From a string of scandals at its Love In Action residency program in Tennessee, to its association with patient-cuddler and parent-basher Richard Cohen, to its collaboration with human-rights opponents in Uganda, the ex-gay leadership of Exodus International has an entrenched tendency to ignore early warnings and refuse to pre-empt a scandal from occurring.
Then, when it’s too late, Exodus leaders informally apologize not for harm done, nor for lack of accountability which enables scandalous behavior, but rather for the fact that anyone’s feelings are hurt when Exodus leaders and associates — acting alone, Exodus says — use the fame that comes with Exodus leadership to repeatedly flout community mores, undermine individual freedom, injure would-be counselees, and betray family values.
The result is always the same: No one at Exodus is disciplined, leaders continue to act contrary to common decency, and Exodus continues to defend its leaders’ “right” to act autonomously even as they use Exodus’ name and soapbox to grant legitimacy to their agendas.
By allowing its leaders to violate the organization’s supposed values of love, family, and “freedom” year after year, Exodus in effect apologizes not for abuses just committed — but for abuses that it is going to continue to commit.
The following video parody from The Onion exemplifies the Exodus tactic of issuing “apologies” for scandals that it had no intention of preventing: scandals that it intends to repeat.
Congressman Offers Preemptive Apology For Extramarital Affair
