Each year marks a new chapter in our journey for truth and belonging. This timeline captures the moments, victories, and turning points that have shaped Truth Wins Out — from its founding days to its evolution into a force for defending LGBTQ rights and challenging religious extremism. These milestones honor the resilience, passion, and courage of countless activists, allies, and survivors.
Truth Wins Out Releases "Behind the Mask: The Project 2025 Organizations Reshaping America – Volume II."
Builds on Volume I with hundreds of pages detailing 80 of the 115 advisory groups tied to Project 2025.
Truth Wins Out Releases "Behind the Mask: The Project 2025 Organizations Reshaping America - Volume 1". An in depth analysis on the 114 extremist
groups plotting to replace democracy with Christian Nationalist rule.
Truth Wins Out embraces a bold new chapter, expanding its focus from fighting conversion therapy to a broader mission — defending the rights of LGBTQ people and other marginalized communities while challenging religious extremism and disinformation. This rebrand reflects our evolution and deepened commitment to building a world where every person can live openly, authentically, and free from fear.
Published an exclusive investigation, in conjunction with Matt Ashcroft and Stevie Inghram, that found infamous conversion therapy activist Jayson Graves had his psychotherapy credentials stripped in Colorado for allegedly sexually assaulting a client.
Revealed that Sam Brinton, a Biden administration official and former Born Perfect and Trevor Project spokesperson, turned luggage thief, had likely exaggerated their testimony of receiving conversion torture therapy.
Released Lies with a Straight Face: Exposing the Cranks and Cons Inside the ‘Ex-Gay’ Industry, which examines the history of conversion programs from 2003 to 2023. The book (and audiobook) is a vital roadmap to stop the Religious Right’s insidious efforts to rebrand and reboot failed ‘ex-gay’ conversion efforts.
Led a major investigation that revealed notorious conversion therapy activist Christopher Doyle
allegedly beat his wife and abused his children, as well as likely had an affair with a male client.
Truth Wins Out’s original research led to a major CNN story proving that Republican House Speaker Michael Johnson once promoted “ex-gay” conversion therapy.
Created the world’s largest video catalogue on YouTube highlighting the failures of “ex-gay” conversion organizations. Truth Wins Out’s videos feature survivors, parents, former “ex-gay” leaders, ministers, harmed spouses and scientists.
TWO Español, which features part of our YouTube video catalogue in Spanish.
Launched the “Love Yourself, Live Your Truth“ Internet ad campaign that warns people about the dangers of “ex-gay” conversion programs. Truth Wins Out also debuted the “It’s So Weird” and “It’s Dangerous” ad campaigns to highlight how bizarre and even deadly conversion therapy truly is.
Released a groundbreaking ad campaign featuring former “ex-gay” leaders who now renounce conversion ministries as dangerous and ineffective.
Broke the story of Journey into Manhood co-founder and prominent LDS therapist David Matheson coming out of the closet.
Led a successful campaign to have Apple, Microsoft, Amazon and Google remove an “ex-gay” app by Living Hope Ministries from their online stores.
Orchestrated an undercover operation that outed “ex-gay” conversion therapist Norman Goldwasser as a hypocrite who “cured” LGBTQ youth by day, while at night cruised Man Hunt and Bear Nation for sex with men.
Truth Wins Out takes a one year hiatus after playing a key role in shutting down several major “ex-gay” conversion groups.
Launched an innovative ad campaign to counter right wing attempt to oppose LGBTQ equality under the guise of religious freedom.
Created the Center Against Religious Extremism (TWOCARE) to provide deep background research against the Religious Right.
Co-founded the NALT Christians Project, to show that Christianity does not require homophobia, and that many Christians support LGBT equality.
Launched “The Science Project” that interviewed key researchers to rebut right wing misinformation on LGBTQ issues.
Initiated a successful undercover investigation that proved Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and her husband, Marcus, own a therapy clinic that practices “ex-gay” conversion therapy.
Worked with the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) to find plaintiffs for their landmark lawsuit that put Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality (JONAH) out of business. The campaign stemmed, in-part, from a video Truth Wins Out filmed with “ex-gay” JONAH survivors Chaim Levin and Ben Unger.
Truth Wins Out Executive Director, Wayne Besen, had a high profile “Red State” speaking tour, appearing in Indiana, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Alabama.
Organized the American Prayer Hour, an event that shined a spotlight on the role American evangelicals played in the introduction of Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill.
In a joint investigation with South Florida Gay News in 2010, Besen exposed JONAH’s Arthur Goldberg as a Wall Street con artist who served time in jail for stealing millions of dollars.
The Lansing, Michigan-based “ex-gay” ministry, Corduroy Stone, was shut down by Truth Wins Out after we released a video featuring survivor Patrick McAlvey. He bravely revealed that group’s “ex-gay” minister was making unwanted sexual advances toward clients.
Created Respect My Research, an online platform where scientists could take right wing extremists to task for distorting their scientific studies.
Truth Wins Out is founded. The organization is launched at Washington, DC’s National Press Club in response to George W. Bush having “ex-gay” leaders speak inside the White House. At the press conference, “ex-gay” survivor Lance Carroll shares his story with the national media. ”I didn’t want to go. I was forced to go,” said Carroll, adding that the experience boiled down to week after week of ”negative reinforcement of shame.” He added that it didn’t work for him, and that he didn’t see it working for any of his fellow campers, either. His parents, he concluded, got more for their $10,000 — it helped reinforce their homophobia.
