The pressure is on Voice of the Voiceless’ Christopher Doyle.
Last month he promised that tens of thousands of so-called “ex-gays” would slither into Washington, DC for “Ex-Gay Pride.”
It turned out that he got the ten part right. Although, of the estimated ten participants at his failed press conference, the majority weren’t actually “ex-gay.” He also cancelled his big dinner, where he invited members of Congress, because of alleged and unsubstantiated threats from gay activists.
The paltry media event and phantom dinner exposed Doyle’s operation as a hollow front, that is, as they say in Texas, all hat and no cattle. Now, Doyle is rebooting and attempting to save face with another fundraising dinner. He has downgraded his expectations and instead of hosting members of Congress, he has brought on Bishop Harry Jackson of Hope Christian Church. This was the failed preacher whose rallying cry against marriage equality was so impotent, that it breezed through and is now the law of the land in the District of Columbia.
According to an article by Michael Lavers in the Washington Blade, the first annual Ex-Gay Awareness Dinner and Reception, hosted by Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX), will take place in a clandestine location and feature Trace McNutt, a self-described “former Satanic drag queen.” Aside from this bizarre new act, (who’s surely worth the price of admission) the side show will host a bunch of tired retreads, such as Liberty Counsel Chair Mat Staver, PFOX’s Greg Quinlan, and “ex-gay” crooner Dennis Jernigan.
Where are the legions of new “ex-gays” who don’t have a product to peddle? Why the same faces in different places? Doyle seems intent on proving my point that “ex-gays” only exist to sell books or therapy sessions.
Doyle told the Washington Blade that he received threatening phone calls and hate mail at his home addressed to him and his wife after Voice of the Voiceless announced the July events. Organizers of the new September 30 event will vet those who register before they receive information. Doyle told the Blade attendees will also have to sign “a values policy” that states they “agree with the terms of ex-gay awareness and that they’re a supporter.” Doyle declined to tell the Blade where in the D.C. area the gathering will take place.
“We’re not opening to just anyone who wants to come,” Doyle told the Blade. “Unfortunately we just get too much heckling and too many people who have bad intentions of coming to this and they’re not very supportive of our cause. I wish it wasn’t like that. I wish I could just open the doors for anybody to come.”
Here’s how we know Doyle if full of it.
Focus on the Family and Exodus International were able to host huge “ex-gay” conferences across America for many years. While there were protests outside of these events, the seminars inside the mega-churches were never interrupted and no one was heckled. How does Doyle explain the proliferation of non-eventful “ex-gay” events, yet claim with a straight face that his efforts are always under siege?
A recent blog post by Nathan Ruark on Voice of the Voiceless’ website helps explain the situation. The group admits to cynically twisting recent gains in favor of tolerance to their advantage:
“When it comes to the issue of homosexuality, ex-gays and conservatives are operating significantly behind the power curve. Liberals and gay activists have spent the last several decades slowly but surely steam-rolling through our government and professional organizations. If we are to change the way our society is going, we need to adapt to our current social environment and use the legalization of tolerance and non-discrimination to our advantage.
The truth is, Doyle has not presented evidence to back his outrageous and slanderous claims that LGBT advocates have hampered his fundraising dinners. What he is doing is making excuses in advance for his own incompetence and inability to organize a real movement that exists outside of a press release. Indeed, it is questionable whether an actual event is really planned, because every other activity that Doyle has produced has been revealed as an over-hyped publicity stunt. If Doyle fails, yet again, the media should stop covering his shenanigans. At some point, people have to realize that he does not run a movement — but is a simply trying to gain free media and create infomercials to attract new clients to his counseling practice.
What we are really looking at is a desperate, last gasp of air for a failing industry. In the West, this psychological voodoo has been thoroughly discredited and nearly vanquished. This is why it is in the hands of underachievers like Doyle, who have no credibility and little expertise.
