Poplular Ex-gay Song/Video

The following story is from the NARTH Web site. According to the video posted on YouTube (see the reference at the end of this story), the music video reached number 3 in the charts in Italy in February, 2009.

The Ex-Gay Story in the Pop Music World

By Roberto Marchesini
NARTH International Representative - NARTH Italia
http://www.narth.com/docs/popmusic.html

Italy's "Festival di San Remo," the most important musical happening in my country which is seen on T.V. by millions of Italians, became the unlikely platform this year for a powerful ex-gay testimony. The singer, Giuseppe Povia, winner of the festival in 2006, presented a song entitled, "Luca Era Gay" (Luca was once gay) -- SEE VIDEO HERE The title of his song, implying that some gays can change to heterosexuality, was sufficient to destabilize the Italian gay movement. Gay activists threatened to block the festival, and Europarlimentary member Vittorio Agnoletto asked for a European resolution to stop Povia from peforming the song. Povia, himself, received death threats. The gay association "Everyone" denounced Povia to the Procura of the Republic for alleged "homophobia." These efforts failing, gay activists then asked the Festival organizers to "counterbalance" Povia with a song by a gay singer, about "the perfection of homosexual love." That effort too, failed.

Finally, on February 17th., Povia sang his song on the first evening of the Festival. "Luca Era Gay" recounts the transformation of a man named Luca from the gay lifestyle. Without the help of psychologists and psychiatrists, he digs deep within himself to understand the sources of his homosexual attractions. An emotionally disconnected, detached father and a smothering mother, he says, created confusion about his sexual identity: "I looked for men who would be my father, I went with men not to betray my mother." The song also alludes to a superficiality in homosexual relationships. He says, "between love and deceit, often we betrayed each other." The song ends with this verse: "This is my story, only my story. No disease. No healing. Dear dad, I forgive you even if you didn't come back. Mum, I often think of you, I love you and sometimes I still bear your reflection, but now I am a father and I am in love with the only woman I have ever loved." The music, a soft rap with dramatic tunes, carries a direct and honest text while never judging homosexually oriented people for their own personal lifestyle choices.

Before Povia's song was aired, the Italian comedian Roberto Benigni presented a twenty-minute show in which he condemned Povia, saying that homosexuality isn't a sin and that gays have been persecuted historically "because they love someone." He then read an excerpt from Oscar Wilde's "De Profundis."

After Povia's song, contrary to all custom, the conductor gave the microphone to Franco Grillini, former parliamentary member and former president of ARCIgay, the foremost gay association in Italy. Grillini said he had received a cellphone message from a friend (although all celphones were supposed to be turned off during the festival...), who had cried when he had just heard Benigni reading "De Profundis," because it brought to mind his partner who had died of AIDS. Grillini concluded by saying that Povia must learn what gay love is.

Then, the unforseeable happened: people in the theater started to hiss at Grillini (in Italy, hissing is like booing)! The crowd's sympathy was with Povia, not with the gay activist.

Povia's song went on to the finals and Saturday night, won second place in the San Remo Festival, while outside the theatre, gay activists continued to protest against him. Povia himself said: "I too had a gay phase--it lasted seven months and then I got over it."

The popularity of "Luca Era Gay" has given courage and dignity to the ex-homosexual community in Italy, who, until now, have been thoroughly intimidated by gay activists. The text's real-life insights regarding the ex-gay experience are undeniable.

LUCA WAS GAY - translated lyrics of popular ex-gay song:

Luca was gay
and now he's dating her
luca talks honestly
luca says I'm a different man

luca says
befor telling you about my sexual change
I want to say even if I do believe in God
I don't recognize myself in what others think about this topic
even if they have different opinions

I didn't consult psychologist and psychiatrists
priest or scientist
I went in my past I dug in my past
and I found out a lot of things about myself

My mother loved me too much
a love that became obsession
so convinced about her beliefs
I couldn't breathe because of her attentions
My father didn't take any decision
and I couldn't talk to him
He was always away, working
I though he wasn't even real

So my mom decided to divorce
I was 12, I didn't understand much
My father said "It's the right thing to do"
and after sometime he started to drink
Mom talked bad about dad
she said "Don't get married, for god sake!"
she was jealous, morbid, of my female friends
and my identity was more and more confused

Luca was gay
and now he's dating her
luca talks honestly
luca says I'm a different man
Luca was gay
and now he's dating her
luca talks honestly
luca says I'm a different man

Im a different man
but back then I was looking for answers
I was ashamed and I looked for them secretly
They said to me it was natural
but I was studying Freud and I thought it wasn't so
Then I grow up, but I didn't know what happiness meant
and older man make me tremble
so I found out I was a homosexual

with him there were no inhibition
there was courting and I though it was love
with him I was able to be myself
then it was like a sex-competition for who was making best sex
and I felt guilty
sooner or later they're gonna catch him
but if the evidences disappear he will be absolved
I was looking for my father
I had sex with men so I wouldn't betray my mother

Luca was gay
and now he's dating her
luca talks honestly
luca says I'm a different man
Luca was gay
and now he's dating her
luca talks honestly
luca says I'm a different man

luca says
for 4 years I dated a man
it was love and lies, we often cheated on each other
I was still looking for my truth
and endless love
then during a party, between all those people
I met her who didn't really fit in
She listened to me, she understood me, she stripped me
I just remember that the day after I missed her

this is my story
just my story
no illness
no treatmen
dear dad I forgive you
even if you've never come back

mom I often think about you
I love you and I see your reflection in me
but now I'm a father and I'm in love
with the only woman I've ever loved

Luca was gay
and now he's dating her
luca talks honestly
luca says I'm a different man
Luca was gay
and now he's dating her
luca talks honestly
luca says I'm a different man

TO SEE VIDEO OF THIS SONG, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4ZbeFMGYyQ