009 declaration of charlene cothran former gay activist

Case: 1:16-cv-08034 Document #: 9 Filed: 09/08/16 Page 1 of 26 PageID #:46

TN

THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE },IORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS

PASTORS PROTECTING YOUTH, et al.

Honorable Ronald A.

Plaintffi,

Case

v.

Guzman

No:

l: l6-cv-08034

Lisa tlladigan, Illinois Attorney General, in her Oflicial Capacity,

/

n/

FILED sEP

-

8

2016

Defenilants

THOMAS G. BRUTON CLERK, U.S. DISTRICT COURT

DECI,ABATIPN PF FORMBR GAY ACTIYIST TURNED CHRISXIAN SENIOR pAsToR or zroN BApTrsT CHURCH CHARLENE E. COTHRA.N l, Charlene E- Cothran, dcclare under the penalty of perjury" pursuant to 28 USC sec. 1746 as follow.s:

l. I am ovcr l8 and a resident of Florida.

2. Herc arc a few of many links to me speaking in videos, The statemenr.s that I makc in this vidcos arc true and accurate that I now incorporate into this swot'Tr testimonial:

a.

My interview with CNB Entitled: Former Gay Activi.st Charlene Corhran leaves guy lifestyle

fbr

J

esu.s:

httos://www. youtubc.com/watch ?v=yionODpwTlM

b. Pure Passion Interview: Entitlcd Charlene Cothran - Cay Acrivist Finds Christ.

Charlcnc Cotlran - former gay activist and publisher of Venus Magazine, (a nragazine for black lesbians), shares her testimony of being a leader in the world of gay publishing and how Jesus

Christ set her free fiom the hondage and the dcception of hr:mosexual confusion. ht

tps :4lv-wry.you tu be.co

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nlwatch ? v=2r7 w - vC yN

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Pastor Charlcne Cothran - Testimony belore the h tt ns ://wrvw. vou tu bc.co rn/w atc h ?y=.s - Fh I K bCQJ e

Civil Justicc Subcommitree

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d. Ex Lesbian Charlene Cothran Tclls her Te.stimony: https:{www.vor[ube.coml,watch? v=p rvXccClE2 U& I i st=plB 0 I 92509974842

IQ

c. Africun-American Pastors Decry Gov. Deal's Betrayal on Religious Liberty

:l/www1 pn-reli gious-libcrtvTo2-0?cpid=: ID:-9283-:DT:-20 GC I -:ME:-SU

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INTRPDUCTION 3. I spent 3 decades as a militant gay right-s activist. My entire idenriry surroundetJ the implicitly religious narratives advanced by the LCBT community. I stunned the gay and tesbinn comnrunity by announcing that I had become a born again Christian - leaving hehind

a

dehumanizing and destructive lifestyle that was built on lies and coming into a brancl new

identity by embracing the radically transformative and personalized truth offered by rhe central figure in the new testamcnt. After I came out of the closest

job

a's

as a

born again Chri.stian I kept my

the cditor of a lcsbian magazinc that was namcd after my friend that wa-s murdered by her

le.sbian lover. There is no

lifc in the gay ideology

and ratifying rhe agcndas that I once .stood

behind is not an act of love. [t is enabling a lot of dcstruction ancl harm. As I look back on my thrcc decades as a militant gay righrt activist, I can see that the dcvil deceivcd me and thousands

of others belicving that we could be happy buying into ths gay religious narrative. The deception was that

it was a happy Iife filled with pride. None ol'that is true. It is all lies. For the legislatures

or Judges on the state and federal level to codify this fact ideology is not an act of lovc but an rct

of both fraud and hate. All laws that support gay rights, transgender rights, gay marriage amount to an insult to the

civil rights movement of the

1960s ancl serve to establish a dehuma,izing and

shallow religion that I proactively advanced as a leatler, editor, anri organizcr

f.rovcr

30 years.

It has to stop for the .sakc o[ children. The homo.scxual community that I rvas parl of is using I,overnment to codify their unprovcn laith based assurnption.s with the ultirnate hopc o[ bringing

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thc youth to buy into their Iif'eless and empty ideology that is a cover for lcclings of shame and inadequacy.

PARLT. 30 Y-EARS OF MTLITANT LESS-LAN ACTTVTSM

4.

I had grown up in a Christian home, and had come into the lesbian lifestyle at 19 after several

occurrences of childhood sexual abuse. I decided that I did not want anything to do with men anymore after feeling mistreated by them. I went away to collcgc, which was a whole new world.

In that world thcrc werc many women who wcrc attractcd to mc and I was anracted to them.

These were womcn who were nurturing, who wanted to get to know who I was intcllectually,

who were lcsbian organizers, who I at first found a lot of comfort in. It felt good, and it felt right.

5. I began to organized social

events for gay and lesbians o[ color. It started off with mc and two

other bu.sincss partncrs and wc were a pcrfcct fit. li/e would rcnt restaurants and inyitc women who self-idcntificd as lesbian to comc hang out. And women would come tiom all over the region. The group was called hospitality Atlanta.

It would not be unusual lbr us to havc seven to

eight hundred women show up at our events packed into a bcautiful rcstaurant. We hired police to secure thc event and to keep all straight men out. No heterosexual men wcrc allowed at our

events. I resented men, and Ihad nothing to takethose l'eclings of hurt, unforgiveness, and resentrnent until I met Jesus Christ. He uprooted the bitterness and rc.scntment, freeing mc to

trusl mcn who trust in Cod.

Case: 1:16-cv-08034 Document #: 9 Filed: 09/08/16 Page 4 of 26 PageID #:49 4 6. Frorn those event.s we developed softball lcagucs and major picnics. It was a very lucrative

organization. I ran this organizalion for nearly ten ycars, and wc cultivatcd a vcry Iarge mailing Iist. From that mail list, I decided to launch a magazine.

The gay and lesbian political community began to pay attention that we could bring out and organize large numbcrs of black lesbians and gay individuals together through the work that we were doing. As soon as the magazine was launched, wc wcrc contacted by HRC (Human Rights Campaign), The National Cay and Lesbian Task Force, The Victory Fund, and many of the gay

organizations who are doing a lot of the political work. We played a very important role in the early 90s because at that time they werc bcing told by lawmakcrs and locll, regional, and national politician rhat these other organization only rcprcsented rich white men who self-

identified as gay. There was no coalition of gay color pcople until our organizarion got into the mix. My voice of activism became immensely powcrful and persuasive. Venus Magazine playcd an important role in demonstrating that there was a large and vibrant multi-racial and .socio-

economically diverse gay community ran by black gays and lesbians. We became an important part of what gay activist legislative groups were trying to present.

MEANS AND I}ISHONEST MISDIRECTION

7. The strategy of gay activist. like mysclf was to get one littlc foot in the rJoor. When in fact

the

plan is to completely take over as much as possible in a power grab in urtler ro put our valucs on

toP. Forexample, we would slart by just trying to get a school board to issue a statemcnt in

a

publication that they would not fire a gay teacher or that an institution would not be preluclicial towards individuals who.self-identifled as gay. Thc lact was rhat we at all times intcndcd on taking ovcr the cnl.irc school systcm as we see now I 5 years later is happening with rhe transgender bathr<.rom initiatives that is really a public hcalth crisis. The strategy was to just get

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in under the wirc into diffcrent streams of influence, and once we get enough of our people on the inside, thcn we planned to do some major work to convcrt others to buying into our ideology and making sure that our religious ideology wils on top when it came to policy were bent on persecuting people of faith

if

making. Wc

necessary, since their worldview stirred up feelings

of

shame and inadequacy that we were running from.

8. I wa.s asked by Eay activist organizations

to help get the domestic partner$hip

bill

passed in

Atlanta Ceorgia, and thesc organizers helped to train me to.speak with councilmen and the nrayor. The activist group not only chose people of color hut individuals who were landowners,

who had a good strong voting recorcl. We would go in under the wirc and we were trained to not talk to anyone else about our plans. We were to get in and talk to the lawmakers ancl not inform the press. After all, we did not want the "church

folk" to know that votes on our legislative

proposals were corning up. On vote day, we would have auditoriums filled with gay and lcsbian

landowners to communicate to the politicians that they had to give us what we wanted. Just like

with the gay marriage lawsuits, we would usc dishonest tactics to get our policies turned into law, even if the intent of these proposals was to use government to validate our religious worldview.s on truth, .sex, and love - all of which were self-justilying. It gave us a sense of purp0se to oppress truth.

9. Cay activist are well trained bullics who work [o get results at all costs in step with the idea that the ends justify the means. Our activists were able to infiltrate media. I look ar people who

freelanccd lor or subscribed to my publication and went to work {br major media outtets such Bloomberg, The New York Tirnes, and Condc Nast, It is simply the case that gay and Iesbians run major media. They just do. Gay and lesbians are at thc forefront uf many major media dccision.s. It is not surprising that just about cvcry sitcom

ha.s a

gay characrer in it. Individual.s

as

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who sclf-identiFy as gay have major talk shows. Thc rcason is because media speaks directly intn thc minds of young people, and gay activist want to recruit the youth to joining into our world

vicw. We had this bclicf that if we could get everyonc to agree that our lifestylc was not morally repugnant, then it would not be. Wc wcre motivated by pride, arrogance, fear, and tbclings

of

inadequacy.

Like porn conlent creators or tobacco manuthcturers, you can get the youth, you can change society. As a former insider gay activist, I can attcst that we agreed with Hitler that when he

wrote'Mein Kampl while serving out a prison sentence at Landsberg, "whoever has the youth has the fi,lture." We created sentimental slogans like "love wins" and "love is love" to mask the

real intentions of our hearts.

PAITT TI: RADICAL TRANSFORMATION. ENTERING THE LIGHT

A. REVELATIQN: WHISPERS IN THE PARK IN THE MIDST OF A GIy pRmn PARADE 10. As a gay rights activist, I was never afraid to fight for what I believed in. I was as vocal ancl in your face

a.s

they come. I organizcd and marched with other le.sbians in gay rights parades. I

would chair speaking engagcments on gay right-s i.ssues. I was a pricst for moral relativi.sm ancl the gay ideology. A.s editor in chief of Venus magazine, a National Cay and Lesbian

publication, I was not aboul to change until something happened at a gay pride event thar I never expectcd. In 2003, I was in Chicago, at a gay pridc cvcnt in the middle of Bryant Park. t sroppcd and t<xrk a panoramic view, as far as I could see there were men with men and womsn with

women partying and having a superficial good time. All of a suddcn an overwhelming sense gf shame

fcll on me. I I'elt so out of placc in the world. Something spoke in my spirit that "this

that road that leads to destruction and yr>u're on

is

it." I kncw, as well as all my fcllow gay activists

thar thc entire gay narrative we wcrc mutually pcrpctuating was built on lies. It took several

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years for me to corne to terms with this vision that I had been feeding into a religious narative

that is falsc, dchumanizing, and destructive. After I had this awakening moment, I still continucd to works as thc editor for thc Vcnus magazinc, but I could not escape the mes.sage that I heard in

2003. I felt that the Loving and Just God of the Bible was chipping away at my heart to bring rne into a relationship with Him. I

l. I kept my.self busy with activism

wa.s

and publishing, but in the still of the night, when everyrhing

over there was that still srnall voics telling me that what I was advancing wa-s out of step

with Cod's plan lor hurnanity. I knew that I was not right with the Creator that is relerred to in our Bill of Rights who is the central figure of the New Testament Gospel. I longed for peace.

Even in the midst of a long tcrm lcsbian relationship, I felt inten.se loneliness as so many gay and lesbian individual.s do if bcing honcst. with themselves.

B. FACING MORTALITy - CRACKS IN A HE+RT OF STONE 12. At the top of what I thought would be my permanent cilreer, my mother pas.sed away. That made me examine my life. At the timc, I had been in a

l0 year relationship with a woman. We

were living in New York. My life changed in rnany ways. I had to scale back on somc of rny gay

activist aclivil.ics. When I had to burry my mother, I had to really think about eternity. When you look at your own mortality, it really forces you to think about what's beyond the grave and rhe path your own. I had to really think about that. That began to change the way I saw rhe gay litb. continued to publish the gay magazine but the flaws in the gay idcology werc becoming clear ro mc. I ccruld scc that no one in the gay communiLy wa.s thinking about things likc what happcns when we die. In fact, they avoided such questions. They were only living for the moment.

13, Thcrc arc sornc things that we all universally know are wrong. No one has to tell us that murder is wrong. And we all know thaL all forrns of scx bcsidcs the.sex betwecn a man and

I

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woman in the confines of rnarriage are offensive to the truth of our design and the way things are.

I ncvcr wanted to go to a gay church because I knew that it wasn't real. Thinking about my own

mortality made me think about things that are spiritual. There was sornething in my soul whcre I wanted somcone to share with me how I could get out of this captivity that the gay life really is.

wanted to be frec in my flcsh. I wanted to not be able to look at a woman and get attracted.

c.

THE porNr OF CqNVERSTON - THE AWAKENTNG - ABANpONTNG NARRATIVE TOR CHRISTIANITY.

THggAy

14. But by 2006, it did not fcel right any more. In June of that ycar a local pa.stor callcd mc

regarding an article in one of my publications. She did not know anything flbout my life but procceded to talk to me about Cod. She challenged me on what I was doing with my life and

what dircction I was leading it in. She was not judgmental, .she did not come at me with a sense

of moral superiority, but she knew that I was Iiving the gay lifestyle, and

she challenged me to

lcave it behind because it was fruitless and unfulfilling. She told me that I rJid not have to sray in this lifestyle even

if

I had been spearheading parts of the movement. The pastor told me that

I

could be delivered from the lesbian life - even getting delivered that day, right at that time, and right where I wa.s, no mattcr what I had done in my

pa.st,

Cod would forgive mc and takc me as

His child, i[ I would repent and .surrendcr my life. At fir.st I thought - how primitive - but I lelt something rnoving in my hcart. The gay rights movsmcnt was based on

lee

lings of shamc and

inadequacy. We activist tried to legislate away conviction and fnrce convert others into acccpting our dogma no mirtter the cost.s. We all knew that something was phony and in.sincere about our homosexual idcology. It does not involve real love but a shallow and cmpty fccling that is bascd on co-dependency and distortion of the truth.

I

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I 15. The pastor and I spoke at length and she said she could tell that I wantcd to comc back to Cod and Cod's way of living, as set forth in the Bible. She could tell that I felt unworthy, and I

did feel unworthy. My lifcstylc and activism efforts had amounted to an assault on God's ways and Christianity.

I lelt that if I dropped the lesbian ideology that entire adult life and work was

all a waste of time. I fcared that God could nevcr use mc because of rny past - because I had been marching, and publi.shing, having bcen an outspoken leshian for decades. That is, to say, I had been so public in my lesbianism, I did not think that Cod or thc church would accept me. But

something began to unlock and unravel in me with the words she spoke. The stony ground of my heart began to break up.

I was speechless for several minutes. Tears f]owed down my facc. Hcr

words hit something that was so true. I wanted to be free of this lesbian lil'e. I heard a still small voice speak to my heart as plain as could be: "today is your day. lf you choose me, I will usc you

for my own glory."

16.

Thc pastor's words convinced me that with Jesus the work was finished on the cross, and all

had to do

i.s

I

accept Him in faith and pursue a love relationship with thc Cod of the Bible in faith,

and I could be cleansed and restored. I t'elt an impression on my heart that God was waiting for me to surrender my

life to Him, and that day changed everything fbr me. I went fir:m living

a

lifestyle that was ultimately empty to adopting a new identity that was fully of peacc and a living

hopc. I asked

Je.sus

Christ to come into my heart and to forgive me ftrr confrrrming to the

cultures narrativcs. lt changed everything on thc inside.

17.

I lelt the Holy Spirit well up inside mc like I never f'elt before. Something just churncd up

inside me. Gutl began to brcak up some ground in me. The third time the pa.stor asked me if I

would pray thc sinner's prayer with her, I said ycs. Thc first two tirncs shc askcd, I said no because I was thinking about rny schcduled speaking engilgements and magazine. She was so

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persi.stent, and I am so grateful fcrr that. In opening my heart up for conversion

I was aware that

my entirc dctrt load was based on the publication, car payments, and house payments, but it did not matter. I wanted out of that false lifc and away from that dishoncst narrative. I am convinced that the Lord camc into my heart that day. I tracled one idcntity void of mcaning advanced by the cull.urc

Lo

one with a living hope that is real and cxploding with pcace, healing,

and intimacy. I take comfort in the fact that those who have been forgiven much love much. I

knew that my conversion was going to turn everything upside down.

PART rlr. COMTNG OUT OF THE CLOSET Tq, THE LCIiT COMTTUNTTY A SBCOND TIME AS A BORN AGAIN CHRISTIAN TO $HARE THE.IOY NO MATTER TIIE COST

A. SPEAKTNG..TRUTH IN LOyE TO cAy ANp LESBTAN ..THOSE FORGIVEN MUCH. LOVE MUCH"

ACTT.VTST

18. Two weeks after my conversion experience, I went to t}te Schomburg Centcr for Research in Black Culture in Ncw York City because I had previously committed to speaking to gays and lesbian.s

during a gay pride event. I was part of a panel of speaker.s. I was nervous because I felt

convicted lo come out of the closet for the second time and discuss my conver.$ion to Christianity and admit that I was leaving the gay

life. At the end of the speaking cngagemenr,

asked me wherc I saw my magazine going, and I knew that I had to tell thc

Lhe rnoderator

truth. I .said that the

direction o[ Venus is going to change 180 degrees, in the opposite direction. Our messuge up ro thcn have been to encouragc gay and lesbians to stand up and bc who they are and to come out of the closet - to bc proucl and let their parents and ncighborhootls know. Now

thc ntagazine to let gays and lesbians knorv that

(l)

I

wa.s

going to usc

this is nol whar Cod intendcd; that (2) they

werc bcirtg licd to; that (3) the gay life wasn'l Cod's best ibr anyone: and that (4) therc was no

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real freedom in this false gay and lesbian ideology. Vcnus was now going to focu.s on how to gct out of homoscxuality, with the emphasis that a pcrson coultl not just get out on their own but takes a committcd relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, and

it

I was going to tcll what He had

done for me. You could hear a pin drop in that auditorium of gay activists as I made this announccment.

It took

a

while to let the silence break up.

19. Aftcrwards, thcrc was a reccption, and at first, I was thinking that I should immediatcly make a run fbr the parking lot, but somcthing spoke to mc inside and tolcl me to stay and go to the reception. One by one, gay and lesbian people started coming over to me and saying things

like,

'l

used to go to church, and I am not happy in this

said,

'l

used to be a minister and I back.slide and thut is the only reason I am in this

life.'

One woman camc up to me and

life.' People

began to come lo me and thank me for sharing that and having the courage to speak out in truth and in lovc in that sctting.

20. So many people know that I was in the same life under the same false truth claims, and they can talk to me, and I can relate. I do not speak to them with a scnsc of moral superiority or

condemnation because I rvas the chief activist amongst thcm. But I now I am tiee. The Covernment's decision to codiff this nonsen.se and fal.se ideology is only prolil'erating harm, not understanding and freedom.

21, T'here

i.s

a song we sing in church which includes lyrics: "the Lord is in this place, Oh my

soul, He is in this place." And it is not talking about a building. tt is talking ahout this place in thc soul. [n leaving bchind thc gay identity and putting on the Chrisrian idcnrity, the Lorrl

filled up this dark and empty place in my soul.

ha.s

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22. I would

say to someone who has that cmpty spacc - thaL docs not have Christ dwelling in

them - thcrc is an empty spacc. Christ does not force Himself on you. But Hc a place where you allow be Christian and

will only come into

Him to clean. I say that having in mind those who bclieve that they can

living the gay lifestyle at the sarne time. That is one of the lics that Satan

keep.s

people trapped in. The Bible was neverdesigned to be revised. A person cannot cut out parts

of

the Bible and revise it fit thcir preferrcd lifestyle.

23. That is an untruth that the Lord

has now commissioncd me to tell others about who wcre

lured into thc gay and lesbian lifestyle. You cannot be a real Christian and living rhe gay lifestyle at thc same time - those are

intconcilable truth claims that are not equal. Light and darkness

cannot persist in the same heart at the same time. The other lie that is advanced by the

govemment's reckless codification of tlrc gay narrative is that peoplc who are in the gay lifestylc can never change or be free; that a le.sbian can never stop desiring a woman or that a gay man can never stop de.siring a man. That

i.s a

total lic from hcll as wcll. I was an ardent gay activist for

29 year.s, and I have completely and totally left bchind that worlclview and way of thinking.

24. I was altracted to women for nearly 30 years, but I stand as evidence

that the Lord can

change you when you give the Lord your whole heart. I tell my gay and lesbian friends that when

they pray to a.sk Cod to changc their whole heart, not to ju$t rake the gay or lesbian thing away. It does not work like that. A person has to surrender all of thcmselves. Cod can come in and work

powcrfully, if a person will surrcndcr and open thcir heart up to Hirn. Cod has changecl many things in my lifc, not just thc lcsbian part. Forcxample, I had an anger problem but by staring irtto the wonder of thc gospel that part of me has bccn brokcn up by thc transformativc bloocl of Jesus.

I[a

pcrson gives God thcir whole hcart, He

will put them back togetheragain in a way thar

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is marked by freedom and hope. Cod will takc us however we are, but he is a God ofjustice, and he

will not lets us stay the same. He wanls u.s to be in relationship with him.

25. I had a lady write me and say, I think you are so wrong, but I applaud your changc of life, but I think God loves me just like I am as a lcsbian. And I respondcd back that I agrce with you.

I think God loves you just like you arc, but He loves you enough to not let you stay the same, and

if you know God, you'll want to obey - you get to obey. I remember fecling that Cod lovs

me evcn when I considered mysclf a lcsbian, but I also knew that I was sinning and preventing

God from doing a great work in my lifc that could give me thc joy, peace, and acceptance that I always wanted more than anything. Cod loves us just like wc arc, but Hc is waiting for us to love Him just like He is. Hc is a ccrtain way. It is Just, not just loving. He is Holy. He has creatcd an order that is rvoven into the fabric of the universe, and whcther we like it or not that is the way thing.s are. For government to disregard transcultural reality and buy into rhc dishonest

unexamined assumption of the .superiority of our cultural narratives amounts to a form of

political mal pracrice that cannot be tolerate by proponents of freedom, love, and truth.

26. When you choose to love God the way

hc is, trcating Him as the King that he is, hc

relcased to come into your hean and mind and radically Lransform an individual

filling

will

be

an

individual with joy, peace, and fulfillment - that is what I found. Know that I putotf thc lesbian

life and turned to the Christian life. I have

a peace that passes understanding to rhe point tlrat I

can't even cotnprehend it at time.s. I can attest that I havc a peace and a joy that was not thcre before. The le.shian lil'estylc

i.s

nothing short of a total lie. I havc a peace and a joy that people

want, and the goorJ news is that this peace and joy is available to all pcople. Christianity is inclu.sive. Everyonc is wclcomc to gct to know Jesus. The gay idcology is exclusive insofar

as

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they welcorne convert.s, but

if you

stand in their way, they

will do anything within their

means to

crush you.

FOR TEE SAKE,OF REAL LOVE. TRUTH. AND FREEDOM

27. I was the editor of a black

lesbian magazine and was highly re.spected in my field and

featured prominently in gay activist literature, conferences, and media appearances.

I was a role

model for young black lesbians around the world. Yet God was not pleased with what I was doing or the lifestyle I was living. I became convicted by the Holy Spirit to turn around from homosexuitl ideology and give rny life to Jesus Christ, .surrounding to His will. I rhen continuerl to speak at gay events and publishing the Venus magazine for black lcsbians only now I

calling them to leave this empty lif'estyle and turn to

Jesu,s

wa.s

instead. In never planned on giving

up my gay magazine. It was doing incretlibly well. The magazine was on automatic pilot. But I

knew that Cod was calling me to use the magazine to speak the truth in love. I knew that I had to share rny convcrsion cxpericnce no matter the cost. I figured

if Oprah could

be on the cover

of

her magaz.ine cvery issue, I could [ca{.ure my sl.ory on the cover of my own magazine.

28.

I stunned the homoscxual community by renouncing thc gay ideology and becoming

a

Christiun. I now advocate for traditional or natural marriage. I wrote I front pago article in my magazine called "Rcdccmcd.

l0

Ways to Cet Out of ths Cay Lilb, II'You Want (Jut," Here is

what I wrote:

Over the past 29 years of my life I have been an aggres.sive, creative and strategic supporrer of gay and lcsbian issues. I've organized and participated in ccluntless marchcs and various lobbying efforts in the fight for cqual trcatmcnt of gay men and lesbian.s. I havc kepr curent on the issucs and rnadc linancial contributions to those organizations doing work about which I was most pa.ssionate.

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A.s the publisher of a l3 year old pcriodical which largets Black gays and lesbians, I have had the opportunity to publicly addrcss thousands, influcncing closeted peclple to 'come out' and stand up [or themselves, which i.s particularly difficult in the African-American community.

But now, I rnust cornc out of the closet again. I have recently experienced the power of change that came over me once I completely surrendcred to the teachings of Jesus Christ. As a believer of the word o[ Cod, I fully accept and have rlways known that same-sex relationships are not what Cod intended for us.

I don't expcct that this message will bc widely reccivcd, quite the contrary. But, I do know that there is someonc, possibly reading this very article, who is tired and unhappy living tlris way.

Someone, in your heart of hearts, is scarching for a way out, but you just can't seem to break free on your own. I am speaking to my gay and lesbian brother.s and sistcrs who want real peacc; the kind you've heard about, sung about, read about. It is simpler than you think to acquire it and there is no condemnation oncc yon'vc cntcrcd it.

Although I havc livcd as a lcsbian lbr my entire adult life, it is without a doubt my soul's purpose to use my gifrs to LOVINCLY share the truth about how we got here: how we carne to be gay or lesbian, how rvc camc lo enjoy our 'lifestyle' and how we came to believe that this was OK with Cod. [Ronran.s I :21-28J Many argue that each individual should determine for thcmsclves what God intends for him or her. This would indicate that we each have a separate set of bihlical rulcs to live by. This is untrue. If you are ready for change and willing to open yourself to the huth, Cod's love can bring your current belief system in line with His Word. Jesus will cleanse and forgive all confcssed sin from a willing heart. llomoscxuality is only onc of thcm.

By now you're asking, 'Has she lost her mind?' My answer is NO. I didn't lose it, I gavc it away! ln fact, I tradcd it in lor a new one! [Romans 12: l-21 ONE TUESDAY MORNING I was minding my own business one fine New Jersey morning when I received a call from a local pastor. I had ncver.spokcn to her previously. She was calling to add a statcmenr to an article about her gospel group in anothcr papcr wc own called the Kitchen Table News.

I don't remember hr:w we got on the subject of salvation but she could not have known how much I had bcen struggling with trying to reckon my.spiritual upbringing with my lesbian lifestyle.

My stiff-necked re.sistance to the truth arose in me as she ministercd. I honestly figurcd that if I simply mcntioncd thc 'L' worcl that she'd drop the phone, anoint it with oil and tlrat would bc thc last I'd hcar from her. Bu[ that's not what happencd. The pastor prophetically confirmed what I've known lor ycars, 'onc day you will corne out o[thc world lnd bring many gay and lesbian souls out with you.'Shc askcd il'today was thc day that I would choose but t said no. I fclt the power of conviction upon rne as she spoke but I resisted and hardcncd my heart against thc truth as I had done many times befbre. I was not willing to hear her or givc up my alt to Cod, cspccialty knowing that I had a confirmed speaking engagement scheduled tlie following week ar the Schomburg Ccnlcr during New York City Gay Pridc.

HAVE MERCY

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As I hlurtcd out that I was a proud card-carrying lesbian, the pastor remirrded mc that God's mercy allowcd mc to survivc my cxpcricnces as He developed my gifts, all as a part of His plan to Iead others to Him. others who will not perhaps hear her or other ministers who have not

LIVED this expericnce.

She cnuld not have had a clue about my encounters with the mercies of Cod. Mercy had indeed covcred mc during those dark 1993 days when my good friend Venus Landin, for whom this mugazine is named, was shot and killed. I recalled how I went with her to her ex-lover's homc [o recover her things, how the woman had built a l'ire using Vcnus' precious journals as fuel, how she burncd her cloLhes and how the flames and debris had fallen out of the fireplace's box and were ablaze along the carpet.

I remembercd thc look on the woman's face and in her eyes. I know in my heart that she had intended to murder Venus that night but she did not expect me to arrive with her. Thcre, I stood at the very gate.s of hcll. Givcn hcr state of mind, there was no reason for the woman not to have killcd us both, then turn tlre gun on herself as she did Venus a week later. When I receivod the call that they were both found dead, I knew instantly that mercy had covered me, hut why?

T

YIELD

Thc spirit ol God spoke directly into my soul and said you will choose this day who you will serve and if you make the wrong choice, I will allow you to drift so far away from me that you will never hcar my voice again.

I gave Cod my heart and soul in the parking lot of the mall, right there in my car. A river of tears flowed as Jesus washed mc and forgave me and rcdeemed me for His work. I intcnd bc just as 'out' about my transformation as I was about my lesbian life. I have given every gift I have back to God, including VENUS Magazine. The target audience will remain the same but the mission has been renewed. Our new mission is to encourage, educate and assist those in the life who want changc but can't find a way out. My brother, my sister, please lollow me out of this.

l. Establish and accept for yourself that God's Word is true AS-lS.

Do not allow gay theology tc divr:rce the Old Testament from the New or the writtcn words of the Apostles from the spokcn word.s of Jesus Christ. This is a good trick, but it's no longer working because Cod i.,i preparing to bring millions o[ gays and lesbians back to I lis feet. He has already choscn many of us for this specific purpose and He is waiting for YOU to accept His call.

2. Seck the truth within lhc scripturcs about homoscxuality and it read and pray.

will

be revealed to you a.s you

Know that wc rvcrc NOT born this way. Thi.s myth was fashioned hy the gay csrablishmenr as a basis lor changing laws in favor of gay rights.

Again it works f'or their purp(]ses, but it is biblically UNTRUE. There is no way that anyonc, without an agenda, can corne away from the Biblc with an cndorsernent by Cod of the gay

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lit'cstyle. Cay thcology starts with an agenda l 'lct's make the Bible say gay is arrive at it.s conclusions, but it is a lic.

0.K.'l in ordcr to

3. Do not resist Cod's $all on your life. Cet alone with Cod and lct l-linr ministcr l.hc truth directly to you. That conviction you fcel is a gift to keep you near the cross. If you keep resisting Him and hardening your heart, I'le will eventually stop calling you. You can then havc a great time lulfilling all the fantasies of the flcsh without feeling a thing, but what await.s you at the end of such a life? fRomans 2:281

4. Know with ccrtainty that you are loved by God exactly where you are and that ynur experiences are of great value for kingdom work. I had BEEN tired, but the eneury kept my mind trapped for years by convincing me that I could not be o[ any real usc to God having lived as an opcnly gay publishcr, but that was a lie.

5. Say Yes. That's really all it takes to accept the truth which is accepting Jesus Christ. Pray this prayer of repentance with me now. "Lord, I'm coming to you because I believe your Word and I need your help. I can't change myselll l've tried. Please forgive me for everything I've done that did not glorify you. I believe that you ARE the Word. I bclieve that Jesus IS your son. I believe that He DIED lor my sins, and BECAUSE I believe this, I AM NOW SAVED BY YOUR

GRACE. 'l'hank you [br saving me! Amen."

6. Make your salvation rcal. Keeping the good news of your pcrsonal salvation a sccret is another trick thc cnemy uscs to buy tirne as he trics to pull you back to your former lit'e. We must believe with our hearts AND confcss with our mouths. You don't need to 'out' yourself but clobbcr the enemy by irnmcdiately sharing your testimony with SOMEONE about how the Lord has revealed the truth directly to you; about the level ofjoy and peace you now have which you could not reach without full repentance; ahout the welcomed change this hrings in your life, and all the wonderful things He has done fbr you. [Romans l0:9]

7. Experience paradisc NOW! Consult God first, then go ahcad and live your life! Wclcome new friendships, start that new venture, cxpand your experiences, obtain nice things, just don't put them befbre Cod. Enjoy your life to a new degree, without the burdcn of sin AND with thc conlidcnce of ALL of Cod's promises on your side! lt is totally possible to live for Cod in this present age and enjoy yourself immenscly. When I say live for God I mean totally'sold out' for Ciod. But you cannot be 'sold ou[' for Cod and live a gayllesbian lil'cstyle at thc same time.

lTitus Z:ll-12)

It's possiblc to have a BETTER timc than you did in the clubs, in the parks, BET'IER than all those secret encounters with fiolks whose name.s you've long forgotten, BETTER than your longterrrt relatir:nship, BETTER than all your priceless possessions, BETTER than money! Most of us have experienced somc of this AND WE WERE STILL MISERABLE. But thanks to God's mcrcy and saving gracc wc don't have to wait years and ycars to gct to hcaven to cxpcricncc paradisc, Thc carth is the Lord's, the tullncss thcreof, thc world, and they that dwell thcrcin.

Dnjoy Cod's carth, now. [Psalms 24:l]

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8. Walk carefully or'circumspectly' as the scriptures describe. This is about being careful to keep your spirit clean and fresh. Praycr, along with reading and hcaring the Word AND seeking ways to apply it to your daily lifc i.s the rvay to STAY saved and dclivcred from any sinlul habit.

lsn't it interesLing that we sometimes give our garments of clothing more care than we give our very souls. When we put on an outfit, we're so careful not to lean against anything that might soil it. We protect it while we're eating so as not to get a spot on it. We sit in such a way to prevent it from wrinkling. Treat your soul's salvation with at least this much care. IEphesians

5:15-l6l 9. Have fellowship with belicver.s. lVe know that the church has largely failed gays and lesbians by not treing a welcoming place for those who have sought spiritual change. The invitation to 'come as you are' seems to be extended to everyone bul. us. Horvever God has people cverywhcrc who are open, real and willing to walk out with you. Ask the Lord to Iead you to a loving, caring, bible-believing fellowship where you can be nurtured, be blessed, Srow AND be a blessing. IHebrews l0:25] 10. Stay in touch. We'd love to hear from you! If this article has helped you, please let us know.

Email us at cditor@victorymagazine.org or write VICTORY Ministry, lnc., P. O. Box 353378, Palm Coa.st, FL 32135. Include your day and evening number.

29. When the Lord saved me, I knew that everything would change: all of my editorials, the mission of the magazine, etc. Venus was going to be calling people out of homosexuality into the deeper richer ticedom found in thc pcrsonalizcd truth of Jesus Christ and the grace based

narrative that he offers.

30. The response from the gay and lesbian community from my transformation from the gay

rcligion of moral rclativism to Christianity has been ficrcely negative and abusive even. Bur I know that countless gay and lesbiuns are just as conflicted as I was. In ordcr to fill up this empty space that wc all havr: insiclc

of us, the gay and lesbian acl.ivists prctend to put on this wondcrful

facc ol'how gay and happy thcy are but at the cnd of thc day homoscxuals are incredibly Ionesonte antl empty a.\ ever. That is the real story. There is an underlying slranrc,

discontcntmcnt, unfulfillment, and lonclincss thcre rvhich is not talked abour and it

i.s rcal,

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31. There has been positive t'eedback as wcll. I get lols of ernails fiom people who say that they

struggle with homosexuality and want out. I am still on thc front Iines of thc gay righrs battlc but

only now I sce it as a spiritual fight to lead othcrs to the freedom that I have found.

32. Our rni.ssion now is to educate and to turn people away from the homosexual lifestyle simply by presenting the truth. We simply want people to qucstion what they have leamed through the pages of Venus Magazine through the past

l3

years.

33. Prior to my conversion Venus circulated about 35,000 copies per issue, which ran four times a year. But afier the issue

with my l.estimony, gay activist pressured advertisers to drop the

magazine. Gay pride events and college campuses no longer subscribed but I have no regrets about my change and transformation.

34. There is suclr

a

joy and a peaoe that you cannot find in the gay thcocracy, in a gay pride

parade in a beautiful float. The peace and the

joy that I have I wouldn't trade for anything.

P. THE FALL OUT AND GAY REPRISAL

35. When my testimony first got out there, people wrote some very angry letters. One woman .said how dare

I harm their community and faith system,

.since I had financed my career

hacks of gays and lesbians. Thal. same woman lwo years later wrote me back, and said,

off the

"l

never

thought I would be the one writing you this leLter back, but I wanted to lct you knorv that I have decided to comc out of lesbianism and give my life to Je.sus Christ." And that makcs any personal suffering

I have endurcd worth it all.

36. Thcrc are no greater bullics in America than the phony tolcrant in the LGBT community.

They turned on me, Many homosexual activist groups contacted my advertisers and rnajor subscribers, 1o include collegc campuscs, demanding that they withdraw support. 'l'hcy know the threat that I pose to their effort because I was not just an insitler.

I

was an organizer and leader.

Case: 1:16-cv-08034 Document #: 9 Filed: 09/08/16 Page 20 of 26 PageID #:65

But to not speak the truth is an act of actual hate. I not only want to live my life on thc right side

of history, I want to Iive on the right side of reality - pointing peoplc to the truth in love.

PA-BT rV.

BECqMll{G A C}TRISTIAN ACgyrsT TO ADVANCE THE TRUTH

IN,

LOVE 37.

A. J'AEE DISCRIMINATION. FAKE IMMUTABLE..TRAIT ARGUMENT A.s an

African American. I

wa.s outraged, even as a gay

rights activist and leader, that gays

would claim discrimination, when in fact my skin color is immutable. My skin color cannot change. Whcn I wake up and go to sleep, I am an African American whcther

Howcver, people who sclf-idcntify

a.s

I like it or not.

gay and lesbian do changc. I am living proof of that and I

havc seen it over and over again. To suggest that .sexual oricntation is based on immutablc traits and genetics

i.s

absolutely intellectually dishonest.

38. It angers me greatly

to see homosexuals using the discrimination argument in equating their

so-called plight to the race plight, when they know that they are absolutely lying. But the guiding

principle in the homosexual ideology is that the ends juscify the means. lt has always caused me to t'eel outraged that the homosexuals have hijacked the model of the civil rights movement in an attempt to shoehorn honrosexual rights into legal validity. To claim that the racial civil rights movcment can be u.,ied as a valid model for the fake homosexual civil rights movement is totally removed from the truth. The Courts and legislatures musl stop hiding behind thc homosexuals'

talking point.s when it comes to discrimination lrccause they are outright lying. Also for the record, anger is not the opposite of love. Hare i.s. And the final form of hate is indifterence, and I am not indiffcrcnt about thc fact lhat the homosexuals are falsely using thc

civil rights movement

to shoehorn their sell-justifying plight intr: Iegal legitimacy. The .state and t'cdcral lawmakers and Judgcs shr.luld share in my indignation

justice.

i[they are actually on the sidc of the truth, love, and

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39. For any politician to use the gay and lesbian talking points in equating sexual orientation to the immutatrle trail.s of skin tone is engaging in a real act of bigotry, animus, and fraud. The Civil

Rights movement under the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was based on thc truth, and not lies.

For politicians and Juslices to allow gay and lesbians to falsely compare rheir plight ro the racc won is a form of racial discrimination that is depersonalizing, dehumanizing, and downright wrong.

40. As u former gay activist who hus had my eyes open

anct heart transformed

by the truth of

Jesus Christ, I can sce that in fighting against gay marriage and homoscxual rights, I am

defending the integrity of the real Civil Rights movement. I call upon any federal and srate Judgc and Legislature to admit to themselves l.hat thc support the phony gay rights movemcnt - which

is based on shame and selt-justitying religious narratives that arc sexually exploitarive - that to support gay rights is to threaten the integrity of the

Civil

Rights movement. My testimony as an

ardcnt gay activist for nearly 30 years - alone - proves these points conctu.sively. The Country does not have the time for any further intellectual di.shonesty in these matrers of political

corectnes.s which erodes freedom and allows individuals with bad intention.s to bully people

who.stand for the truth.

r]. FRBEq-OM COMES FROM THE TRUTH 41. Throughout the Civil Rights movement, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was never pushing for the lawmakers to step away from Christianity in pa.ssing laws to end segregation. He was pushing the lawmakers to return to a dccpcr and truer Christianity. This is because

Christianity accords with that which is true period. But the truth claims cmbodierl in Chri.stianity do not

fill

an individual with a scnse

o[moral superiority, instcad, it humbles thcm. The gay

ideology docs ttrc cxact oppositc. And thc bottornlinc is that withour rhc truth there is no

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freedom. Frcedom comes I'rom thc truth. As a gay rights activist, I uscd to believe the fal.se narrative that in order to be free a per.$on had to get away from the truth; avoict complying with any dogma or directives. But what I was doing was stepping away from the true rcligion

of

Christianity and into the false religion based on gay ideology that is founded in postmodcrn individual relativism birthed out of the enlightenment tradition. We gay activist were incredible dogmatic about not being dogmatic. We wcrc the worst kind of hypocrite. We were utterly

judgmental towuds people we thought were judgmental because they had srandards, which made us incredibly judgmental.

42'

Sex is powerful, and I want to see the legislatures and Courts help our citizens channel their

sexual energy in thc right rvay. I want to see our marriage laws make the objectively "right

choice" the "easy choice." Take a fish on the grass. A fish on the grass is not free at all. It is only when the fish is confined to the water that it is ablc to swim lightening fast and even breathe. So

it goes with man. Man must be confined by laws to acconl with the truth about our nature becau.se our personal

libeny is otherwise subjcct to suffcrcation. Our Democracy and unity is

suffocating because our government has relused to see that the gay ideokrgy is a moral code.

And our government has traded truth for a lie due to a lack of wisdom and our people especially the youth - are suffering

43. So'called

c.

a.s

a result.

ENABLTNC THE TRUTH. NOT DARKNpSS

gay marriage matters cannot bc compared to one af

'tia;k

vs whits." But

it is a

matter of "light vs. dark." For thc Courts and legislatures to pass gay righs laws is not an act of love whatsoever becausc it plunge.s pcoplc further into the captivity and darkne.ss thar I was held captive in until surrendering that lifc to Lhc decpcr richcr ficctlom of Christianity.

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44.

Just like a parent who enables their child's heroin addiction is not engaging in an act of love

but a crime that makes them a prospective criminal accomplicc, for the Government to pass laws that codify gay right religious doctrine cnables a destructive self'-perpetuating lie and makes thc

Government an accomplice in proli[cration of fraud. Real love does not tolerate all things.

Religious concepls that are part of the false homosexual doctrine like "love is love" and o'love

wins" are naked assertions that amount to whimsical sentimentality and have no relal.ionship to reality.

D. EXAMPLE OF FALSE RETI.GIOUS TRUTH CLAIMS ASSEBTED BY TqP GAY COMMUNITY

45. As a gay activist, organizcr, lcadcr, and insider, herc

are some

of the false religious

narratives that we advanced in society to get the ends we werc seeking

(I

) "people are born gay;"

(2) "there is such thing as gay gcncs; (3) being gay involves immutable traits; (4) lovc is love; (5) avoiding the truth is the way to be free; (6) paint all Christians as haters; (7) only tolerare those who agree with our viewpoint; (8) no set of moral truth claims matter as a ba"-is for law except the one that firs our interesls;

(9i we are the good peoplc who do nor set up binaries and assert

truth claims, the Christian are the trad people who do; (8) our identity namative is not a religion.

Our lawmakers should not use thesc false religious premi.ses that are.self-justifying in creating Iaws bccause there is no room for our people to object to what amounts to implicitly religious assertions. It is especially traumatic for me because it makes rne have to pay homagc

ideology that I spent nearly 30 years of my lif'e as a captivc

oi

Lo a

false

only to later see rhal rlris religious

ideology wa.s dcstroying me and thousand.s of people who I carc deeply about and still do to this day.

E. PRO.TRADTTIONAL MARR.IAGB LEGISLATION

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46. I and othcr pa.stors

hclped support a bill that allows pastors to refusc to perform so-callc4

gay weddings which passed in the statc of Florida, but,not Georgia. I am so glad thar legislaturcs and the governor herc thought it was important to protect pastors and small churches from

having io drop their sound religiou.s convictions and be forced to adopt the dishonest religious convictions held by the government o[ticials who shoehorned so-called gay marriage into legal

validity on the backs of fraudulcnt legal arguments. I am thankful to the sponsor.s and cosponsors of the bill, and I am most thankful fbr my Governor Rick Scott who signed thc bill into law immediately. I am thankf'ul to the work that the pastors and lobbyi.st did in pre.senring the facts.

This law is a shicld io protect pastors from having to abandon their religious views on marriage to adopt the oncs that moral relativist in government t'eel that they should have.

47.

I sec gay activist throwing everything at governors and lawmaker.s to continue to codify and

advancc their fake rcligious ideology because they are afraid of being exposed as being

completely dishoncst. They are afraid of the push back coming from rhe church that is finally awakcning

i.s

about to talce place. The gay activist plan is get Hollywood involvcd and sport

celcbrities involved, suggesting that they are bcing discriminated against. They know - just like the devil knows - that thcy are about to bc defeated. They know that so thi.s is why they are

coming with everything they have to shut down different initiative.s that stop their efforts to use Sovernment to codify thcir rcligit)u.s narral.ive. The pushback has begun. The church has finally awakened, and wc can take back our country.

GROUPS

48. It is the homosexual's talking point to suggest that Christians

are hateful. Cays havc u.sed

social ostraci.sm as a tool. We were taught to usc thc word hatc and social ostracism in advancing

Case: 1:16-cv-08034 Document #: 9 Filed: 09/08/16 Page 25 of 26 PageID #:70 25 gay rights because no Christian wants to known tbr being hateful and legalistic. Social o.srraci.sm was a grcat weapon tbr us. Behind private doors we would laugh at how we were ahle to usc lies

to get what wc wanted. Now that I have become a Christian it is crystal clear to me that Christians do not hate people, but they do oppose the ideology and doctrines that lead peoplc into Iif'estyles that are subver.sive to individual and collective hurnan flourishing. Christians separare the spirit of homosexuality frorn thc person who is being occupied by it. Christians love people

who are homosexual, but they do not support and condone that lifestyle because silence in the face of cvil is it.self an immense act of evil. To not object ro wrongdoing is to participare with it.

The idea that "Christians are good people and gay people are bad people" is far too simplistic to be correct. People who arc under the influence of Christianity by definition admit that they are

flawed and broken and in nced of a savior as the starting position. The question is not whether gay people are more or lcss moral than Christians. The question that I am concerned with is

whether it is wrongful and unlawful for the government to codify the gay ideology. I submit rhar doing so will crode keedom and make us less free.

49. I absolutely love pcoplc who self-identify

as homosexual.

I want the same thing that

has

happened to mc to happen to them. I want them to lcave behincl that false narrative und come

into thc healing and re.storative waters of Christianity. If a person subrnits themsclves to the Lordship of Jcsus Christ and allow themselves to fall under His influence, they will not want to live a lifestyle that is outsidc o[ the ones He

cleles

not condone. God is no kill joy. He wants

what's best for us, and we all arc invited to receive the grace, joy, and peace that only Jesus can of'fer. It is not cven that I am trying to over spiritualize these matters. It is simply my observation and cxperience thaL nothing clse works. Nothing else can take away the pain ancl provide the

fulfillment wc all wanr so badly,

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26

The gay community and the Christian comrnunity have this in common - they are botb looking

for life and happiness, but thc Cluistian community has the sruwcrs in the form of

a personilized

truth.

50. I believe that I was rescucd fum a lesbian lifcstyle that was not going to produce any life. I want others to have that same frecdom. That is why I risked everything. That is why I put my magazine, financial situatioq and rcputatiou on the line. None of that matters, compared to the

mnscending peace that comes &om having an authentic and sincerc relationship with the God the Bibte ttuough his son Jesus Cluist. I hope and pray that lhe lawmakers and legislatures

of

will

use my testimony to stop advancing the gay charade that has rnore in common with slavery than

libcrty.

I attest under the penalty of perjury that the above mentioned statemcots are true and accurate.

Charlene E. Cothran