Exorcisms, hugging, behavioural management and marriage are among the methods used by a Christian ministry to "heal" homosexuals in Queensland, according to a former leader who now wants to see the practice stamped out.
Paul Martin, the principal psychologist at Brisbane's Centre for Human Potential, said the local branches of an American organisation known as Exodus Global Alliance promoted homophobia and dangerous "ex-gay" therapies.
But Mr Martin, who became a lead counsellor with the Melbourne branch of Exodus Asia Pacific in his early 20s, said despite apparent support for issues such as same-sex marriage, there was a culture of internalised anti-gay sentiment in Queensland.
Mr Martin said that sentiment meant organisations seeking to "cure" homosexual people would continue to find an audience
Exodus made headlines yesterday when Community Services Minister Karen Struthers condemned her LNP counterpart Fiona Simpson for a speech made in 2002, which outlined her support for the organisation that helped gay and lesbian people "grow into heterosexuality" over time.
"Their message stems from the idea that homosexuality stems from a childhood love-deficit, that you weren't loved enough by your father and so crave love from men, or that you were sexually abused; basically that homosexuality comes from a bad place, that homosexuals are damaged people, and that Exodus will heal your brokenness," Mr Martin said.
"Ex-gay ministries [like Exodus] see homosexuality as a sin, as something that is evil, and a disorder that can be cured."
According to a timeline on the Exodus Global Alliance website, the ministries expanded into Australia in 1978, with Brisbane hosting the first Exodus Asia Pacific conference in 1990 as the church grew into Singapore and the Philippines.
Of the eight Exodus ministries currently operating in Australia, five are located in Queensland, including two at the Sunshine Coast, one in Underwood and one in Tingalpa.
Exodus Asia Pacific chairman Carol Hardy declined to comment when approached by brisbanetimes.com.au yesterday. Calls made to Queensland's Exodus ministries by brisbanetimes.com.au were also not returned.
Treatment or torment?
Mr Martin said those ministered to by Exodus suffered from deep religious conflict and internal homophobia that manifested in intense self-loathing and strong desire to find relief from their perceived "burden of sinful sexuality".
He said after signing up to the ministries, the parishioners would participate in various "treatment programs" that included focused prayer groups, counselling, and exercises designed to cast out demons.
Men and women underwent masculinisation and feminisation therapies which included learning how to dress and behave more like "the straight man or woman they were supposed to be," Mr Martin said, including dressing lesbians in Laura Ashley garments.
There was also an intense pressure to form heterosexual relationships in the Christian communities that supported the ministry, with marriage and children seen as the ultimate mark of success.
"We'd parade men who went through the program and got married around like they were champions, and they'd all say their lives were better since they committed to God and enjoyed the sort of relationship God intended – with a woman, having children," Mr Martin said.
"But you'd then have a conversation where they admitted their lives were far more painful now they were living this even greater lie – they were burdened with guilt because they were hurting the woman they were married to, or engaging in desperate sex acts in public toilets or bushes that were even further from their belief system [than committed same-sex relationships]."
Mr Martin said such interactions, coupled with his own struggle to meld his fundamental Christian beliefs with his homosexual orientation, eventually gave rise to his decision to walk away from the ministry, its church, and move to Brisbane.
Twenty-five years later, Mr Martin is a registered psychologist, equal-rights campaigner, advocate for same-sex marriage and impassioned critic of so-called "gay healing".
He said while attitudes had improved significantly since his youth, the large number of ex-gay ministries in Queensland was a sign homophobic sentiment still made life challenging for many men and women.
A sign of the times?
Queensland Association for Healthy Communities executive director Paul Martin (who shares a name with the former Exodus counsellor) said there was small but significant residue left over from the "old days" of Queensland, were anti-gay discrimination was rife.
Mr Martin cited a Roy Morgan report released last year that found three electorates in Queensland were the most homophobic in Australia.
Wright, Hinkler and Capricornia had the highest percentages of people who agreed with the statement "I believe homosexuality is immoral", with the inner suburbs of Brisbane among the third most gay-friendly in Australia, after Melbourne and Sydney.
QAHC's Mr Martin said Ms Simpson's 2002 comments in support of the Exodus ministry might not represent the mainstream today.
"But outdated homophobic attitudes still prevail and one has to point out the damage done to people living in state were homosexuality was a crime until 1990 – it's a cumulative damage, it's minority stress, it's people dealing with long-held feelings they were less equal than others," he said.
In April, a Catholic school at Caboolture banned a related, but not officially affiliated, Exodus ministry from holding a meeting on school grounds featuring American ex-gay motivational speaker Adam Hood.
In a video posted to YouTube, Mr Hood explains how participating in gay-cure programs helped him become a happily married, sexually active straight man.
He also said that homosexuals should be quarantined, called them a "gangrene" that would infect and destroy heaven.
Reflecting on a time when he shared similar fears, the Centre for Human Potential's Mr Martin said he hoped young people confused about their sexuality could look beyond messages of hate to find hope.
"Saying a homosexual person can turn themselves heterosexual is about as ridiculous as telling a white person they can be black," he said.
"Young people shouldn't listen to community leaders such as Ms Simpson, but instead focus on the fact that a majority of Australians support full equality for all gays and lesbians."
