True Life: I Want to Be Straight

[alphaeta08]

Just like the title says: an episode of True Life about praying the gay away. I missed the beginning of the woman's story, but the man is ridiculous. He was rejected by his Christian parents, openly gay for a few years, and had a few bad relationships, so he decided the solution was to be straight. No... the solution is to stop being in bad relationships. :roll: He went to a therapist and talked about how he was being tempted by employees at the sub shop next door who were gay. Then he was talking to a friend and said he didn't really find women attractive because they didn't "have that masculine element." Yeah, because you're gay. I have to leave soon, so I won't see how it turns out, but I'm guessing not great. Maybe it'll replay later. *fingers crossed*

It's on MTV right now if anyone's interested!

[DamnPrecious]

I've seen it. That guy will never be straight. If you have to have friends pray over you to keep the devil from getting a hold of you, YOU'RE GAY. If he actually decides to marry and have a family with someone it will end in ruins.

The girls mom stabbed her twice for being gay. He mom was a "christian" too. :roll:

[FakePigtails]

I saw Lisa Ling's special Pray the Gay Away a few months ago so I figured based on my reaction to that the True Life episode would be too depressing. One show on that was enough :(

[emmiedahl]

I'm going to see if they have it up on mtv.com after I finish watching Teen Mom. Oh, am I supposed to be working from home? lolz

[Kitten]

Yeah, the only real CHOICE a gay has is to deny/repress his/her homosexuality. They can be celibate (if the thought of sex with the opposite sex disgusts them) or they can force themselves into a heterosexual relationship (Is that like raping yourself every time you have sex?).

The former -well, it's an obvious choice for fundies who can't or won't accept that homosexuality is a natural part of the human condition. The latter - depressingly, this is how many try to go, since the need for companionship and love is such an innate part of who we are. Unfortunately, at BEST it creates a relationship in which physical intimacy serves to push the two apart, rather than bringing them together. At worst, it is heartbreak and hell combined in one desperate package.

Ugh...

[AlexIsAwake]

Anyone ever read Chely Wright's book, "Like Me"? Very poignant story, she is an amazing person. She tried to pray away the gay for years, and it nearly killed her.

[julie]

Ugh, this makes me so sad/sick. I'm about to start "Straight to Jesus," a book about this topic. As a therapist and as a bff to a gay dude whose family is begging him to pray the gay away, I'm disgusted. People are just so fucking stupid, and this stupidity hurts and kills.

[bekkah]

Saw it. I couldn't stomach it for the whole show. I felt bad for these people. I feel so much freedom after coming out as bisexual to my parents. If you don't accept you who are, you will be miserable. He read a bible verse saying that homosexuality was wrong and I'm pretty sure that was from the OT. I have to believe that God loves all his children equally. I feel bad for these people because they are perpetuating a stereotype. Being gay is not a lifestyle, it is not a choice. Who would choose to be gay really, heterosexual people have no discrimination. Its nonsense.

[teddybear]

My boyfriend and I watched it last week. Pretty sad stuff. I noticed they both tried to give it up because of their parents. It just made me sad. We weren't half way through the show when I said to my partner that the poor boy would either be sucking dick or committing suicide before too much longer.

[Lillybee]

Last night Joy Behar had a graduate of Michelle Bachman's hubby's clinic. This man said that it worked and now he is hetero. Self delusion, I thought.

[Olivia]

So sad. I can't even stop myself from eating Cheetos or Oreos when I want them -- I can't imagine how I'd stop myself from trying to be with the gender I was actually attracted to/able to be in love with. I hope they come to terms with who they are.

[ladypuglover]

Last night Joy Behar had a graduate of Michelle Bachman's hubby's clinic. This man said that it worked and now he is hetero. Self delusion, I thought.

Agreed. You are what you are and nothing wrong with that. They need to stop listening to the whackos.

[Austin]

Last night Joy Behar had a graduate of Michelle Bachman's hubby's clinic. This man said that it worked and now he is hetero. Self delusion, I thought.

I was going to bring that up earlier, but didn't know if anyone else had caught that hot mess. I was embarrassed for "the graduate" and his delusional wife. He told some long, sad yarn about how he was just a promiscuous druggie gay for 11 years and how his relationship with his dad was the cause of it all, and then he found Jesus and blah, blah. Dr. Drew Pinsky weighed in that he did not agree with the whole pray the gay away premise, and the wife started blathering on, talking right over her husband, about the outrage of why society thinks it's okay for transgendered people to change but not okay for gays to change to straight and Joy had to pretty much cut them off.

Then when time ran out the graduate told Joy that she should have him back on so he can tell all the details of his life story (like he hadn't said enough already) and she basically said, "No, I think we got it".

It was cringeworthy on so many levels.

[HowRude]

Yeah, the only real CHOICE a gay has is to deny/repress his/her homosexuality. They can be celibate (if the thought of sex with the opposite sex disgusts them) or they can force themselves into a heterosexual relationship (Is that like raping yourself every time you have sex?).

The former -well, it's an obvious choice for fundies who can't or won't accept that homosexuality is a natural part of the human condition. The latter - depressingly, this is how many try to go, since the need for companionship and love is such an innate part of who we are. Unfortunately, at BEST it creates a relationship in which physical intimacy serves to push the two apart, rather than bringing them together. At worst, it is heartbreak and hell combined in one desperate package.

Ugh...

Amen it not only hurts them, but also hurts their partner when they find out that the person that "loves" them is only forcing themselves to be that way.

[muffynbear]

Just like the title says: an episode of True Life about praying the gay away. I missed the beginning of the woman's story, but the man is ridiculous. He was rejected by his Christian parents, openly gay for a few years, and had a few bad relationships, so he decided the solution was to be straight. No... the solution is to stop being in bad relationships. :roll: He went to a therapist and talked about how he was being tempted by employees at the sub shop next door who were gay. Then he was talking to a friend and said he didn't really find women attractive because they didn't "have that masculine element." Yeah, because you're gay. I have to leave soon, so I won't see how it turns out, but I'm guessing not great. Maybe it'll replay later. *fingers crossed*

It's on MTV right now if anyone's interested!

RE: the woman on the show. Her name is Melanie. Her mother walked in on her and another woman being "intimate" and her mother stabbed her. Despite the fact that her mother stabbed her, Melanie tries to have relationships with men to gain acceptance from her religious zealot of a mother. Not surprisingly, her heterosexual relationship doesn't work out.

This is what I originally wrote on TWOP about this episode:

I've never seen such a self-loathing, Bible thumping zealot in my whole life. Kevin, honey.... you ARE gay. Praying will not change your homosexuality at all. You are who you are. Accept it and move on. The scene around the dinner table with his roommates really pissed me off. Praying over him? Really? They're acting like homosexuality is a disease that one should be cured of. This scene was surreal. Excuse me for asking this question, but when did America become so religious and homophobic? I'm not trying to generalize ALL Americans being this way, but wow watching this episode made me weep for the future of this country. People like this really exist in this day and age? Does G-D really care if he's gay? I'm sure there are more important things for G-D to worry about like you know... world hunger. He seemed to be overly obsessed with his sexuality and religion to point where it's not normal. I think he should probably seek counseling from someone without a religious agenda. He seems completely depressed and self-loathing to the point where it's obsessive. I hope he gets the help he needs. He just can't seem to separate religion and sexuality and apparently, none of his friends and relatives can either.

Melanie: I don't know what to say about her. I can't believe her mother can sit there and spout off her religious mumbo jumbo and expect anyone to take her seriously, yet she STABBED her daughter. I'm pretty sure the Bible is against stabbing your daughter. Melanie's mother doesn't have a right to say shit about morals, Godliness, values etc.

[Kelya]

As someone who tried to pray the gay away and is now a happy lesbian in a committed relationship with only moderate amounts of religious angst (most days), I really want to rescue them and bring them to the awesomeness that is Liking Yourself and Being Okay With Yourself.

Its really hard to explain to the sick feeling every day when you wake up knowing you're going to hell and knowing you can't change what's sending you to hell but you have to keep trying to stay at all involved in your community so you're just throwing yourself against a wall day after day without any time for the bruises to heal. It's awful and I think back on where I was and just want to hug people still there.

[alphaeta08]

Oh God, I read about Melanie somewhere else, and seriously, what the fuck?! Sorry, but if my mom f-ing stabbed me, that would pretty much be it for us. I'm sure I'll catch a rerun so I can see the end, but I'm betting it isn't encouraging for either of them.

[Austin]

Sorry, but if my mom f-ing stabbed me, that would pretty much be it for us.

Yeah, that would pretty much be a dealbreaker for me, too. Wow.