“Straight To Jesus: Sexual and Christian Conversions in the Ex-Gay Movement“
by Tanya Erzen
University of California Press, 2006, 296 Pages

At A Glance: “Straight to Jesus” delves into the lives of individuals in ex-gay ministries, revealing the complex interplay between religious and sexual conversion while challenging the notion that true change in sexual orientation is achieved.

Overview: “Straight to Jesus: Sexual and Christian Conversions in the Ex-Gay Movement” by Tanya Erzen offers a compelling and in-depth look into the lives of individuals involved in the ex-gay movement, focusing on New Hope Ministry, a residential ex-gay program.

Through extensive research and years of observation, Erzen explores the experiences of men and women who join ex-gay ministries in an attempt to reconcile their conservative Christian beliefs with their same-sex desires. Rather than achieving a complete change from homosexual to heterosexual, participants often undergo a transformation that is both sexual and religious, developing new forms of kinship and a personal relationship with Jesus as born-again Christians.

This transformation underscores religious renewal rather than a genuine shift in sexual orientation, challenging the Christian Right’s use of the ex-gay movement to repudiate gay identity and political rights.

Thoughts from Readers: