists in the business. (Besen is the guy who came up with the deceptive smear “Porno Pete” to demonize yours truly — as if I have some prurient interest in homosexual pornography rather than a desire to expose the hyper-promiscuity celebrated within the homosexual male subculture. Wayne knows this is a lie but he continues to use it–strange conduct for the founder of a group called “Truth Wins Out.”) TAKE ACTION: forward this article by my friend Greg Quinlan to FOX’s Bill O’Reilly (oreilly@foxnews.com) and urge him to reconsider his use of an accomplished anti-Christian bigot (who especially hates public ex-gays like Greg) as a talking-head “expert” on “tolerance.”– Peter LaBarbera, www.americansfortruth.com

Greg writes:

PFOX (Parents and Friends of Gays and Ex-Gays)

Gays Hating Ex-Gays

By Greg Quinlan, April 5 2009

What happens when ex-gays dare to come out of the closet?  When I helped staff the exhibit booth for the Ex-Gay Educators Caucus at the National Education Association conference in June 2006, Wayne Besen, the former spokesperson for the gay Human Rights Campaign, approached our booth and began to insult us for having the audacity to live as heterosexuals.  He took photos of our booth for his ex-gay bashing website which targets the ex-gay community for ridicule and harassment.  Mr. Besen and gay rights organizations do not believe ex-gays are entitled to the same rights and respect that gays currently enjoy.  They picket ex-gay conferences and protest vigorously against ex-gay equal access.

FOX Enabling Besen’s Bigotry? AFTAH’s web category “Hateful Homosexual Attacks on Ex-Gays” was practically created for Wayne Besen — whose mischievously named organization “Truth Wins Out” pursues a flat earth-like campaign to deny that people can overcome homosexuality. (Besen has a difficult time explaining away the happy lives of countless former homosexuals — like Janet Boynes, Stephen Black, Charlene Cothran, Stephen Bennett, and Yvette Schneider.) Besen practically stalks some ex-“gay” leaders like Greg Quinlan (see below), and he joined the leftist anti-Christian group Gay Liberation Network in smearing Dr. James Dobson as “hateful” — and falsely accusing him of fomenting “hate violence” against homosexuals. Despite his fanatical anti-religious bigotry, Besen is an occasional guest on FOX’s “The O’Reilly Factor” (e-mail oreilly@foxnews.com), where he comes off as far more moderate than he is in real life. Besen was on “The Factor” tonight and attacked the Pope as having a “credibility problem.” Thankfully, he was easily bested by an able opponent representing the Catholic TV network EWTN.

Americans For Truth sent the following e-letter today to Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly, and cc’d to pro-family leaders across the country. Homosexual militant Wayne Besen (left) is once again attacking the Pope — one of his many targets among those who espouse traditional Judeo-Christian morality. Tonight Laura Ingraham subbed for Mr. O’Reilly:

Dear Mr. O’Reilly, why are you helping gay extremist Wayne Besen project a false “moderate” image?…

… Dear Mr. O’Reilly, homosexual activist and “Truth Wins Out” founder Wayne Besen plays nice and respectable on your show, but he is one of the most hateful, anti-religious bigots in the overall homosexual activist movement. I write today because I believe that if you were aware of his full record, you might not want him on your program – except perhaps in one of those interview segments in which you expose the hard Left. Besen regularly lies about pro-family advocates, cynically equates sincere defenders of historic, Judeo-Christian sexual mores (such as Dr. James Dobson) with “hate” and vile prejudice — and practically stalks ex-gay leaders like Greg Quinlan (cc’d above) in his fanatical campaign to discredit the well-observed reality that homosexuals can change and leave that lifestyle.

Read the rest of this article »

Yes, Wayne, there is a God, and he has helped many praying men and women overcome homosexuality

Yvette Cantu Schneider, husband Paul and their two children. Yvette was once a committed lesbian but recently she and Paul celebrated their ninth wedding anniversary. Homosexual activists like Wayne Besen ridicule Christian ex-homosexuals like Yvette with their slogan, “Pray away the gay” — which trivializes healthy change and God’s redemptive work in the lives of men and women.

By Peter LaBarbera

I don’t know if Sodomitic Spinmeister Wayne Besen of “Truth” Wins Out invented the silly slogan “pray away the gay” to slam the observable reality that homosexuals can leave the lifestyle (as countless thousands have), but he is busy promoting it. The following is taken from Besen’s new column criticizing President-elect Obama for picking evangelical pastor Rick Warren to say the invocation on Inaugural Day:

After all, Warren has a program to “help” homosexuals “pray away the gay” and played a prominent role in passing Proposition 8, which prohibits same-sex couples from marrying in California. He has even compared same-sex couples marrying to incest and child abuse.

Now what’s Besen’s goal here? Obviously, to ridicule the notion of healthy change for homosexuals, but with the added bonus of playing to secularist, anti-Christian cultural biases and caricatures — which Wayne himself stokes at every opportunity.

Some observations:

• There are lots of men and women who once identified as “gay” or “lesbian” who left the lifestyle and are living contented and fulfilled lives in their post-homosexual identities.  My friend Yvette Cantu Schneider just celebrated her ninth anniversary — Yvette was once a proud lesbian [see her testimony HERE] but now is happily married to husband Paul, and they are the parents of two beautiful children. (Yvette also testifies that she has no lingering sexual attraction toward females);

• Read the rest of this article »

Professional Homosexual Agitator Wayne Besen of the comically named “Truth Wins Out” specializes in smearing Christian groups like AFTAH and ex-homosexual leaders like Greg Quinlan.

By Peter LaBarbera

We received an e-mail about yesterday’s piece on the first-ever homosexual band in the Inaugural Parade from Alonzo, a homosexual advocate who — although passionate about his beliefs — always remains civil.

By the way, and for the record, AFTAH does not allow comments to be posted on our website precisely because of the sheer viciousness, vulgarity and ad hominem, hate-filled attacks that characterize so many messages against us from pro-homosexual activists. Responding to the lies and smears would take all of our time. Uncivil homosexual activists would love that.

Porno Pete?

As veteran AFTAH readers know, one of the favorite, ongoing “queer” lies against me is that I am a secret homosexual or, worse, a covert aficionado of (unspeakably evil and revolting) homosexual S&M and pornography. Hence the nasty slam against me concocted by homosexual spinmeister Wayne Besen: “Porno Pete.” (I suppose if you use the logic of ‘Wayne’s World,’ someone who exposes abortionists secretly yearns to slaughter innocents in the womb — and Wayne himself, who monitors and exposes allegedly fraudulent “ex-gays” through his comically named Truth Wins Out — is a closeted fundamentalist Christian who TiVos every episode of “The 700 Club” while pretending to fight for Queer Liberation.)

Yep, aside from the murderous Islamic jihadists, it seems nobody hates (or lies) like the Left, and nobody on the Left hates like the homosexual militants. If you doubt me on this, take a detour into Loony Liberal Land for a few minutes and read the comments responding to one of Besen’s attacks on me and Americans For Truth. In another piece, mean-spirited even by Besen-esque standards, the Professional Homosexual Agitator (PHA) goes after ex-homosexual Greg Quinlan for getting divorced — exploiting Quinlan’s family tragedy without knowing the facts of the situation, his personal hatred for Greg oozing from sentence after sentence.

Meanwhile, others credit God with helping them overcome homosexuality

Ray Boltz back when he was not publicly defying God’s Word. The Christian artist and father of four now says being homosexual “is the way God made me.” 

By Peter LaBarbera

Last week, I was at the Family Research Council’s “Values Voter Summit” in Washington, D.C., where I was struck by how many former homosexuals I encountered in the space of a three day visit. I had breakfast with my good friend Jim, who is happily married and has left homosexuality so far behind that he told me he can barely believe that was how he once lived.

Then there was Anthony Falzarano, a veteran former homosexual who is out with a new book about his life, And Such Were Some of You. (Anthony — who has attended the funerals of many homosexual friends from his old life — was accompanied by his beautiful daughter Mary Victoria, who is alive today because he stopped living the “gay” lie.)

And I met Anthony Glover, an African American man whose road to overcoming homosexuality was solidified by a scary experience of almost committing sodomy with a homosexual man who was HIV-positive. (Yes, some homosexual men intentionally try to infect others with HIV.)

Also stopping at our Americans For Truth booth at the FRC summit was Grace Harley, a former (female-to-male) “transgender” who is now a Christian advocating for healthy change in Maryland.

Amidst all this, I picked up a copy of The Washington Blade, D.C.’s main homosexual newspaper, only to find a long story on former Christian Gospel singer Ray Boltz, who has sold out Jesus by embracing a false “gay” identity after living a life as a married family man. (Self-styled “queer” activists will say that Boltz was living a lie, but his four children do not owe their existence to a “gay” lifestyle.) I read the entire Blade story, but all you really need to know is in the final paragraph:

“This is what it really comes down to,” [Boltz] says. “If this is the way God made me , then this is the way I’m going to live. It’s not like God made me this way and he’ll send me to hell if I am who he created me to be … I really feel closer to God because I no longer hate myself.”

Wow, talk about presumption! This talented man is lost and he needs our prayers. Boltz may “feel” closer to God, but if you believe the Scriptures, he’s farther than ever from Him. We understand that the radical “gay” movement exalts its collective “feelings” over the Bible’s clear teaching — and certainly they are not alone in that regard — but each of us must choose between the truth and lies every day, and homosexual behavior is egregiously sinful, according to God’s Word. (See www.robgagnon.net if you are tempted to rationalize away the Bible’s clear condemnation of homosexual practice.) You just can’t sugarcoat that verdict, although these days even many Christians try.