A former leader of one of America’s most well-known “gay cure” organizations is now facing criminal charges after Florida investigators say he spent months communicating online with someone he believed was a 14-year-old boy.
According to authorities in Orange County, Florida, 54-year-old Alan Chambers was arrested Tuesday following an undercover child sex sting operation that allegedly began earlier this year on Snapchat and Telegram. Investigators say Chambers believed he was speaking with a teenage boy living in Orlando, but the account was actually operated by an undercover detective.
Deputies allege Chambers communicated with the undercover account for months before eventually being stopped by investigators near Aloma Avenue in Central Florida. According to the arrest affidavit, Chambers allegedly acknowledged ownership of the social media accounts involved and admitted he had been communicating with someone he believed to be 14 years old, though investigators said he declined to provide additional details during questioning.
The charges filed against Chambers reportedly include solicitation of a minor via computer, distribution of harmful material to a minor, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
The arrest has drawn widespread attention because of Chambers’ long and controversial history within the evangelical anti-LGBTQ movement. Chambers previously served as president of Exodus International, an Orlando-based organization that spent decades promoting conversion therapy and claiming people could change their sexual orientation through religion and counseling.
For years, Exodus International became one of the most recognizable organizations tied to the “ex-gay” movement in the United States. Chambers himself frequently spoke publicly about homosexuality, faith, and sexuality before eventually reversing course. In 2013, he formally shut down the organization and publicly renounced conversion therapy, stating that the ministry’s practices had caused harm to many LGBTQ people and families.
In more recent years, Chambers had become involved in the business community in Winter Park, where he served as a leader connected to the Park Avenue District business association. Following news of the arrest, the organization released a statement saying Chambers was no longer associated with the group and emphasized that the allegations were unrelated to its operations.
The case immediately sparked intense reaction online, particularly among LGBTQ advocates and critics of conversion therapy, many of whom pointed to what they described as years of hypocrisy within anti-gay religious movements. Others cautioned that the criminal allegations are still pending in court and that Chambers remains innocent until proven guilty.
Authorities have not announced whether additional charges or further investigations are expected.
