Exodus International, the group dedicated to the idea that gays could be "cured," will close after 37 years, following the admission by its leader Alan Chambers that homosexuality can not in fact be cured. “I am sorry that some of you spent years working through the shame and guilt you felt when your attractions didn’t change,” Chambers said on his website. “More than anything I am sorry that so many of you have interpreted this religious rejection by Christians as God’s rejection. I am profoundly sorry that many have walked away from their faith and that some have chosen to end their lives.”

Started in Anaheim, Calif., Exodus International began as a small ministry seeking to help homosexuals reconcile their sexuality with the Bible's teachings. The group grew to be the chief advocate of the controversial "Gay Cure" movement and expanded to include over 260 ministries across the country.

Acceptance of gay rights is on the rise with polls showing a majority of Americans in support for gay marriage. Well known leading conservatives such as Dick Cheney, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and Alaskan Sen. Lisa Murkowski have also voiced their support for gay rights.

Chambers, who is married to a woman, has admitted to be being attracted to men. He now recognizes that most gay people are unable to live with that tension. Chambers believes about 99% of people who have undergone gay-conversion therapy did not lose their attraction to people of the same sex.

Some gay rights activists have accepted Chambers apology. “I think its demonstrative of the major shift that we as a society have gone through in terms of our understanding of who gay and lesbian people are and how they live,” said Ross Murray, director of news and faith initiatives at GLADD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

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