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Jim Domen, a California pastor who used to live as a gay man. He now is married to a woman and they have three children.Church United Facebook

CALIFORNIA, May 30, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – “People are trying to silence the power of Jesus Christ” through a California bill banning help for those with unwanted same-sex attraction, a man who used to live the gay lifestyle and is now a Christian pastor said.

That man, Jim Domen, appeared in a video produced by Church United highlighting the experiences of California residents who have experienced unwanted same-sex attraction. Some of these individuals are now married with kids. More than one is a pastor now. They say the bill being considered amounts to the government “controlling how we identify sexually.”

A shortened version of the video is below. The full video can be viewed here.

Bill AB2943 makes “advertising, offering to engage in, or engaging in sexual orientation change efforts with an individual” illegal by adding it to the state’s list of illegal “unfair methods of competition and unfair or deceptive acts or practices undertaken by any person in a transaction intended to result or that results in the sale or lease of goods or services to any consumer.”

Adults seeking to overcome unwanted gay attractions or sort through sexual confusion according to traditional Christian anthropology would not be able to do so.

A Christian ministry has already canceled an upcoming Los Angeles conference because “its lineup includes defenders of traditional man/woman marriage and people who advocate pursuing only those sexual activities approved in the Bible,” and its leaders were worried the bill might become law.

Those in the Church United video include an artist, veterinarian, hair stylist, and several pastors. They discuss how “destructive” the homosexual lifestyle was and how leaving it behind gave them the bright outlook they have now.

Neil Hardin, an engineer, said in the video he wants to be free to see the therapist of his choosing, buy the books he wants, and live how he thinks God wants him to live.

“I’m more than just my sexuality,” he said. “My identity is more than just who I am attracted to. My identity is that I am a Christian. I am in Christ, and that is the most important thing.”

“I lived and loved being a lesbian,” Elizabeth Woning recalled. “I felt like I’d been born that way.”

But when she became a Christian, her self-identity shifted.

“I didn’t pursue God for freedom of my sexuality. I pursued God for Him,” she said. “But the outcome of that was my sexuality – my self-identity – began to change. And really it wasn’t too much longer after that, maybe within a year, that I began to develop affection for a man, which honestly was shocking. It was a little bit humiliating. I didn’t believe that that was who I was. I didn’t believe it was possible. Eventually, I married him. Today, we’ve been married for 13 years.”

Another pastor who shared his story of experiencing unwanted same-sex attractions, Ken Williams, said that AB2943 “completely destroys my human experience.”

When he sought help for unwanted same-sex attractions, Williams said, “I had no promise that I would ever change, but I had support from him and from my parents, that I was loved and that I’m safe.”

“This legislation, 2943, actually takes away rights from those that are questioning their sexuality,” he said. “We don’t wanna see an America where the government is controlling how we identify sexually.”

Related:

California set to vote on banning books about treating unwanted homosexual attraction

California’s shocking ‘you must stay gay’ bill