Evergreen International, Inc. is a Mormon-run 501(c)(3) non-profit based in Utah that purports to be able to help gay and lesbian individuals change their sexual orientation. Click here for the Wikipedia article on the organization–and here for more information on conversion therapy. It is not part of the Mormon church, although the church reportedly supports it financially and church leaders have spoken with regularity at its events.
But first, let’s talk about the Wheel of Fortune (click here for a YouTube clip of one of the first episodes in 1979). It’s a game show that requires contestants to decipher a word or phrase based on incomplete information. I remember watching the show with my German grandmother (on my dad’s side). On one occasion, I remember her being convinced that she had solved the puzzle, even though only a few letters had been revealed.
“I’ve got it, I’ve got it, ” she yelled (and she really did yell; she was hard of hearing, but stubbornly refused to acknowledge the deficiency). I had to admit, her solution made sense. Then a contestant spun the wheel, picked another letter, and it became obvious that my grandmother’s solution couldn’t be correct. She promptly switched off the TV and announced it was time to do something else. “Hmph,” I heard her grumble on her way into the kitchen. “I still like my answer.”
Last week, Robert L. Spitzer, an important figure in modern psychiatry, renounced a landmark study he published in 2003 suggesting that therapy could be effective in helping gays and lesbians change their sexual orientation. Rob Lauer, an acquaintance, emailed Evergreen a few days later about Dr. Spitzer. Here is a transcript of the exchange that ensued.
Evergreen and my German grandmother have a lot in common. Although I love my grandmother, that’s not intended as a compliment.
There is a lot that could be said about this exchange–and reparative therapy in general (and Evergreen International in particular). I’m going to limit myself to just a few observations.
We should think of science as an attempt to solve a giant Wheel of Fortune puzzle. Given the letters that are visible, we do our best to come up with solutions that fit, and then we generally stick with them until further information forces us to rethink things. If a new letter complicates things, then we have to find another solution. We can’t ignore new data. That’s not how it works. On the other hand, just because a previous solution is called into question, we can’t discard previous letters. That’s not how it works, either. We’re obligated to come up with a solution that fits both the existing letters (or data) and the new letters (or data).
David C. Pruden, Evergreen’s executive director since 1995, responded to Mr. Lauer by mimicking Dr. Spitzer in the first person and then dismissing him as old (and irrelevant):
Gee, I thought their [sic] might be gravity. I did a study. There is gravity! I proved it with my scientific study.
Ten years of academic (gay) harassment pass. I am now 80, sick, and old. Never mind, I now suspect there is no gravity. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe none of those apples fell (people changed) but maybe they did. I didn’t ask them. Didn’t conduct new experiments. I just got tired and now I’ll say I was wrong.
Science doesn’t work that way. The study is important. Spitzer is not. The study stands on it’s [sic] own.
In addition to being condescending and unprofessional, Mr. Pruden makes three points: 1) The fact that individuals can change their sexual orientation is as obvious as gravity (thus the comparison of Spitzer’s groundbreaking study to the notion of “discovering” gravity, 2) Spitzer is now old and tired of being harassed (by other academics, who are pursuing a pro-gay agenda), and 3) Spitzer is now trying to take the study back (but what Spitzer says now is irrelevant).
This is the equivalent of my German grandma turning off the TV and muttering something about how she likes her answer better.
Although my grandma and Mr. Pruden don’t seem to think so, new data is useful. It forces us to adjust our view of the world in ways that might be painful now, but are beneficial in the long run. More data led to the recent demotion of Pluto (but it also led to a better understanding of our solar system). It’s ironic that Mr. Pruden brings up gravity. A Newtonian perspective on gravity, while useful, has been replaced by Einstein’s theories. We benefit from Einstein’s reconceptualization of gravity every time we use the GPS system. The system requires precise synchronization that would be impossible without an understanding of the relationship between gravity, velocity, and time. If we attempted to synchronize GPS satellites based on Mr. Pruden’s “I-did-a-study-there-is-gravity-I’m-done-thinking-about-it” approach to science, GPS navigation would be off by nearly six miles within twenty-four hours.
In Mr. Pruden’s response, he seems to imply that Dr. Spitzer is retracting the data he used in his study. It’s clear, however, that Dr. Spitzer isn’t dismissing his data–he’s reinterpreting it. And he’s reinterpreting it in light of nearly ten years of new research on sexual orientation.
So what is the emerging view of sexual orientation? Imagine a boat floating in a lake moored in position by its anchor. The position of the boat represents behavior. The anchor represents sexual orientation. For most people, there is some slack in the anchor line, and it’s possible, with a little paddling, to change sexual behavior. Individuals can learn to be celibate, for example, or homosexuals can shoe-horn themselves into heterosexual marriages. For most people, however, regardless of how much they paddle, it’s impossible to drag the anchor very far. The further individuals paddle their boats, the more tension there is in the line (and the more paddling is required to keep the boat from drifting back to its original position). This view of sexual orientation explains the data Dr. Spitzer’s reported in his original (click here for a brief summary and critique), as well as more recent research findings.
Groups like Evergreen International reinforce the notion that there is only one safe habor on the lake and that everyone, regardless of where moored, should paddle there. Their existence depends on framing homosexuality as a negative “condition” that requires “treatment”–a position that the American Psychiatric Association has condemned by reminding its members that “ethical practitioners refrain from attempts to change individuals’ sexual orientation, keeping in mind the medical dictum to first, do no harm.”
Groups like Evergreen International only practice science when it’s convenient. Like my grandma, when presented with contradictory evidence, they turn off the TV and insist their answer is better. They’ve already decided what the truth is, and the inertia of their faith requires them to cherry-pick data that supports their position. Because their position is based on theology, not science, they end up in a logical house of mirrors where gay people don’t exist (just individuals “suffering” from same-sex attraction).
These groups spend their time telling our most vulnerable–often young adults still fresh with endless possibility–that God expects them to change who they are in order to earn His love. These groups tell these people to keep paddling, because they have to, because God wants them to, and that if they paddle long enough, and hard enough, it’ll be enough.
For most individuals, this is a lie. It doesn’t matter how nicely Evergreen puts it, or how often they repeat it, this is the kind of lie that puts Evergreen in the same company as other infamous scammers and snake oil salesmen. Evergreen doesn’t have to go down that path, but judging from his response to Mr. Lauer, it appears that Mr. Pruden is intent on taking Evergreen to exactly that place.
[Last Post: 31 Straining at Gnats]
Some data to support this post: http://ldshomosexuality.com/wp-content/uploads/USU-LDS-SSA-Newsletter-v1.pdf
Thank you for this important piece. It’s an apt comparison you make here.
Brent, this is a masterpiece! Bravo! I hope that this is read by some of the Brethren. They need to realize how absolutely incredible their claims and prescriptions are with each passing year, and each additional study. It is a miraculous thing to be a church of revelation. It would also be a great thing to be relevant. I believe that the Church can come out of obscurity, and out of darkness in step with both revelation and science. Hopefully some of the men at the top believe that, as well.
Very well written. Thank you.
I once attended a couple of groups for men who were “dealing with SSA.” In addition, I attended an Evergreen conference in SLC several years ago. I personally believe Evergreen serves as an important support system for men who want to live in accordance with current church doctrine. And I believe some men who are “bi” enough are able to succeed at conforming to church standards. That said, there is no doubt that no amount of therapy will turn some gay men straight and participating in such ventures proves frustrating and traumatizing for the men and the women they marry.
I once attended a debate regarding reparative therapy at the U of U. I agreed at the time that such support should be available to help men who wanted to live straight lives “according to the dictates of their own conscience.” And I disagreed with the people against reparative therapy, because they stated that their mission was to help men accept themselves as they were. The ethical dilemma here of course is that the counselor’s job is to try to help the individual achieve happiness as he defines it, and for some gay men, that means doing their best to live heterosexual lives and, as much as possible, be heterosexual.
Mr. Pruden was one of two or three who represented the case for reparative therapy. I found him to be unprofessional and condescending to the opposing side as Brent described above and I told him afterward that his attitude did not advance his cause.
@Brett, thanks for the comment. I particularly liked this “And I believe some men who are “bi” enough are able to succeed at conforming to church standards. That said, there is no doubt that no amount of therapy will turn some gay men straight and participating in such ventures proves frustrating and traumatizing for the men and the women they marry.”
I don’t like Evergreen for a number of reasons (many of which I touch on in my post), but I agree with your observation that groups like Evergreen could do some good at the individual level in terms of support, etc. I guess my primary concern is that groups like Evergreen contribute to the perpetuation of a hostile cultural and spiritual environment that drives many gay individuals to “choose” to try to live heterosexual lives. . . (and as you observe, in many cases, this effort turns out badly).
Brent, such a wonderful article. I posted elsewhere on this blog about my own email exchange with Mr. Pruden. I find it interesting that he, and so many in the church, think that orientation is a “choice;” the same as waking up and choosing either cereal or toast, or wearing a red or green shirt; or that their circumstance is the result of “weakness.” Ugh. I pray for the day that these misconceptions can be done away with and we see the brethren embracing our LGBT brothers and sisters for who they are…period. As I mentioned in my other post, for those who wish to receive services through Evergreen, I would only hope that it conducts itself as an organization based on principles of love, understanding, support and tenderness. But when a person “at the top” cultivates an environment of ridicule and mockery, how can that even be possible?
It is so sad to imagine the anguish these people will face during the judgement. How many lives have become unbearable because of these people? For how many suicides are they responsible? How many bullies feel justified because of the message Evergreen promotes (by its very existence, even)?