Fundraising letters are are always useful windows into what various groups think motivate their base. You can judge the rough sanity of that base by the arguments used to entice them, which is how we know that Texas Republicans are ever-certain that the collapse of the Union is always mere days away, and that the Rand Paul base is made up almost exclusively of people who cannot communicate in complete sentences. This one, from the "ex-gay" International Healing Foundation, is a
very impressive entry
into the genre:
Announcing THE END OF HOMOSEXUALITY Want to Know How?
Want to be part of an exciting revolution? Want to end homosexuality and prevent bullying? Want to protect your children and grandchildren?
Everyday our kids are being inundated with false information about homosexuality-born that way and cannot change. This is both scientifically and scripturally untrue.
Well now,
that is impressive. Your small donation will be used to wipe same-sex attraction
from the face of the Earth, preventing any of your children or grandchildren from ever becoming The Gay, apparently via an aggressive campaign of Bible-citing and pamphlet distribution. Ex-gay groups usually slobber over themselves when they can come up with
one supposed "ex-gay" convert; going from that to the end of all gay people everywhere is a fine and jolly application of
Underpants Gnome theory.
Think Progress notes this one for the bluntness of its anti-gay message. Perhaps, but I consider it to be a more salient demonstration of (1) the scam-based nature of the "ex-gay" pseudomovement and (2) just how gobsmackingly dim their supporters are. Yes, Virginia, if you send us money we will end all The Gay, forevers, from the human and animal kingdoms alike, something no other civilization or sect or nation has ever managed to do throughout all of history, even the ones that really put their mind to it, but we will solve it by making sure gay people are properly shamed and ostracized and told they're going to hell, and printing out little booklets, and forcing the schools to teach it, and this will by the way prevent bullying besides.
What a scam. Being hateful and being gullible seem to go hand-in-hand, however—a premise which explains most fundamentalist religions in the world, cough—so I have no doubt that there are actually people out there who send them checks. God, I want that mailing list. Just think of the crap you could sell them. Oh—a pet rock that keeps away gay spirits! With googly eyes, and angry eyebrows!