I grew up reading the same articles in the 70's and 80's, trying to pray away the gay... the whole time dreading the implications of what becoming straight would mean.
Sex with a female.
[Straight folks should consider what it would be like to pray to God and ask Him to change them to homosexual... and all the implications that go along with it.]
I was devastated that God would not answer my prayers to become something I was terrified of becoming. I didn't HATE women... I just didn't want to go THERE with one. It had me so twisted up inside I spent a lot of time crying in private. The rest of the time I polished my skills at playing the little Christian hetero-boy character. I'd like to think I was pretty good at it.
Sometimes I think back to childhood and wonder if there was ever a real family bond there for me, as I realized I was different at a very young age and the grown-ups did not speak well of that difference. I figured out VERY early to keep that part hidden and be someone else.
I guess the family is only shunning a character I used to play because they never really got to meet ME.
Isn't it ironic that the major "ex-gay" ministries in the U.S. are finally coming out and admitting publicly that it doesn't work that way and have issued empty apologies. I guess we'll have to pass those apologies on to all the suicide victims when we get to hell.
... because fags still go to hell. (or die at Armageddon or some such...)