Dear Damon & Karen,
After watching your video I contemplated if I should even write to you. After all... I'm just a queer. So, why would you even listen to me? Like my family, which supports your ministry, you'll probably invalidate everything I have to share with you. However, I can't remain silent after watching this video...
Yes, Damon, I am a happy queer, I have made the dean's list at my university, and I have quite a few amazing people and friends in my life. There are actually a lot of us happy queers. I was most unhappy when I tried to be "ex-gay" and attended services at The Ramp. During the time I was "in the closet" was the time I was most depressed and suffered from suicidal thoughts. My whole life I sat in churches, like The Ramp, being taught that a small, unchangeable, and inherent part of who I am was a sin and will send me to hell. That scared the shit out of me, so, for five years I went through ex-gay therapy and exorcisms to rid myself of my "homosexual spirit." I even went to The Ramp a few times, hoping and praying God would free me.
Nothing happened.
I'm sure you have your excuses of why it might not have happened. Like, "You didn't have enough faith" or "You have to stick with it. God is in it for the long-haul, are you?" Well, at least these are all things I've been told before.
I walked away from trying to be "ex-gay" because I realized that God is not concerned with who I love. Instead, God is concerned with how I love.
Damon and Karen, how you have chosen to love gay people is not love at all. I know you mean well, but from a kid who has suffered a lot from messages like yours, please stop. You can not even begin to approach this subject and preach it in love until you truly get to know us. Howard Thurman said, "Contact without genuine fellowship breeds hatred."
If you wish to contact me and begin some genuine fellowship, here is my personal email address... theremixtv@yahoo.com
Be love,
Azariah Southworth
After watching your video I contemplated if I should even write to you. After all... I'm just a queer. So, why would you even listen to me? Like my family, which supports your ministry, you'll probably invalidate everything I have to share with you. However, I can't remain silent after watching this video...
Yes, Damon, I am a happy queer, I have made the dean's list at my university, and I have quite a few amazing people and friends in my life. There are actually a lot of us happy queers. I was most unhappy when I tried to be "ex-gay" and attended services at The Ramp. During the time I was "in the closet" was the time I was most depressed and suffered from suicidal thoughts. My whole life I sat in churches, like The Ramp, being taught that a small, unchangeable, and inherent part of who I am was a sin and will send me to hell. That scared the shit out of me, so, for five years I went through ex-gay therapy and exorcisms to rid myself of my "homosexual spirit." I even went to The Ramp a few times, hoping and praying God would free me.
Nothing happened.
I'm sure you have your excuses of why it might not have happened. Like, "You didn't have enough faith" or "You have to stick with it. God is in it for the long-haul, are you?" Well, at least these are all things I've been told before.
I walked away from trying to be "ex-gay" because I realized that God is not concerned with who I love. Instead, God is concerned with how I love.
Damon and Karen, how you have chosen to love gay people is not love at all. I know you mean well, but from a kid who has suffered a lot from messages like yours, please stop. You can not even begin to approach this subject and preach it in love until you truly get to know us. Howard Thurman said, "Contact without genuine fellowship breeds hatred."
If you wish to contact me and begin some genuine fellowship, here is my personal email address... theremixtv@yahoo.com
Be love,
Azariah Southworth
Thank you for that letter Azariah! I hope that he reads it! As one who also tried to be "ex-gay", I know that it only leads to pain,heartache, and depression. Let us know if and how he responds!
ReplyDeleteBest,
Kyle Luebke
Thank you for posting this!
ReplyDeleteGreat letter. But I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for DT to reach out to me if I were you. I don't think The Ramp really gives a rat's ass about LGBT persons except as something to exploit for profit. As long as his anti-gay rants keep asses in the seats and thereby money in the till, he will continue ranting.
ReplyDeleteTo say that the gay characters on TV shows are always the happiest and have the most friends is simply wrong. I don't say how you could say that about, say, Kurt (Chris Colfer's character on "Glee"). Kurt is a guy who is very comfortable with his sexual identity, and his biggest problem is that some people refuse to accept him for who he is. What really disturbs me is that Damon almost seems to be excusing bullying here - he seems to be implying that in cases of bullying, it's the victim, and not the perpetrator, who is to blame for the misery that ensues. And that is a terrible message to send.
ReplyDeletethere was nothing Godly about his message. It was full of hate.
ReplyDelete