"those things aren't going to change."

it's a curious moment, when another person explains to you "the reasons you're gay." curious, and akin to being told you were born with brown eyes that eventually turned blue because of something in your past. the good news, they often suggest, is that there are places you can go, people you can turn to, who will make your eyes not blue make you not gay.

ryan kendall's parents sent him to an "ex-gay ministry" for "reparative therapy" when he was 13 years old. kendall recounted those experiences for the prop 8 trial on wednesday, beginning with this disclaimer:

"I'm gay, I'm short, and half Hispanic. Those things aren't going to change."

surely kendall met some "successful" patients during conversion therapy, the defense attorney suggested.

"During one of our group therapy sessions, [the doctor] trotted out his perfect patient, a guy named Kelly," Kendall said. "But after [the doctor] left, Kelly told me that he was going out to a gay bar that night."

The gallery erupted in laughter.

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