Ariel Shidlo and Michael Schroeder found in "Changing Sexual Orientation: A Consumer's Report", a peer-reviewed study published in 2002, that 88% of participants failed to achieve a sustained change in their sexual behavior and 3% reported changing their orientation to heterosexual. The remainder reported either losing all sexual drive or attempting to remain celibate, with no change in attraction. Some of the participants who failed felt a sense of shame and had gone through conversion therapy programs for many years. Others who failed believed that therapy was worthwhile and valuable. Shidlo and Schroeder also reported that many respondents were harmed by the attempt to change. Of the 8 respondents (out of a sample of 202) who reported a change in sexual orientation, 7 worked as ex-gay counselors or group leaders. Every accredited medical, psychological and scientific institution in the United States agrees that homosexuality and heterosexuality are both normal, natural and unchangeable sexual orientations.

Sexuality is not chosen, that has been proven by time- since the dawn of time! Homosexuality has existed in ALL civilizations throughout time. Gay people are born gay just as others are heterosexual, and yes, there are also bisexuals who are attracted to both men and women. "Conversion Therapy" is pure quackery, failing to gain ANY support from doctors or psychiatrists, who actually strongly council against it! Why is this "Gay" organization supporting harmful "therapy?!" It's insane!! Does that mean they people that heterosexuals can be turned gay by conversion therapy?!?

I would never change- I love my life too much- married for years to a man, have a child. And I don't actually believe that someone who is not attracted to the opposite sex can be changed through any form of therapy. But I would love ot meet someone who makes the claim and speak to them myself to see if all this is straight fantasy (straights who want to change gays) or real change.

If someone who is sexually attracted to his own gender and finds that difficult to live with. So rather than "excepeting and loving who you are" this person decides to see where does hs/hers homosexuality come from and can it, if not be readjusted, at least brought under his control rather than his sexuality controling him. People who are not gay CERTAINLY DO NOT have the right to judge and other gays should be openminded enough to except 1. its hard to be gay for all of us and 2 if our gay brothers or sisters find it so difficult and if we care for them as human beings, to let them walk the path they choose in how to deal with this very complicated issue. The agenda of the gay movement is always fine until you saysomething different than they want t hear. I f they are SO SURE OF THEMSELVES they wouldnt need to make an issue out of the possibilty of change!

they are now married and both have children. I assume they are sexually attracted toward their wives...

Nor do the "correctional" facilities for criminals, who on the most part return to a life of crime. But we all have free choice and options to help people exercise free choice in consonance with their ideology is a legitimate institution - even if the success rate is small. And as people struggle with their success in achieving the resolve to live the life they wish they wanted by nature, these organizations will learn and modify their strategies to achieve greater success with the lessons of their failures. It is not different than a penitentiary or a rehab center. Low success rates, high ambitions and a desire on the parts of the organizations and the participants to make it work - with constant room for improvement.

Nevertheless we all agree that it should be tried.

I have tried to change. In the US the Aeasthetic Realism foundation had for a long time claimed that they could change sexual orientation. Many participants have claimed that they had changed. Some even have married and had children. I was a "patient" of Aesthetic Realism and through multiple consultations I was eventually convinced to have a relationship with a woman with whom I had sex many times. But what was missing every single time was the emotional connection. Yes, gays can have sex with the opposite sex if they put their mind to it, but they will never feel the emotional bond. Eventually, I realized I was not happy as emotionally there was a big void. So, I went back to my gay life. Also many of the others who had claimed to have changed with Aeasthetic Realism today are back to their gay lives. I wasted so much money and time for nothing. My final conclusion, one is born gay, its in our genes. Yes, as a gay person you can have a relationship with the opposite sex and have children, but you will never be completely happy. Today, Aeasthetic Realsim tries no more to "change" the sexual orientation of their "patients", as they realized the folly of their claims.

It is a fact that a large portion of boys that were sexually abused end up homosexual... http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/280/21/1855.full.pdf+html?sid=69bcdf35-c3f5-4e76-b232-bb5215825e92 That article from the Journal of the American Medical Association backs me up. Sexual tendencies apparently can change, it is just a matter of when they can change. Perhaps later on in life they are not so easy to change anymore...

Save you money.save your effort, save your time and accept God's will for,gays are His children as well.

even in the attempt to "change," let alone the abissymal results of these efforts. Anybody who has seen a purportedly former gay straight man or a lesbian stuffed into a dress masquerading as a staight woman knows what I mean.

got about them? BTW I don't by the AMA journal's artical. Sexual tendencies are G-d directed it is how each one of us is wired that counts!

The only reason this is necessary is for the very bigotry that is fueling the hate. RESPECT ALL PEOPLE!!! If people were treated equally there would be no need for painful therapy that teaches people to hate themselves as God made them.

What about all the other halachic problems like stealing, killing innocent people, destroying other people's lives through deceit-all of which would seem to be much more pressing today then whether or not 2 people shack up in their homes? Let's tackle some of the other halachot that destroy humanity before we destroy ourselves!

Israeli gays don't get stoned to death, That’s strictly an Arab way of dealing with it Iran say's they have NO GAYS, which means they’re either hiding or have been eliminated Saudi Arabia, a pile of stones waits to rectify the situation

I'm glad that you're happy You possess a child, you didn't "HAVE" the child was carried by a woman You can have a dog, it doesn't mean that you birthed the dog Possessing and creating are quite two different matters As the child grows older, it will be confronted with the fact that it has two Daddy's, I hope you've prepared the child for that eventuality, which you may be certain that it will be confronted with Then comes the question as to what the child’s orientation will be, will it follow in the steps of it’s adoptive parents, seeking another of the same sex as it’s mate You have opened a real can of worms One question, did either you or your mate serve in Tzahal ?

I think if ex-gay therapy worked, we wouldn't even be having this discussion. It would have become standard practice among other peoples who can't tolerate gays. For example, Christians. If ex-gay therapy worked, mostly-Christian-America would have zero gay people, and lots of ex-gay people would be happily married, going to church each week, all happy and blissful. Considering the h*ll they go through, really, that would be the case. And, please, no arguments about "well they haven't prayed enough, they can pray away the gay". That's disrespectful to the umpteen millions who have probably prayed for nothing else in their lives so fervently. We don't live in a happily ex-gay society, so I have my doubts about any ex-gay movement.

No one decides to become homosexual or heterosexual, just as no one decides to be born male or female, brunette or blonde. I accept homosexuals for what they are, and expect them to accept me as heterosexual. End of story.

Organizations are supposed to assist people not try to change them. What's the difference between this 'organization' and a brainwashing cult of misfits? Instead of taking the Jewish approach which would be to celebrate live and love and happiness, these Idiots are trying to change people to how THEY think they should behave. I find this absolutely abhorant. Leave the gay community ALONE - leave them to live their lives and find their own happiness. Maybe another organization should be set up to help these people learn to live and accept that the world is a melting pot of all different kinds and learning to accept others, is the first step to being a decent human being. To all the gays out there - live, love and be happy. Be who you are and don't try and change.

Once a gay ALWAYS a gay. The money is on those two men having affairs behind their wives back...with men. Some gays just get married and have kids to please their families because that's how they think it should be - they just do it for their family's sake - I'd even say that all men who have supposedly been 'cured' of being gay are having extra marital affairs with men behind their wives back. I know lots and lots of men who are 'married' but are in love with another man - and it makes me sad that they are forced to live a life that they were not meant to live - but do it for others.

These lewd people couldn’t have picked a more appropriate symbol.

Who are YOU to judge anyone here? There are thousands of children living with straight couples who are being beaten and abused. on a daily basis - and guess what, there are religious among those vile parents. Why the f**k should you care as long as this gay couple are raising their child with warm and love? You are also too thick and stupid to understand that if a child is born gay, that's just how it is. You cannot train someone to be gay - God you're such a thick ignorant Prat! Furthermore, what does it matter if he served in the IDF or not? There happens to be hundreds of gays serving their country and they are respected and treated the same as other soldiers. Pity you don't extend that respect. You sound like an in the closet gay - it's always your kind that kick up the biggest stink who are harbouring feelings for the same sex.

.....for a heterosexual parent to abuse their children. Dont put words in his mouth. The fact is that having 2 dads is not normal. Period.

Even though the rainbow came after the flood?

Nonsense! We are 2 fathers who used a surrogate mother. It is not a "possessed" child it is "our"child and it is related biologically to one of us. Guess what? that child is happy, healthy, does extremely well academically, is an accomplished in sports, totally at ease at school, with peers . Has friends everywhere and is accepted as such in the 5synagogues we belong to (different cities!) including the orthodox ones. You cannot change, you can only help accept and deal with your secuality whatever it is. I am quite passionate about this because of the monumental dammage done by so called "religious" people. Not embarrasssed to give my email as in my opinion gays living in this century have received a huge blessing since they can "have" children. One last thing I'll share with you: our child just spent 3 years in a private catholic school in a large international city. It was a first and the Bishop who sits on the board of Trustees had a bit of concern but, I quote" "the Church must opent its eyes and its arms". It did not take 3 months for my family to be one of the most popular in that school. When we left, we were told that we were the example of a perfect family. Now, I do not think that would have happened in a private Jewish school.

The fact that they"did the deed" with a woman does not mean that they would not prefer to "do it" with another guy, or that they won't do so in the future.

This is nothing but wishful thinking. The small percentage that manages to "change" is already bisexual at some level. Most of those who try these therapies fail and weep over the wasted money. The basic reason for this contraposition are the so-called holy books "given by G-d", including the Torah. All of them are full of human concepts and all of them have used to bring sufferance and death to fellow humans. As a former religious Jew and gay I reject the authority of any religious book and tell my fellow GLBT people: DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY. Listen to your heart. As long as you ask a religious authority what you should be or not you submit yourself to a source that has caused most of the wars and discrimination on this planet.