Two Ex-Gay Leaders: One Meddling In Exporting Conversion Therapy & The Other Suing Silicon Valley
Perhaps it's the winds of homophobia in the air. Or maybe terminal uniqueness? But, Woning is on the hunt for validation in Africa and Yuan is suing for a 50% discount on $13.49 a month.
“Believe whatever you want to believe, for yourself. Stop stoking the fires of hatred toward the LGBTQ+ people around the world and allowing christian nationalist groups to use you as a legal litmus test for an agenda much more important to them than you are.”
Exporting Conversion Therapy…
From The Progressive Magazine article, “Exporting Conversion Therapy: A trans-Atlantic evangelical alliance is popularizing a dangerous and debunked practice across African nations.” (emphasis mine):
Attending the fourth Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) in the landlocked East African nation of Rwanda, Elizabeth Woning is a long way from home… the pastor and co-founder of the U.S.-based “ex-gay” organization Changed Movement shared why she came all this way.
“GAFCON is focusing on the places where, in my opinion, Christianity is spreading,” Woning, a self-described former lesbian, told an interviewer on camera. “It’s vital to be able to seed them with the vision for wholeness from the LGBT experience.”
Organized by the conservative Global Fellowship of Confessing Anglicans, which is strongly opposed to same-sex marriage, GAFCON IV gathered more than 1,300 delegates, including 315 bishops, from fifty-two countries in the Rwandan capital of Kigali in April 2023. While Woning’s homophobic message of becoming “ex-gay” has lost favor in countries like the United States and United Kingdom, because of how harmful and dangerous it is, anti-LGBTQ+ Christian organizations including the Changed Movement have now found a new target: the people of Africa.
…
The Changed Movement exists in an ecosystem of conversion therapy-focused projects, initiatives, and groups supported by two other organizations: the Core Issues Trust (CIT), a registered charity in Northern Ireland, and the U.K.-based Marriage, Sex and Culture (MSC) Group.
Woning has been around a while and should have learned from the Ugandan debacle we at Exodus failed to strongly denounce immediately when we found out. One of our Board Members was at a similar anti-gay conference and we didn’t denounce his involvement right away. Our failure to do so stoked the fires of life-threatening hatred against the LGBTQ+ community there. Woning should know better (in my opinion).
In the article, she goes on to say:
“Our presence affirmed their independence from governmental and social pressure to embrace the LGBTQ+ subcultures not indigenous to Africa. Though same-sex sexuality and gender incongruence have historically existed in Africa, the social frameworks and cultural demands of LGBTQ+ do not. Africa has the right to hear alternative views.”
Their ex-gay presence doesn’t affirm their independence. Christianity has been in Africa for 2,000 years, and the LGBTQ+ community has existed there longer. Both communities have their own cultures and histories and don’t need conversion. Gay people just need to be allowed to live as equals. LGBTQ+ people aren’t waiting to hear what western Christians or politicians think about them or who they should love.
Woning acts like their efforts are terminally unique (the belief that one's situation is unique and different from others, when it is not). African LGBTQ+ people have it hard enough, they don’t need Woning over there justifying religious hatred toward them with a smile and pamphlet.
Suing a San Francisco tech company, over $13.49 A Month?
From The Christian Post article “Christopher Yuan's nonprofit sues tech company, alleges religious discrimination” (linkage theirs, emphasis mine):
Yuan’s group, Holy Sexuality, filed a complaint against Asana, Inc. of San Francisco on Tuesday in the United States District Court of the Southern District of California.
According to the lawsuit, Asana refused to give Holy Sexuality a 50% nonprofit discount for the company’s project management software due to the religious nature of the organization.
The lawsuit cited an entry on Asana’s website which excludes from their discount “organizations that exist to solely propagate a belief in a specific faith or do not provide services to people outside of a specific faith.”
Asana also bars from the nonprofit discount any hospitals, credit unions, educational institutions, and any groups “that advocate, support, or practice discrimination based on age, ethnicity, gender, national origin, disability, race, size, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic background.”
The complaint claims that the barring of Holy Sexuality and other religious groups from the nonprofit discount constitutes “invidious religious discrimination” and is “illegal under California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act.”
“People of faith aren’t second-class citizens in California, and tech companies in San Francisco cannot provide lesser services to customers simply because they are religious,” added the lawsuit.
“This Court should thus grant judgment in favor of Holy Sexuality, declare Asana’s discriminatory denial and published policy unlawful, enjoin that policy, order Asana to remove its discriminatory advertisements and to reconsider Holy Sexuality’s application, and award Holy Sexuality damages and attorney’s fees.”
In an ADF press release on Tuesday, Yuan said that he believes the United States “was founded on the principle of the free exercise of religion — a cornerstone of our democracy.”
Uh oh! You know Yuan is mad. He used the word “thus” and everything.
ADF stands for Alliance Defending Freedom, who, in its past, was known as the Alliance Defense Fund. This is the same ADF that once employed now-House Speaker Mike Johnson. They were MAGA before MAGA was a brand. I also had meetings with them when I was on the dark side.
I don’t believe the ADF is really serious about this lawsuit. They can't be or Yuan would know you can’t win back attorney fees when you're not being charged any. The ADF is a non-profit and the attorneys are paid via private donations to their employer, a 501c3 organization. The fact that ADF left that part of the “award” being sought in their press release… really?
Plus, companies are not required to give any non-profit discounts at all. They have every right to limit that discount. They aren’t denying “Holy Sexuality” the product to use, they just have to pay like everyone else because they don’t meet the criteria the company has for their non-profit discount.
Side-note: I wonder if the ADF and Yuan are easily confused about tariffs, too?
Lastly, damages? Is “Holy Sexuality” (what a weird name for an organization) having to pay the same steep price of $13.49 (including taxes) a month like everyone else damaging? I know the cost of eggs is really high right now but… …
Thusly, (← see what I did there?… and, I am not even mad :)) it all just seems so very contrived. It’s like the ADF is using Yuan to test the waters in going after secular companies who have a backbone to stand against prejudice and inequality in this way.
The actors are different but it is the same tragic play…
People are going to believe whatever they want to believe. I simply wish current ex-gay leadership would stop stoking the fires of religious stigma toward the LGBTQ+ people around the world and allowing christian nationalist groups to use them as a legal litmus test for an agenda much more nefarious than what they will/are being led to believe.
More about Randy…
WHY: A Memoir
Helpful resources…
