Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX) is teaming up with various anti-gay legal groups to intimidate GLBT campus organizations in high schools, colleges and universities. They are threatening to sue if these organizations don’t distribute the bizarre theories of Richard Cohen.
It is hard to believe, but Cohen is the former President of PFOX. They still promote his books and training sessions. And, if you ask for a speaker – they will likely send you Mr. Cohen – who was expelled for life from the American Counseling Association. If PFOX tries to get into your school, simply show administrators this clip of Cohen from the documentary, “Chasing the Devil.” It is clear, based on this clip – and his record – that disseminating PFOX’s material may put students at risk. Any responsible school that protects its students will not allow PFOX near its campus.
Addendum: PFOX last summer was accused by two different scientific research teams of distorting their research.
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First, PFOX is a religious organization (to set up a PFOX-recognized chapter, you need references from clerics or ministries, according to their website). So their ludicrous ultimatum breaks the First Amendment ruling.
PFOX’s religious propaganda has no right to be taken seroiusly because it’s junk science, it’s ridiculed by experts in the medical and social sciences, it’s proven to be harmful and it promotes bigotry towards gay people. PFOX’s idea of tolerance is simply about making it socially acceptable to express bigotry and hatred of gay people, as this particular page shows: http://pfox.org/for_exgay_eyes_only.html
Frankly, this fatuous exercise is as absurd as threatening university biology faculties with legal action if they don’t teach Creationism.
If these fanatics want to force this nonsense on people and secular institutions, then let’s ensure that the religion section of libraries and bookshops give space to books questioning the existence of the Judeo-Christian god and his begotten son; let’s have churches presenting the facts about Evolution alongside their services.
Comment by adrianT — March 22, 2009 @ 5:41 pm
As Dear Abby said:
you can sue someone for whatever you like.
But can you collect?
Isn’t abusive intimidation like this illegal?
Comment by David Alex Nahmod — March 22, 2009 @ 11:27 pm