Gay activist Wayne Besen has filed separate complaints against the video It's Not Gay with the Attorneys General of Mississippi and Illinois, denouncing the video as deceptive and fraudulent.
The 28-minute tape features the testimonies of men and women who claim they are no longer gay, including prominent "ex-gay" Michael Johnston. In 2003, Besen revealed Johnston had been having sex with other men for two years under a false name.
It's Not Gay is being sold by the Mississippi-based American Family Association (AFA) and is promoted by Americans for Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH), which is headquartered in Illinois. The two religious right organizations are major players in the ex-gay movement.
In his written complaint, Besen demanded the sale of the video be halted and that the groups issue written apologies and offer refunds. He accused AFA of "peddling false hope to vulnerable and desperate people and bilking them out of their hard earned money."
Besen is the author of Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth. He is also executive director of Truth Wins Out, a think tank that monitors and debunks the ex-gay movement and its leadership.
In the video, Michael Johnston, who is HIV-positive, insisted he became heterosexual in 1998 "through the power of Jesus Christ" after being sexually active with men since adolescence.
Johnston went on to become a standard bearer in the ex-gay movement, starting his own Kerusso Ministries and working with the AFA and Rev. Jerry Falwell. He appeared in a national print ad and a TV spot with his mother, talking about how he "walked away from homosexuality."
In 2003 Besen was instrumental in exposing Johnston's double life. In addition to having sex with multiple male partners, Johnston failed to disclose his HIV status to his partners, putting them at risk. Engulfed in a public scandal, he ended his ministry.
American Family Association discontinued selling It's Not Gay once Johnston's secret life was exposed.
In 2005, Johnston placed himself under the "spiritual care" of Steve Gallagher of Pure Life Ministries, which specializes in helping Christians with "sexual sin."
AFA once again began offering the video on its website and Peter LaBarbera, AFTAH president, referred to Johnston as a "former homosexual." Johnston's return to homosexual activity was not mentioned in the marketing of the video.
Since filing his complaints, Besen and Truth Wins Out have been attacked by the religious right. LaBarbera called Besen a "vicious, anti-Christian bigot" and referred to homosexuality as a "cruel addiction" and an "evil pull in the lives of those men and women."
In response to LaBarbera's remarks, Besen pointed out that "LaBarbera did not once mention or show remorse for [HIV-positive] Johnston's victims and their families" and describing LaBarbera as giving "a free pass to a man who was alleged to have committed criminal behavior that put peoples' lives at risk."
