High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Ex-gay is a term and concept used to describe persons who were once considered to be gay, lesbian or bisexual, but who no longer assert that identity. The ex-gay movement consists of people, support groups and organisations that support people in reducing their ego-dystonic sexual orientation, refrain from pursuing same-sex relationships, develop heterosexual attractions, and possibly enter into an opposite-sex relationship. One method of attempting to change sexual orientation is conversion therapy. The American Psychological Association asserts that sexual orientation identity but not orientation can be changed through psychotherapy, support groups and life events, and participants have reported benefits from mutual support groups. While ex-gays may report a reduction in same-sex desires, they may also continue to experience same-sex attraction.When the term ex-gay was introduced to professional literature in 1980, E. Mansell Pattisondefined it as describing a person who had "experienced a basic change in sexual orientation.