The medical and scientific consensus is that attempts at eliminating same-sex attractions are not effective and are potentially harmful.[3]
The ethics and efficacy of these procedures are rejected by all mainstream medical and mental health associations that have taken a position on the topic.[3] Their stance is that sexual orientation is unchangeable, and that attempts to do so are often damaging to the person's well-being.[3] The American Psychiatric Association states that "ethical practitioners refrain from attempts to change individuals' sexual orientation."[4]
Major organizations that reject reparative therapy include the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Counseling Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Association of School Administrators, the American Federation of Teachers, the National Association of School Psychologists, and the National Education Association. [5].
Exodus International's first scandal occurred in 1979 when Michael Bussee (one of the five co-founding members who had helped organize the 1976 conference that led to Exodus' inception) left the group to be with Gary Cooper, a volunteer at the local Exodus ministry where they both worked, who was also volunteering for the first Exodus conference. Later they held a life commitment ceremony. Their story is one of the focuses of the documentary One Nation Under God (1993), directed by Teodoro Maniaci and Francine Rzeznik.
Exodus claims to have helped hundreds of thousands of ex-gay men and lesbians, however the claim hasn't been certified by an independent audit. To date, Exodus has also declined to release any information on what the estimate is based upon, or how the program success rate is measured.
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