Voice of the Voiceless claim: University LGBTQ resource centers in Virginia engage in viewpoint discrimination

Press Release reports that undercover investigation reveals medically inaccurate, discriminatory, and biased counseling

Voice of the Voiceless (VoV), an advocacy organization dedicated to defend the rights of former homosexuals, individuals with unwanted same-sex attraction, and their families, went undercover into seven of Virginia’s fifteen state universities to document a variety of misconduct among publicly-funded employees, including medically-inaccurate advice, view point discrimination, and biased counseling for students who experience unwanted homosexual feelings. The investigation, which occurred over a 2 ½ week period in September, involved two former homosexuals posing as graduate students seeking anonymous counseling for unwanted homosexual feelings at university resource centers for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ) students.

The LGBTQ Resource Centers in violation include the University of Virginia, James Madison University, George Mason University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Old Dominion University, Christopher Newport University, and the College of William and Mary. Liberty Counsel, an international nonprofit litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family, [we’ve had several attorneys form Liberty Counsel on Faith on Trial--ed] sent letters to all seven university presidents regarding their LGBTQ Resource Centers, urging them to include all viewpoints on this issue, and informing them that presenting only one viewpoint is not only wrong, but can cause harm to students.

“State-funded universities are required to provide value-neutral, medically-accurate information to all students in need of guidance. What we uncovered was a deliberate withholding of potentially life-saving information for students who may desire counseling to overcome unwanted homosexual feelings,” commented Christopher Doyle, President and Co-Founder of VoV. “A counselor at George Mason University told me that if I sought therapy to change, I would likely become psychologically-damaged, depressed, and even commit suicide.  Instead of referring me to a licensed mental health practitioner or faith-based counselor that aligned with my spiritual values. I was told to attend the gay-affirming Metropolitan Community Church and read a book called 'The Lord is my Shepherd, and He knows I'm Gay.'"

At Old Dominion University, the LGBTQ Resource Center staff said being gay was genetic, natural, and part of your personality, and that therapy to help individuals who want to change is nothing but "brain washing" attempts to "pray away the gay" and "not valid."

Organizations such as Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX) have been providing informational pamphlets, free of charge, to state-funded Virginia universities for many years in an effort to advocate for students with unwanted same-sex attraction. But while gay-affirming information is readily available and prominently displayed for students to collect, ex-gay pamphlets are routinely destroyed and/or suppressed by biased resource center employees, who are required by law to provide equal access for all views on homosexuality. “At George Mason University, I nearly begged the counselor to give me an ex-gay pamphlet, which was buried in the bottom drawer of his filing cabinet. At UVA, the resource center’s director refused to show or give me an ex-gay pamphlet because he said he did not have enough of them to hand out. When I asked him where I could find scientific research on homosexuality, he referred me to the Huffington Post,” commented Doyle.