Alan Chambers, the former head of Exodus International, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday morning and charged with trying to meet a 14-year-old boy for sex.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Chambers sent lewd text messages using Snapchat and Telegram and repeatedly sought to meet up with the minor, who turned out to be an undercover detective.
He now faces charges of Solicitation of a Minor, Transmission of Harmful Material to Minors, and Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communication Device.
Chambers has a wife and two children. If convicted on all crimes, he could be sentenced to more than 30 years in prison.
Chambers, an ordained minister, is perhaps best known for operating Exodus International. This “ex-gay” organization was endorsed by James Dobson, which utilized reparative therapy and prayer to help people change their orientation from gay to straight.
In 2009, he released the book Leaving Homosexuality: A Practical Guide for Men and Women Looking for a Way Out, which detailed how to leave the gay life and identity.
Yet in 2013, he disbanded the Exodus and announced that he no longer believed LGBTQ people could change their orientation, saying:
“I am sorry we promoted sexual orientation change efforts and reparative theories about sexual orientation that stigmatized parents. I am sorry that there were times I didn’t stand up to people publicly ‘on my side’ who called you names like sodomite — or worse… I have heard stories of shame, sexual misconduct and false hope.”]
He later began to march in Pride parades, telling the Washington Blade:
“We’ve become affirming of people and supportive and affirming of marriage equality and feel like there are a lot of amazing relationships out there. And we believe that’s something that is a right that people have and should have and that God can bless those relationships as much as he can bless heterosexual relationships.”
