Eight California residents who were formerly gay and lesbian have appeared in a recent video denouncing pending legislation that would ban any therapy that attempts to change an individual's sexual orientation.
In the video released by Church United on Vimeo on Saturday, the eight men and women claimed that the legislation, known as AB-2943, suggests they are frauds in their claim to have left behind their homosexual lifestyles.
"I came out in my 20s as a lesbian. I fully embraced that identity," Elizabeth Woning, who works with a ministry called Equipped to Love, said in the video.
"I felt that I had been born that way. Really, it seemed to explain why I was the way I was." she went on to say.
Woning recounted that she began studying the Bible after a man spoke to her about God, but she stressed at the time that she had no intention of changing her sexuality. However, her understanding of her identity soon changed after she realized that she had to surrender everything to God. She says she soon began to develop feelings for a man, who eventually became her husband.
Ken Williams, who serves as a pastor for Equipped to Love, says he too had contacted a Christian counselor to help him deal with unwanted same-sex attraction.
He said that there had been no assurance that his feelings would change, but he said that he felt loved and supported.
"Change is possible because of Jesus' death on the cross. We can live a new life, we are a new creation in Christ Jesus," he remarked.
"This legislation, [AB] 2943, actually takes away rights from those that are questioning their sexuality. We don't want to see an America where the government is controlling how we identify sexually," he added.
The measure seeks to ban "any practices that seek to change an individual's sexual orientation," including attempts to get rid of "sexual romantic attractions."
According to The Daily Signal, the legislation would affect authors, speakers, counselors, and religious leaders who want to speak about unwanted same-sex attraction.
The eight participants in the video called on California residents to contact legislators and ask them to vote against AB-2943.
Late last month, a ministry announced the cancellation of a scheduled conference in California in response to the proposed measure.
Summit Ministries, which is based in Colorado, said that it was "forced" to cancel the event that was supposed to take place at Biola University on June 10-23 and June 24-July 7 because the bill seeks to ban some of its teachings.
The ministry claimed that the proposed law affected its program because some of the speakers were known for defending the traditional view of marriage and sexuality.
