Rich Wyler
| The first encounter with former homosexual |
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| «I had read the writings of people who made the generic claim that “others have come out of homosexuality, so you can too,” but nothing I had read actually identified who these so-called former homosexuals were, and for years I had doubted their existence. David was the first real live human being I had ever met who said, “I felt gay, and thought I wanted to live my life that way, but I found a way out that gave me more happiness and peace by healing than indulging.”»
— Rich Wyler[1]
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Rich Wyler is the founder and director of Brothers on a Road Less Traveled, formerly known as People Can Change (PCC). After his own journey out of homosexuality in the 1990s, he came to work as a professional and a certified life coach especially with men who want to diminish or make peace with their unwanted same-sex attractions (SSA) in ways that are congruent with their values, morals and life goals.[1]
Subject of attack by gay lobby
Militant gay lobbyists and their allies — known for applying their zapping the shrinks method when dealing with their opponents, in line with the instructions given in gay manifesto After the Ball as "remaining opponents...must be vilified" — try to portray Wyler's activities in field of Reparative Therapy as "consumer fraud", causing "emotional harm to patients struggling with their sexual identity" and finally as acts "against science". Wyler in his defense claims that if treatment is done with the consent of an adult individual, it can prove more healing than dangerous. He believes any attempts to limit or control the ability to seek out therapy on these grounds is simply "politically motivated bullying".[2]
Family life
Wyler's wife, (re)diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000, died in late 2006, after 18 years of marriage. In 2010 he described her as a beautiful woman who stood by him and believed in him and supported him, and who in many ways helped him become the man he feels to be today.[1] Wyler is the father of two, and resides in Virginia, USA and is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[3]
Publications
- Wyler was an editor and author of overview chapters in Then & Now: How My Sexual Attraction Have Changed: 50 Brief Summaries of Successful Sexual Orientation Change Efforts. Although not able to tell you how often or how likely it is to occur in particular cases, the book demonstrates that the change of same-sex attractions can in fact occur at least to some degree, for example through deliberate interventions like counseling, experiential personal-growth programs and non-sexual same-gender bonding, and that this change is for some people, based on their shared testimonies, real, and it can even be life-saving.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Rich Wyler (2010 (Originally posted in 2000)). Our Stories: A Change of Heart: My Two Years in Reparative Therapy. Brothers on a Road Less Traveled. Retrieved on 10 Dec 2017.
- ↑ Olivia Lace-Evans (30 Mar 2016). Global health group takes on gay conversion therapy. BBC News. Retrieved on 10 Dec 2017. “Human rights groups hope that by aligning objections with consumer fraud, they can set a legal precedent against it. Samantha Ames, a lawyer and advocate for the National Centre for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), is leading the FTC complaint. She describes the WPA's statement as "one more nail in the coffin of this industry."...Rich Wyler, the director and founder of People Can Change, claims that if treatment is done with the consent of an adult individual, it can prove more healing than dangerous. He believes any attempts to limit or control the ability to seek out therapy on these grounds is simply "politically motivated bullying".”
- ↑ Deborah Bulkeley (14 Aug 2004). Ex-gay man says change possible But reparative therapy remains controversial. Deseret Morning News. Retrieved on 10 Dec 2017. “The transition was a difficult one for Wyler, of Virginia and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He turned to God, praying, hoping his homosexual urges would end. He tried therapy and eventually did adopt what he calls the gay lifestyle, but his life still seemed chaotic. "My hope was that God would change me without me having to do any of the work," he said. "My struggle was secretive for a long time. ... I think the biggest realization I came to was reparative therapy." Wyler said after his change, he started People Can Change, an online support group, which also holds weekend retreats around the country for men who want to lessen or eliminate their homosexual desire. Wyler is hosting such a retreat this weekend in eastern Utah's Duchesne County.”
- ↑ (2015) in Rich Wyler: Then & Now: How My Sexual Attraction Have Changed:50 Brief Summaries of Successful Sexual Orientation Change Efforts. People Can Change. “Rich Wyler is the founder and director of People Can Change, a nonprofit, peer-led support and educational organization of men who seek to resolve, diminish or make peace with their unwanted same-sex attractions (SSA). He is the co-creator of PCC's life-changing Journey Into Manhood experiential personal-growth program and its complement for wives of SSA men, A Wife's Healing Journey. He is also a professional, certified life coach, working especially with men who want to diminish or make peace with their SSA in ways that are congruent with their values, morals and life goals.”
