Exodus is No Exodus

In this morning's Queerty, there was an article on the "Ex-Gay Exodus Looking for New Recruits" (Click here to link). This group, along with groups like OneByOne that continually advertises in Presbyterian gatherings and the Layman website, are believers in the delusion of the reparative therapy "cure" for "what ails you."

Exodus, which literally means going out, a departure, or emigration, is--for those of us who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender folks--the courageous act of leaving the closet, the church's own "don't ask, don't tell" unspoken but living policy. Exodus is not denying the reality of who God made us, and living openly, honestly, and without guilt or a sense or hint of embarrassment. Exodus is not the embrace of the sentence "If I were only straight, then life would be so much easier" spoken by too many LGBT folks who are lured by the glittering falseness of the American dream (as well as a symptom of a gay person's own homophobia).

When Moses and the people left the imprisonment of the Egyptian, when Jesus went on his exodus from Mt. Tabor to Jerusalem, it was a bold act of leaving the oppressive systems of this world and claiming the radical nature of what God is doing: creating a new heaven and new earth. Staying in the closet, as promoted by groups like "Exodus" is oxymoronic.

It is time to reclaim the true meaning of the word "exodus," moving forward and away from the tyranny of homophobic American Christians.

Peace,
Brett