In a campaign against a gay protections
measure, the anti-gay group FRC is claiming gay people can
spontaneously turn straight.
The socially conservative Family
Research Council (FRC), which is headed by Tony Perkins, makes the
claim in a July 23 full page ad published in the Holland Sentinel,
Michigan-based
gay weekly Pride
Source
first reported.
In the ad, the FRC urges Holland,
Michigan city leaders to reject a proposed ordinance that would make
it illegal to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and
gender identity. Lawmakers asked at a July 7 meeting for the Human
Relations Commission to review the issue.
“Pro-homosexual activists want …
Holland to give homosexuals special protections under employment
discrimination laws. But does this make sense?” the ad asks, then
goes on to list what it claims are myths about being gay.
In the “myth vs. fact” section, the
ad claims that gay men and lesbians experience considerably higher
levels of mental illness and substance abuse than their straight
counterparts and that gay people are not seriously disadvantaged by
discrimination.
Under the tagline “Myth: Sexual
orientation can never change,” the ad states that thousands of gay
people have altered their sexuality. “Research confirms that such
change does occur – sometimes spontaneously, and sometime as a
result of therapeutic interventions.”
Jennifer Adams of the group Holland is
Ready, a group that supports the ordinance, called the ad “sad.”
“I was sad to see this ad in our
local paper, but it's typical of groups like the FRC, who are
becoming more and more desperate in their communication,” Adams
said.
The group is expected to meet Wednesday
to discuss the matter.
The late Edgar Prince of Holland gave
heavily to the FRC from its start and the group keeps an office in
the city. Prince's former wife Elsa continues to fund anti-gay
causes, including the FRC and a campaign in California that banned
gay marriage. Holland-based frozen-food maker Request Foods is also
listed in the ad.