Quote Of The Day

"Please know that I am deeply sorry. I am sorry for the pain and hurt many of you have experienced. I am sorry that some of you spent years working through the shame and guilt you felt when your attractions didn’t change. I am sorry we promoted sexual orientation change efforts and reparative theories about sexual orientation that stigmatized parents. I am sorry that there were times I didn’t stand up to people publicly 'on my side' who called you names like sodomite—or worse. I am sorry that I, knowing some of you so well, failed to share publicly that the gay and lesbian people I know were every bit as capable of being amazing parents as the straight people that I know. I am sorry that when I celebrated a person coming to Christ and surrendering their sexuality to Him that I callously celebrated the end of relationships that broke your heart. I am sorry that I have communicated that you and your families are less than me and mine."

- Alan Chambers in an apology to the LGBTQ community.

Chambers is the head of Exodus International, the most recognized "ex-gay" organization in the world.  With the apology, came the announcement that Exodus would be closing their doors permanently as of yesterday.  Founded in 1976, Exodus had 100 office locations within the U.S. at its peak, and over 150 locations worldwide.  They were the leaders in so-called "reparative therapy", the belief that gay and lesbian people could become straight with the help of god.

In the last 12 months, Chambers has changed his position on a number of issues involving Exodus and the LGBTQ community.  He was an ardent supporter of the "ex-gay" movement, citing himself as an example of its success.  In recent months, he's said that he doesn't consider himself gay, yet he doesn't think of himself as heterosexual.  He stated that he was confused about his own sexual identity.  He has questioned whether reparative therapy is effective, and, as we can see, has realized how much damage him and his movement has done in this world.

A documentary will be airing tonight on OWN at 10PM, focusing on the "ex-gay" community and Alan Chambers in particular.  I'm expecting to see a couple of bombshells being revealed.