Box Turtle Bulletin
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobby“Now you must raise your children up in a world where that union of man and box turtle is on the same legal footing as man and wife…”
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbyMarch 17th, 2008
On the 3rd, a Canadian television network pulled the following advertisement from the air, citing violation of their policies. The spot ran seven times in Sudbury, Ontario and was scheduled to run the whole year. But a Facebook campaign brought the ad to the network’s attention and they promptly ended its run.
You hear about gay rights, gay marriage and the gay lifestyle being taught in our public schools to children. But what many people don’t realize and seldom hear about is that many homosexuals don’t want to be homosexual. What many who are struggling with homosexuality don’t realize and seldom hear is that they can change. I should know. For 13 years I used to be one.
Now from the text, it sure seems that the narrator is quite troubled about what is being taught “in our public schools” there in Sudbury.
So who is this concerned Canadian ex-gay? Catholic Online describes him as
The 30-second spot is narrated by John Westcott, the founder of Exchange ministries, an organization that seeks to help practicing homosexuals who wish to leave the lifestyle. Westcott is himself a former homosexual, as is his wife Amanda.
The narrator’s name sounded familiar to me so I did a bit of research. And I found an ex-gay named John Westcott, but this one is not a concerned Sudbury resident nor was he married to Amanda. But his picture sure looks the same.
A small classroom on the campus of Calvary Assembly of God in Winter Park, Fla. is the place. John Westcott leads a group of 15 men in worship without a microphone or speakers.
…
Two years later, he began dating Dena, a former lesbian he met through the group. Today, they have three children and have devoted their lives to helping others who want to leave the homosexual lifestyle.
So now it’s time for the real John Westcott to stand up. Are you a former homosexual worried about Canadian education? Are you a Floridan? Are you married to Amanda or Dena? Or perhaps all of the above?
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Bene D
March 17th, 2008
The website Life Productions traces to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
This is what I found at the time:
lifeproductions.ca
Renewal-Date: 2008/09/23
Date-Approved: 2003/09/23
Date-Modified: 2005/10/06
Organization: Jason Johns
The rest is at BDBO.
Sault Ste. Marie is north northwest of Sudbury, about 300 kilometres.
The commercial would have been dropped off at the Sault station, all their news and advertising airs out of MCTV Sudbury.
Sault Ste. Marie is a border town.
I wrote MCTV and I wrote Life Productions, of course no one wrote back. Since CTV corporate got involved the regional station isn’t going to say a word.
Very nice work Timothy, thank you.
Zeke
March 17th, 2008
The webpage of John Westcott that you linked to is so heartbreakingly sad and disturbing.
I’m at least glad that they make it pretty clear that they don’t make people’s gay attractions and desires go away. They say right on the webpage that you will have a daily struggle and that you just have to come to a place that you want to please God and Jesus more than you want to have sex with a man.
That is so incredibly unhealthy; physically, psychologically, emotionally and spiritually. It just breaks my heart that so many thousands of men and women are putting themselves through this kind of abuse.
We who are out and happy aren’t doing a good enough job of showing the world that being gay doesn’t mean being a drug addict, porn addict, sex addict, miserable or all of the other things that these people have come to believe. It’s the despair of believing these lies that drives people into the snake oil salesmen’s lairs.
GDad
March 18th, 2008
This is tragic, but I swear these organizations are following the lead of The Onion‘s opinion page where they show the same pictures of “man on the street” week to week, but the names and descriptions are different.
SharonB
March 18th, 2008
soooo…. anyone else e-mailing or contacting his organization(s) about this? Any investigative reporters in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario or Winter Park, FL?
Yan
September 26th, 2008
This man is John Westcott and he is married to Dena as in the original article made by lifesitenews ( http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/mar/08031002.html ) which http://www.catholic.org used but misquote the name. John’s testimony is true and amazing and bring hope to those who wants to hear it … you can know more about it here : http://www.exchangeministries.org
Erik
February 18th, 2009
I saw this Westcott on Bill Maher Religulous film. He is a very virile sexy guy!
XHAUA
February 20th, 2009
Having never seen Mr. Westcott previous to “Religulous,” I must agree with Mr. Mahr. My immediate impression was, “WOW, HE’S REALLY GAY!” And that was before I knew anything about what that portion of the segment contained. Face it John, a rose by any other name still smells REALLY GAY. LIKE YOU.
joyce
September 14th, 2009
This John Westcott is American living in Winter PArk, Florida married to Dena I should know he was my step son in law
Timothy Kincaid
September 14th, 2009
Thank you, Joyce, for the clarification.
It’s nice to finally know for certain that the man claiming to be worried about what is “being taught in our public schools” in Sudbury, Ontario, actually lives thousands of miles away in a different country.
Larry Gatesenson
November 15th, 2010
John Westcott is a joke.
Steve Nelson
September 19th, 2011
I worked with John for 9-years when we were with Chamberlin Natural Foods. He had a long-term relationship with another employee who passed away. Following this he began filling his life with the Church when he met Dena. They married and started a family while he was still with Chamberlins and they struggled like any aother young married couple. Both John and Dena were alway an open book on their past and even though I haven’t seen them for 6 -7 years it sadens me that they are no longer together. I will say that both of them have publicly witnessed and tried to live their lives in a more religious manner than any other person I have met in my life … whatever their failings. Whether you agree with them or not, they have at least made an effort to ACTIVELY follow their religious beliefs which is better than most of us.
Priya Lynn
September 19th, 2011
Steve, actively following one’s religious beliefs isn’t an honourable thing.
Rev. John Lancaster
January 8th, 2013
Steve Nelson, Thank you for sharing a genuine testimony about John Westcott. I agree with you when you state that John and Dena making an effort to actively follow their religious beliefs is a good thing. I am sure that the mocking manner in which Mr. Maher treated John in his interview, followed by it’s inclusion for broadcast in “Religulous” could not have been an easy thing to endure for this family. You’re a good guy for being a loving and supportive friend.
James Peron
September 5th, 2017
Westcott and wife, like so many exgay married couples, divorced and he left the ministry.
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