Former ‘pray away gay’ activist charged in child sex sting
The former president of a well-known anti-LGBTQ organization was arrested for seeking sex with an undercover agent posing as a 14-year-old boy, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Alan Chambers, 54, of Winter Park, was booked into the Orange County Jail Tuesday on charges of soliciting a minor, transmitting material harmful to minors and illegally using a two-way communications device. An affidavit obtained from the sheriff’s office describes lewd text messages exchanged with the undercover officer through the social media app Snapchat and later through the text messaging service Telegram.
Chambers led a ‘praying for gays’ ministry, Exodus International, from 2001 until 2013, when he shut it down and apologized to those he believed had been hurt by the organization.
Before his arrest, Chambers was listed as president of the Park Avenue District, the nonprofit organization representing businesses in Winter Park’s downtown corridor. He also worked as vice president of operations at John Craig Clothier, a luxury men’s clothing store on Park Avenue. In 2023, Chambers was named “Best Dressed Booster” by Winter Park Magazine.
According to a sheriff’s office affidavit, from Feb. 10 to May 4, Chambers is accused of repeatedly seeking to meet a teenage boy for sexual purposes. On Tuesday morning, detectives said they interviewed Chambers during a traffic stop at Aloma Avenue and Strathy Lane, where he confirmed the accounts he was sending messages from were his, but stopped the interview when he was asked about the conversations.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said investigators were working to determine if there were other victims. On Wednesday, Chambers was given a $15,000 bond, ordered to have no contact with minors and prohibited from accessing or using social media or messaging apps, during a hearing with an Orange County judge..
Chambers led Orlando-based Exodus International as part of the so-called “ex-gay” movement and was a strong supporter of conversion therapy for LGBTQ people. He also served as associate pastor at Calvary Assembly of God in Orlando until 2005.
He previously said he contacted the ministry at the age of 19 as he sought to “feel about women the way I felt about men.” He has written two books on homosexuality, including a supposed “how-to guide” in 2009 called “Leaving Homosexuality.” His third and most recent work, a 2015 memoir titled “My Exodus: From Fear to Grace,” explores his departure from Exodus International.
Exodus International has closed its doors after 37 years and a peak of 260 affiliated ministries across North America, with Chambers, a father of two, apologizing to the LGBTQ community for years of “undue and suffering at the hands of the organization and the LGBTQ community.” [Christian] the Church as a whole. »
John Craig Clothier did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment, but a statement released by the Park Avenue District said Chambers was “no longer associated with the organization.”
“Out of respect for the legal process, we will not comment further on the details of the case,” the statement said. “Our goal remains to continue to support the Park Avenue community and the many businesses, events and initiatives that make this neighborhood such a special part of Winter Park.
