I don’t have any strong views on people who regard themselves as ex-gays

That’s because I’ve never felt homosexual attraction. It’s fairly simple. C.S. Lewis once remarked that he resented it when officers who had never been in combat came to the lines to give the troops moral lectures about temptations they had never borne. He therefore did not offer moral advice on things like homosexuality or gambling addiction because he’d never felt those temptations.

(He also adds something to the effect of “You may ask, ‘But what about all the other sins you talk about? Do you mean…?’ Yes. My heart–I need no other’s–showeth me the wickedness of the ungodly.”)

When it comes to homosexuality I have always pretty much limited myself to noting the basics of the Tradition (“Sex is for monogamous heterosexual marriage and nothing else–including homosex”). Beyond that, I’ve mentioned two things as a general rule: a) I’m not interested in trying to control what you do in your bedroom since it’s, you know, not my business and b) stop trying to force or threaten me into approving of your sexual immorality.

That’s about it. Concerning quarrels about how people choose to deal with the disordered appetites I have never experienced, I have no input. Some people seem to think those appetites are unchangeable (like the recently abandoned Exodus International). Others say that their sexual appetites can be governed to a greater or lesser degree and call themselves ‘ex-gay’, even going so far as to say they can be reoriented to heterosexuality. Others simply choose celibacy. I have no idea who is right and, depending on how strong an individual’s drive and orientation are, they may all be right for all I know. What concerns me is not how accurate the claims are, but the persistently totalitarian approach of a not-insignificant percentage of homosexuals who demand approval for themselves while denying even tolerance to those who dissent from the party line.

It is that sometimes violent intolerance from the gay community

that prompts a group of ex-gays to demand police protection from people who divide their time between blathering about being bullied and threatening those who do not bow to the demands of their appetites for absolute worship.

So, as ever, I’m not interested in adjudicating a quarrel about whether appetites I’ve never felt can be changed. I am very interested, however, in the right of those who say they can to be free from the threat of beatings and harrassment from those who wish to deny this.

There is a deep and violent intolerance at the heart of the homosexualist movement. It cannot abide mere tolerance. It demands unquestioning approval.