Seth J. Persily, a second-year law student and co-chair of Lambda, the Law School's gay students' association, agrees.
"The level of suicide within these organizations is astronomical and it makes sense when you take such a large part of yourself and try and hide it or ignore it or actively fight against it," he says. "Being gay transcends having gay sex. It's a huge part of your identity and they can never get rid of that."
"All Michael Johnston is doing is stopping [ex-gays] from being truly happy and from living out who they really are," Persily adds.
Pursuit of 'Manly Virtues'
But some Harvard students, such as Burt, believe the University was founded to pursue "divine truth" and "manly virtues," above personal happiness.
At the "Coming Out of Homosexuality" event at the Law School, Burt said the University has strayed from its Puritan roots by endorsing gay-rights initiatives such as the same-sex commitment ceremonies that now are permitted in Memorial Church.
"Harvard has simply crossed the line in its embrace of the dangerous homosexual agenda," he said. "Growth need not come at the expense of Harvard's Christian heritage."
Mary L. Naber '98, co-chair of Christian Impact and a Crimson executive, says she believes gays and lesbians are "searching for affirmation" that only devotion to God can supply.
"It is our prayer that all students would realize this need for deeper love in their lives, and that Jesus can fill it," she says. "Upon coming to this understanding [they] would find that His love for us is more powerful than any half-hearted craving for sex or ambition."
And despite Persily's assertion that "ex-gays" can never be truly happy, a few members of undergraduate Christian organizations, including Zack C. Phillips '99, say that if they were gay, they would repress their desires because they believe homosexuality is a sin.
"If I felt homosexual desires...I would pray that God would take them from me," says Phillips, who is a member of Christian Impact.
"Do I think that there will ever be an earthly society in which there are no homosexuals? No," he says. "Do I desire people to repent of their sins? Yes."
"I would completely desire for every person to turn from all of their sins, including homosexuality," Phillips says.