TWO Says Allegations Are Sickening, Saddening, and a Grim Reminder of the Dangers Created by ‘Ex-Gay’ Ministries
Contact:
Contact Wayne Besen, Executive Director
Email: wbesen@truthwinsout.org
Delray Beach, Fl. — Truth Wins Out, a national organization that monitors and exposes anti-LGBTQ extremism and so-called “ex-gay” conversion ministries, today responded to the arrest of Alan Chambers, the former president of Exodus International, after reports that he was taken into custody in Florida in connection with deeply disturbing allegations involving an undercover officer posing as a 14-year-old minor. Chambers resided with his family in Winter Park, FL.
Truth Wins Out emphasized that Chambers, like all defendants, is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. At the same time, the organization said the reported allegations are profoundly alarming and deserve a thorough investigation.
“We are both sickened and saddened by the deeply troubling allegations against Alan Chambers,” said Truth Wins Out Executive Director Wayne Besen. “We are sickened by the predatory behavior alleged. We are saddened for his family, whom I have interviewed and met on several occasions. If proven guilty, Chambers should face the consequences of his actions.”
Chambers is best known as the former president of Exodus International, once the largest “ex-gay” ministry in the world. For decades, Exodus promoted the false and destructive idea that LGBTQ people could change their sexual orientation or gender identity through prayer, counseling, shame-based religious pressure, or pseudo-therapeutic interventions. Under Chambers’ leadership, Exodus became one of the most recognizable public faces of the conversion therapy movement, even as survivors described the severe psychological, spiritual, and emotional harm caused by such ministries.
Chambers later apologized for Exodus’ work and helped shut the organization down in 2013. Truth Wins Out acknowledged at the time that the closure of Exodus was significant. But the organization also warned that the collapse of one institution did not erase the damage inflicted by the broader “ex-gay” movement, nor did it end the need for vigilance.
“Exodus was not merely wrong; it was dangerous,” said Besen. “It taught vulnerable LGBTQ people — including youth — that they were broken, sinful, disordered, or in need of repair. That message destroyed self-worth, alienated children from their families, and gave religious authority figures enormous power over people they claimed to be ‘helping.’ Such environments are ripe for exploitation.”
Truth Wins Out has long argued that “ex-gay” ministries often function as a front for manipulation, coercion, and abuse. These groups frequently place unlicensed counselors, pastors, mentors, and self-proclaimed “former homosexuals” in intimate positions of authority over vulnerable LGBTQ people, including teenagers and young adults struggling with family rejection, religious guilt, or fear of losing their communities. In such settings, boundaries can be blurred, secrecy is normalized, and those harmed often feel too ashamed or frightened to speak out.
“Conversion ministries create the perfect conditions for abuse,” said Besen. “They isolate vulnerable LGBTQ youth, tell them their natural identity is shameful, and then hand power to religious leaders who claim they can ‘heal’ them. That is a dangerous formula, and history has shown again and again that predators can exploit it.”
Truth Wins Out was especially concerned by Exodus’ outreach to young people, including Exodus Youth. The organization repeatedly spoke out against efforts to target LGBTQ minors with conversion messages, warning that such programs placed children and adolescents in psychologically unsafe environments. TWO said the reported allegations involving Chambers reinforce the urgency of protecting youth from adults who operate under the banner of religion while claiming authority over sexuality.
“Truth Wins Out was always deeply concerned about Exodus Youth,” said Besen. “The idea of placing LGBTQ teenagers under the influence of an organization dedicated to erasing who they are was indefensible. Young people need safety, affirmation, and honest support — not ministries that shame them, pressure them, or expose them to adults with unhealthy power over their lives.”
TWO also said it is important not to allow Chambers’ later apology or public rebranding to obscure the facts of his public life. Although Chambers eventually rejected the term “ex-gay” and acknowledged ongoing same-sex attraction, he did not become a representative of the LGBTQ community after coming out of the closet about his sexuality. He remained married to his wife Leslie, remained active in church, and continued to present himself primarily through a conservative Christian framework.
“Alan Chambers should not be portrayed as an LGBTQ leader,” said Besen. “He was a former leader of a movement that harmed LGBTQ people. His later apology mattered, but it did not make him a community spokesperson or erase the suffering caused by Exodus International.”
Truth Wins Out urged anyone harmed by conversion therapy, “ex-gay” ministries, clergy misconduct, or sexual exploitation to contact appropriate law enforcement, seek trauma-informed support, and know that being LGBTQ is healthy, natural, and not in need of repair.
Truth Wins Out had a series of video interviews with Chambers, and featured him in an in-depth publication featuring former “ex-gay” leaders, “To the Dark Side and Back”. Besen interviewed Chambers at length for his two books on the “ex-gay” ministries, “Anything But Straight” and “Lies with a Straight Face.”
About Truth Wins Out
Truth Wins Out is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that works to advance liberty and democracy, protect the rights of LGBTQ people and other minorities, combat religious extremism, and fight against the spread of disinformation.