'Ex-gay' Clue: We suspect FOF, with the fallacy, in the Study

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09/18/2007

by Jeremy Hooper

The reliably disingenuous kids at Focus on the Family are creaming their jeans over a newly released study on the ability to "change" one's homosexuality, boldly stating that the religiously skewed, Exodus-funded research "confirms long-term change away from homosexuality
is possible."  This from FOF's Citizenlink:

At the end of the three-year study, 67 percent of participants either reported a change toward heterosexual orientation or were successfully continuing work toward that goal.

“While we’ve known all along that long-term change is possible for people with unwanted same-sex attractions, it’s interesting to note how high the percentage of reported change was,” said Melissa Fryrear, director of Focus on the Family’s gender issues department. “These results are comparable with the success rates for dealing with other difficult issues, like depression, and more favorable than those reported by U.S. Department of Labor tax-funded programs in overcoming substance abuse.”
...
“This study bolsters our position of advocating for people’s right to self-determination. If someone has unwanted same-sex attraction, it is their right to seek alternatives to change,” she said.

Only problem? Early analysis of this study suggest that FOF's presentation of the results is at best premature, and is most likely complete and utter bullsh*t!  That's because many, many flaws are able to be found by just a cursory glimpse of the released findings.  For instance, the researchers had a very difficult time even finding participants, and ended up with an extremely small sample size (just 98 at the beginning of the research).  And over time, 25 dropped out for unconfirmed, unassessed reasons, leaving just 73 individuals involved in the results.  Then there is the matter of what the researchers consider to be "success," with chastity in order to comply with religious teachings being seen as a "change."  A reasoned person realizes that such is not the same thing as ACTUAL change in desire, and a reasoned version of Melissa Fryrear would never compare this alleged "67%" figure with those who have TRULY overcome things like substance abuse or depression!!

For the best vetting yet of the study, head to Box Turtle Bulletin for Jim Burroway's preliminary analysis:

A Preliminary Review of Jones and Yarhouse’s “Ex-Gay? A Longitudinal Study” [Box Turtle Bulletin]

While you're checking that out, this writer is going to look at the Kit Kat bar that's sitting on his night stand and fight off his desire to eat it, then wait for Focus on the Family to knee-jerkedly present his calorie-cutting decision as proof that one can absolutely "change" their chocolate-loving ways through hard work and faith.

Focus on the Family Applauds Study on Leaving Homosexuality [FOF CitizenLink]

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