Non-Fiction, Social Sciences, Religion, Abuse, Self-Esteem, Gay, North American 

Bringing to light an extreme fundamentalist Christian view, this insider’s perspective offers hope to people grappling with the aftereffects of a cult-like movement often known as “Reparative Therapy.” The movement assumes that going from gay to straight is easily changeable and change-worthy, despite decades of psycho/sexual research to the contrary. Although it did not succeed in making the author—a Southern Baptist who attended an ex-gay ministry at a young age—straight, it did undermine his self-esteem and confuse him significantly, thus leading him to pursue an advanced degree in sexology in order to help others in similar positions. Offering a detailed comparison of the ex-gay world and the phenomenon known as Religious Abuse, this manual shares a personal journey through the hopeless mistreatment and manipulative system of ex-gay ministries and the recovery process involved in regaining strength, acceptance, and self-worth.