Former ‘ex-gay’ activist: I’m glad that courts are striking down marriage bans
A former ‘ex-gay’ activist is glad that courts are striking down same-sex marriage bans that he helped lobby for.
Randy Thomas, who was the executive vice president of Exodus International, posted an article apologising for his role in lobbying for marriage bans across a number of states.
He wrote: “The night that Prop 8 in California and Amendment 2 in Florida (both banning gay marriage) passed I was jubilant.
“I truly believed what I was saying. What I didn’t make widely known was how heart-broken I was when I saw the gay community in California take to the streets.
“Eventually the doubt over what we had done would get louder in my mind and change from a question to a conviction; a conviction that indeed we had done something terribly wrong.
“We made it clear that we thought that investing in rules was more important than sacrificially serving in honest relationship.
“We communicated that we valued the letter of the law more than the authentic expression of grace in the context of humbly living our lives and loving our neighbour.
“The message we sent was deeply damaging to our relationships with our gay neighbours and family members.
“For my part in this, I deeply apologize.
“Today, I can honestly say that I am glad that the courts are striking down all the marriage bans across the country.
“It is my hope that we (Christians) can learn from the past, make the appropriate amends, and rebuild dialog and relationships with the LGBT community.”
