Desperate Teenager Doesn't Want to Be Gay

Author / Contributor :: Neil from Florida -

By: Neil (Posted June 2010) Now that I have completed my counseling program with a JONAH endorsed therapist, I wanted to thank Arthur Goldberg and JONAH for changing my life in a most positive direction. You may remember that I initially contacted you in September, 2009 as a 19 year old Jewish college student who only had the faintest of hope that I could eventually seek to have a beautiful loving wife and children and a normal family environment. I was afraid "I will be disowned by my parents and lose all my friends" if I gave into today's cultural encouragement to identify myself as "gay." The gay activist lobby seized upon my admissions that I was more powerfully sexually attracted to men than to women, and told me that the only way to feel "free" was to identify as gay. I wrote you then that "I don't really feel comfortable around strong men. I feel inadequate." I also informed you that my earlier (more youthful) attractions to women were "dying out" and that I had tremendous performance anxiety with my present girlfriend. Because I wanted to commit suicide, I told you I was writing you as "a last resort attempt" and hoped you could somehow assist me in following my heterosexual dream of normality. I informed you that I wrote because "I have no one else to go to" and concluded by begging you to respond. I ended by writing, "I need help, I want help, and I need to become myself again. I miss my old self. I was so awesome." You responded immediately. You gave me hope. You provided me with reading material and suggested a counselor with whom I could work. Without your help and encouragement, I would never have achieved the strong insights and incredible perspectives I gained on life-issues that previously disturbed me nor would I now be moving forward with both strength and direction in my life. From the bottom of my heart, I wish to thank you for the myriad number of services you created and from which I have greatly benefited. I no longer even think of taking my own life or slicing open my veins. The gender affirming processes you provided make me feel good about myself and in less than a year of counseling, I found myself able to really move forward in my life. My greatest hope is that JONAH continues to help others and is able to give them the hope and type of information to succeed that I received. I particularly appreciate the fact that you encouraged me to speak to my family and to bring them into my process of healing. I never realized how supportive my family could be in my healing journey. Thank you. JONAH provides invaluable information to those of us who seek "change." You do so on a topic that is neither spoken about nor considered common knowledge (at least among my generation), that is, the ability to grow out of unwanted same-sex attractions (SSA) and to understand that no one is born gay or lesbian. As a young person growing into maturity, I can unequivocally report that the youth of today face an especially hard task. The gay agenda is very strong in the USA, and through the stories and images to which we are exposed on TV & media as well as in school, a gay identity is made to seem normal and even appealing. Many teenagers at some level go through sexual identity questions but most are unaware that resources are out there that can help us not accept such an identity. Taking on such an identity simply didn't feel right to me. And, I'm believe I am the lucky one ... because I somehow heard about JONAH. As you can see from my summary of my initial E-mail above, I took the initiative to both write into the info@jonahweb.org to ask for help, and after receiving an immediate response, called Arthur to find out about the many resources available. Arthur and JONAH really helped me by providing alternative data that provided a balance to the distorted information out there, information that is pretty ridiculous. They say "you can't change SSA," and "do what feels good and don't worry if some do not consider it normal." In dealing with my sexuality, I was being fed information in school and by the media that we have the absolute right to decide when and where to have sex and who to have it with. If I disagreed with this belief in sexual freedom, then I wasn't normal. This philosophy is what gives the gay agenda its power; it preys upon the doubts of adolescents, the "what if's" of kids, and makes us feel powerful and important. It is the lure of a cause that can give older teenagers a feeling of belonging and an identity that they may otherwise feel is missing. It particularly appeals to those who are lonely or who don't seem to fit into the "regular crowd." Rather than help us transform, mature, and grow up in healthy ways, the sexual liberationists actually set us adrift in a sea of confusion and led us into unhealthy sexual practices. This disgusts me greatly; and, it has probably led more kids astray than I care to imagine. I have grown light years from the first E-mail I sent asking for help. My counselor not only worked with me on a weekly basis but he also gave me regular homework to complete between our sessions. I have learned the lessons he so diligently provided and I applied the concepts I learned into everyday living. I have conquered social fears that I had; I have challenged irrational thoughts which for a time (too long) stood unchallenged; I have regained my manhood which feels just great. Now I can see myself marrying, having kids and being able to educate and teach them all the life lessons they will need with the help of my future wife. The work I have done with JONAH and its counselors have provided me with the tools I needed not only to live my life but more importantly to enter into a marriage and to help my future kids. In closing, I give my blessings to JONAH and I thank you, Mr. Goldberg, for the help I've received. I know JONAH will continue to save lives and nurture men and women back to health.

Posted in: Homosexuality