Alan Chambers, former leader of the now-defunct “ex-gay” group Exodus International, was arrested in Florida the morning of Tuesday, May 19, on charges of solicitation of a minor, transmission of harmful material to minors and use of a two-way communication device, according to reports by Religion News Service.
The arrest affidavit also alleges that Chambers paid for sexual favors from male prostitutes.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office says that Chambers, 54, exchanged sexual messages for several months with someone he thought was a teenager.
According to a social media post by the sheriff’s office, Chambers “has been arrested after he attempted to meet someone he thought was a 14-year-old boy — but it was actually an undercover detective.”
According to Religion News, an undercover officer said he first made contact with Chambers on Snapchat in February, with the officer at that time identifying himself as a 14-year-old boy. Chambers then allegedly began to send sexual messages about their “forbidden love” for months.
“The officer obtained a warrant for a Snapchat account allegedly belonging to Chambers and later got warrants for Chambers’ Google account and cellphone,” Religion News notes. “On Tuesday, the officer pulled Chambers over for a traffic stop and arrested him.”
The arresting officer said Chambers admitted communicating with a 14-year-old he’d met on Snapchat, but he would not discuss about what he and the boy talked about.
Orange County Sheriff’s Office officials have asked the public to contact them with any information about possible other victims.
Chambers is married and has two children and works for a clothing company in Florida. As president of Exodus International, Chambers promoted “reparative therapy,” also known as “conversion therapy,” aiming to helping LGBTQ+ people change their sexual orientation by “praying the gay away.”
He also advocated for California’s Proposition 8, a proposed state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Prop 8 was passed by voters but later declared unconstitutional by the California State Supreme Court.
In 2013, Chambers announced that Exodus International was shutting down, and he apologized for the harm he and the organization had caused.
— Tammye Nash