A bit about PFOX

This week I'm going to talk about my documentary topic, PFOX. I'd like to open with the clarification that this is going to be an impartial post. I am writing this to post some information about this organization  not to share with you my personal beliefs.

I'm writing a blog post on this because it seems that many of my peers know of PFOX, but don't really know anything much about them, which I think is never a good thing, especially when it comes to a topic that is this controversial. When the PFOX flier was sent out last year at Blair, some of the people I talked to didn't really understand what the flier was saying. Now when I say that my partners'and my documentary topic is PFOX, some people vaguely remember that they were"the flier people", but not much else.

PFOX, or Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays, is a national nonprofit organization. It was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Virginia. It state that it id an organization that works to educate the public on sexual orientation and the ex-gay community. It also says that "PFOX supports an inclusive environment for the ex-gay community, and works to eliminate negative perceptions and discrimination against former homosexuals."

To give this some context, PFOX describes ex-gays as people with unwanted same-sex attractions who, "Make the personal decision to leave homosexuality via secular therapy, Homosexuals Anonymous support groups, faith based ministries, and other non-judgmental environments."

PFOX supports the idea that people should have the option of "self-determination", or that people should be told that with the proper guidance, they can leave homosexuality.

According to PFOX, "PFOX families love their homosexual child unconditionally. Unlike other organizations which insist that parental love is conditional on affirming homosexual behavior, there are no conditions on our love for our children. We do not have to approve of everything our children do." 

The website links to PFOX's statement of principles (if you click this link, please don't skip the intro), a site that opens with the statement that ""Path [the site] is a non-profit coalition of organizations that helps people with unwanted same-sex attractions (SSA) realize their personal goals for change -- whether by developing their innate heterosexual potential or by embracing a lifestyle as a single, non-sexually active man or woman." In other words, PFOX's principles are that people should have access to organizations that help them leave "unwanted same-sex attractions".

PFOX feels that "former homosexuals" are the least visible minority group in America. PFOX works to gain recognition and acceptance for "ex-gays" and the organization itself, which is often met with a negative reaction from the liberal community

PFOX, an organization who's main target audience is children and teens, sends fliers explaining itself and its goals to school around the country. As I'm sure that some of you remember, Blair was a recipient of those fliers last year. Some of you may not have received the fliers, as some teachers made the decision to not had them out to students. I can't find the specific flier that our school received but this flier is similar and has pretty much the same information.

PFOX also supports students in starting an Ex-gay and Straight Friends club at school. The website explains that this club would be a safe environment for students to discuss "alternatives to homosexuality". It states that "gay student clubs encourage questioning youth to immediately self-identify as 'gay and proud.' With an Ex-Gay Alternatives club at their school, students who struggle with same sex attractions have the option of receiving all the facts on sexual orientation in a fair and balanced manner instead of being pressured to adopt a gay identity."

Honestly, I'm going to stop short of drawing any real conclusion here because I don't know how to do that in an unbiased manner. I feel like this post isn't all that substantive because I couldn't put any of myself into it. This was very difficult for me. Maybe it was a good exercise though. I think that it is a valuable skill to be be able to explain one side of a very charged topic while removing your personal opinions from your explanation.

  I plan to return to this subject when I'm done with the documentary. In the meantime, please, please, please, comment with your own opinions. Do you agree with PFOX? Disagree? Interested in starting an Ex-gay and Straight Friends club at Blair? Think that would be a bad idea? Really, I would appreciate all reaction in the form of comments.

I'll leave you with this video posted on the PFOX YouTube channel: