Arlington Assembly of God, a church in Arlington, VA, is sponsoring a new series of commercials which feature “ex-gays,” one man and one woman, each saying that they were sexually abused as a child and later led a “homosexual lifestyle,” but are now heterosexual and Christian.

Wayne Besen, author of Anything but Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-Gay Myth, says this message, that homosexuality is caused by abuse, is a familiar one from the ex-gay industry:

“It’s very central to the ex-gay industry,” Besen said. “Particularly with lesbians, this is their explanation for why women are lesbians. With men, they talk about a distant father, men become gay because they weren’t loved by dad. On the other side of the coin, they portray lesbians as man hating and it’s a result of sexual abuse. They’re playing off that stereotype.”
Besen also said that such sentiments are often promoted by churches.

“They have to logically explain homosexuality, and they can’t do it,” Besen said. “They can’t explain why we’re here, and this is a convenient explanation for them. Once they address it, they don’t have to address the issue any more.”