Dear Dr. Mike Rosebush, Ph.D.:

My comments are made under the presumption that you have expert-level skills in communications using metaphors in prose and visual images. The presentation and framing of your narrative illustrate the repetition of violent deadly force weaponry when reporting actions of your former employers and or former professional guilds and support systems. Specifically, I am referring to Focus on The Family and Exodus International. As a childhood sexual, physical and psychological abuse survivor who is also a Black and homosexual man who has embraced LLYITGLA, UPR, UL, and TGR*, I felt like you were successful in communicating what your experiences felt like from your perspective: a violent assassination attempt.

However, as I read your story and saw your smiling head shot at the end of your story, several questions came to mind:

How did you compartmentalize(?) control(?) separate(?) detach(?) being a male homosexual while having a USAF career and serving clients as a licensed psychologist and educational leader within openly anti-LBGTQIA+ corporations and professional guilds?

How did you rationalize making a minimum of $16000.00 per client per year? Because I progressed from client to small group leader within Desert Stream Ministries ( affiliated with Vineyard Christian Fellowship and John Wimber) and attended the Exodus International Conference {where the group photo marketing shot featured in the “Pray Away” documentary now streaming on Netflix was taken}, I know first-hand there were fortunes made on the suffering of every past and present reparative therapy client. I never saw a dime; I was an orthodox committed Christian, and paying to become a certified small group leader was my reasonable service.

Now that Black Pan-African scholarship ( Thurman, Clarke, West, Glaude, Barber, et. al.) has revealed the corrupt, mendacious, abusive, misogynist, and xenophobic dark heart of USA- White evangelical Christianity rotten and rotting from the inside (e.g., Billy Graham Ministries, the Falwell clan and Liberty University) How have you still been able to claim fealty to a Biblical Christianity with more than 530 different versions ( on the Bible Gateway app; I stopped counting at 530 translations) that are all allegedly infallible?

What do you think should be the logical consequence for your promotion and support of pastoral and clinical practice of a reparative therapy/ cult of religious idolatry(?) that you knew was ineffective outside of the church and therapy room bubbles at best? At worst, the outcomes were major depression, despair, withdrawal from society, self-harm, addictions, suicide and or…..???? including using hidden HIV/ AIDS status and having unprotected sex out of self-hate, fear and loathing. What should be the logical consequences for you and others who now continue to profit from the suffering and healing of the people your colleagues also assassinate daily?

How will you make amends outside of the woke white professional role you have successfully seamlessly transitioned into post-firing(s?) and Resurrection(s)?

I am glad you have “ come out from among “THEM!” Good for you! Voila, that’s my biggest issue. From my point of view, your entire life has been Very Good for you, personally, professionally and financially. It could only(?) have been a sociopathic subconscious desire to shout F! U! to the world as people who look more like you than me destroy humans and nature faster than it appears the humans can recover. I do not see any profound sorrow and or remorse. You actually profit monetarily from what some might call you making amends. Well played! Amazingly, well played and a 21st Century example of just how dissociative disorder(?) has allowed you to continuously strategically deceive others by being less than 100% transparent about how much homophobia kept a roof over your head, clothes on your mouth, food on your table, and a circle of friends and colleagues in the Hell you escaped from and in the Heaven you now occupy. May you always and in all ways remember this message. Thank Your Supreme Deity every day for your specific life!

Finally, do me and the overarmed-with-deadly-weapons- USA a huge favor-- no more pictures of deadly weapons aimed at viewers to express your pain--- USE YOUR WORDS. Your illustration and vocabulary remove all doubt about what you really want to do to your abusers!

Pretend you don’t want to shoot to kill anyone ever for any reason. I understand all veterans were trained to kill. I just wish you all would understand that no one needs y’all to remind us of that fact.

• *- LLYIGLA= learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all
• *- UL = Unconditional Love
• * UPR = Unconditional Positive Regard
• * THR = The Golden Rule

Best,

VernonNickersonSchoolcoach