Ex-Gay Study: 'Conversion' is Possible

Change for the homosexual is difficult, but still possible, researchers of a newly released study say.

"The Thomas Project: A Study of Religiously-Mediated Change in Exodus Group Participants" presents evidence that there are people who have successfully changed, or experienced "conversion," from homosexuality to heterosexuality.

The study, conducted by longtime Wheaton College professor of psychology and provost Stanton L. Jones and Regent University professor Mark Yarhouse, followed about 100 people entering ex-gay programs under the umbrella of Exodus International – the nation's largest Christian organization dealing with homosexuality issues – for over four years.

The researchers, who presented the results on Thursday in Nashville, found that not everyone experienced a successful change through the religious ministry.

"Not even a majority is successful," Jones pointed out to CitizenLink, a publication of Focus on the Family, "but a very substantial group of people report fairly dramatic change."

Results showed that 15 percent of the sample claimed to have successfully changed their sexual orientation, reporting substantial reduction in homosexual desire and addition of heterosexual attraction. These subjects were grouped as "Success: Conversion."

There were also a higher percentage of people (23 percent) who experienced satisfactory reductions in homosexual desire as they embraced the Christian discipline of chastity. This group is described as "Success: Chastity."

Together, 38 percent of the sample experienced significant change while another 29 percent experienced only modest change in the desired direction but expressed commitment to continue.

Additionally, 15 percent experienced no change and were conflicted about the future even though they had not given up; 4 percent reported no change, were confused and had given up but did not label themselves as gay; and 8 percent reported no change, no pursuit and had entered as gay – a group described as "Failure: Gay Identity."

Jones pointed out that change does not come easy even for the successful ones.

"It needs to be said that this process is not like a light switch that switches from one switch point to the other,” the professor said, according to CitizenLink. “Life is still complicated for these people, and some still have some residuals of their homosexual attractions. However, they are people who report being able to function as heterosexuals, they're happy with their marriages and they feel that their lives have changed dramatically."

Jones and Yarhouse wrote in their upcoming book Ex-Gays?: A Continuing Study of Religiously Mediated Sexual Orientation Change in Exodus Participants that change was complex for most of the individuals who did report successful conversion to heterosexuality and that sexual orientation for those in the study may be considerably more complicated than commonly conceived.

"We believe the individuals who presented themselves as heterosexual success stories at Time 3 (end of the study period) are heterosexual in some meaningful but complicated sense of the term," they write.

Also addressing the highly disputed question of whether the attempt to change causes harm to the individual, Jones and Yarhouse found no change in their psychological distress over time and thus felt there is no evidence that the change attempt is harmful.