The Southern Poverty Law Center’s Ryan Lenz wrote an authoritative article in the group’s well-respected Intelligence Report detailing the hate and misinformation coming from “ex-gay” junk science group The National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH).
The group is run by arrogant and radical extremist Joseph Nicolosi (pictured), whose theories are so bizarre that he actually believes Bozo the Clown can turn people gay. Here is an excerpt from the interesting and informative article:
Billing itself as the counterweight to the two most prominent mental health authorities — the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association — NARTH pushes the idea, with the zeal of a religious movement, that no one is born gay and that a person’s sexual orientation can be changed through what is known as “reparative” or “conversion” therapy, also commonly called “ex-gay” therapy. At the heart of this argument is the belief that homosexuality is an unnatural deviation from normal sexual development, a form of mental disorder.
With these views, NARTH has emerged as the preeminent source of what many regard as “junk science” for the religious right — psychology that underpins the anti-gay movement’s fervent opposition to equal rights and stigmatizes LGBT people as mentally sick.
Without the research NARTH provides, there are few avenues remaining for the religious right to condemn homosexuality, at a time when the American public is growing more accepting of LGBT people and more open to extending equal rights to same-sex couples. “There’s no other play in the playbook except going back to the fire and brimstone,” argues Wayne Besen, executive director of Truth Wins Out, one of several watchdog groups monitoring the reparative therapy industry.
But even as NARTH is held up as an authority on the science of homosexuality by both fringe groups and politically potent national organizations like the Family Research Council, its claim that LGBT people can be “cured” of their homosexuality is not backed by the evidence.
If you have been harmed by “ex-gay” therapy — it is critical that you share your story with the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Watch Nicolosi’s backward views and then see his immature, unprofessional temper tantrum.
Finally, SPLC found eleven new anti-LGBT hate groups. We want to congratulate them (particularly Linda Harvey’s Mission America) because they worked so hard to earn the designation.
Here is a list of those groups:
United Families International, Save California, Sons of Thundr (Faith Baptist Church), You Can Run, But You Cannot Hide, Parents Action League, Jewish Political Action Committee, Mission: America, Windsor Hills Baptist Church, True Light Pentecost Church, Tom Brown Ministries, and Public Advocate of the United States.
SPLC is a wonderful organization doing great work on so many fronts.
He’s a big ol’ drama queen. What a shock. Props for managing not to come off like a crazy reject from RuPaul’s Drag Race, though. It’s a huge accomplishment for one of these frauds to not behave like a more effeminate version of Cruella De Ville.
It’s deliciously ironic that Nicolosi is so effeminate that its hard to believe he’s not gay himself.
[...] at a time when public opinion is swinging dramatically in the other direction. TWO’s Besen told the SPLC’s Ryan Lenz, “There’s no other play in the playbook except going back to the fire [...]
If they want to keep insisting we are mentally ill, hoist them by their own petard and ask: “Does that mean gay folks are covered by the American with Disabilities Act? Does that mean gay folks should be allowed to get disability?” Fight fire with fire. There is no reasoning with them otherwise, for they are crazier than they claim we are.
Jim: for once I have to heartily agree with you!
Interesting that the issue of effeminate behaviour is what pushed his ‘retreat’ button. Hmmmm…. I think getting folks to speak about their perspectives is the most powerful tool to expose their weak arguments. It’s always easy to write about your opinion, but having to publically, and audibly defend it always demonstrates the lunacy of what is being said.
Jim, I think the Americans With Disabilities Act also includes “perceived disabilities”. So you could probably get them for discrimination based on that alone.