Convicted felon Arthur Abba Goldberg spoke at Peter LaBarbera’s poorly attended Truth Academy on Thursday. His speech is exactly what one would expect from an individual of low moral character and a penchant for extreme dishonest behavior.

He began his talk answering whether “gays can change”, in which he flippantly replied “the simple answer is yes”, to the delight of the small crowd of under 30 people. Then he rhetorically asked, “is gay parenting good for kids?” Abba Goldberg bluntly replied “no”.

In one of the more outrageous parts of his speech, Abba Goldberg made the bizarre claim that allowing consensual sex for LGBT people will lead to a “slippery slope” that will descend into bestiality.

“What do you do when you want to french kiss a dog?” asks Abba Goldberg. “Bark once if ‘yes’, and bark twice if ‘no’? Hello…where do we get this idea of consent from?”

The fact that Abba Goldberg even had these wacky ideas as part of his presentation shows that he has more issues than a New York magazine stand. What kind of psychologically healthy person even dreams up these scenarios? Perhaps, this speech explains why Abba Goldberg sees nothing perverse about referring clients to therapists who get clients naked and have them touch their genitals in front of a mirror.

Predictably, the con artist reverts to conspiracy theories and paranoia, falsely claiming that people of faith are victims of all-powerful gay activists who make the faithful afraid to speak out.

“The problem is that most people, particularly people of faith, fear being open,” said Abba Goldberg. “A fear of speaking to a matter of true diversity, of free speech. We really actually have viewpoint discrimination and outright manipulation.”

It always amazes me how these dolts claim they are oppressed and lack free speech – even as the are engaged in the act of free speech. They speak to their brainwashed followers, the media, and anyone who will listen. Yet, they seem to think they are somehow muzzled, simply because most Americans reject what they are shoveling.

Abba Goldberg goes on to distort the debunked Masters & Johnson study on homosexuality, where Virgina Johnson admits the results were fabricated. This was widely reported in the news last year, yet Abba Goldberg still used this study to support his ideology. This either proves that he is incompetent and does not know his material, or he suffers from a character defect, where truth is considered an inconvenience.

Abba Goldberg also dishonestly makes it seem as if “ex-gay” therapy is controversial in mainstream psychiatry and psychology. It is not, and there is a broad consensus that there is no evidence that such therapy works.

Just as he missed the Masters & Johnson study, it appears he was unaware of what the major mental health organizations say and last year’s landmark American Psychological Association report condemning reparative therapy.

In an act of unprecedented chutzpa, the convicted felon claims that there is “no documented evidence (of harm) for those who have gone through the entire process (of ex-gay therapy) of healing.” He cruelly blames any harm caused in “ex-gay” therapy on those who drop out in the middle of the process.

This is circular logic and a clever sleight of hand on the part of Abba Goldberg. Virtually all people who go through “ex-gay” therapy drop out in the middle, precisely because there is no end. Thus, according to his own reasoning, the vast majority – if not all- people who go through his program at JONAH can come out damaged. Sure, the people who finish aren’t damaged, but Abba Goldberg neglects to tell clients there is no finish line and has neglected to put forth people who have actually finished. His lone example — after a decade of alleged success — is a young man who is fairly new to “ex-gay” therapy.

Are we supposed to be impressed by this shoddy, almost non-existent record?

Furthermore, it is unconscionable that Abba Goldberg says there is no evidence of harm. What about the two young men who came forward two weeks ago to say they were victims of inappropriate sexual behavior by Abba Goldberg’s therapist, Alan Downing? We know that Abba Goldberg saw the video – so it is fair to say he is misleading the crowd and suppressing key evidence.

Without science on his side, Abba Goldberg devolves into crass stereotypes. In one of his typical bromides, the convicted felon claimed, “there is a tremendous amount of violence, particualrly in the lesbian community. It’s huge within that community.”

Abba Goldberg’s speech gets comical when he describes how young men become gay — although he noticeably has been unable to “cure” his own gay son.

The con man admits that there may be a biological component to homosexuality — but he says this element is merely “sensitivity”, which often causes men to reject their fathers and eventually end up gay.

Yeah, you can stop laughing. Basically, this bizarre explanation is made up out of thin air and constantly repeated by “ex-gay” organizations, despite lack of evidence or peer review studies.

Even screwier is Abba Goldberg’s claim that gay men lift weights to make up for a masculinity deficit.

“By the way, did you notice that a lot of gays who remain in the gay lifestyle also do a lot of body building,” said Goldberg. “They will be in the gym a lot trying to build up their pecs…Because they have these body image issues and don’t feel they are masculine enough.”

Actually, I’ve been going to the gym since I was 12, when I played on my school’s football and basketball teams. It is galling to see this little smurf of a man giving advice on masculinity. I take one look at this dweeb and don’t think he would make the cut on any of the teams that I have played on over the years. He really ought to change his pathetic, unscientific macho man act before he embarrasses himself further.

(I wonder what his thoughts are on the governor of California?)

What would an anti-gay speech be without the lie that people are gay because of sexual abuse?

“Sexual abuse is clearly a major issue,” said Abba Goldberg. “Because what happens is that a kid gets sexually abused, sometimes it really feels pretty good, you know, it’s like an erotic high. He may also have detachment at this point from his father. And, so, (he thinks), this is what masculine love is all about.”

Once a con artist, always a con artist. Although Abba Goldberg portrays himself as an “expert” on homosexuality — he knows very little on the issue. His presentation relied on twisting science, lying about debunked studies and regurgitating myths and stereotypes.

Tellingly, this sad, discredited figure is the best the anti-gay industry can do.

Last week, Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality (JONAH) changed its name in the middle of a scandal to Jews Offering New Alternatives to Healing. (Yeah, dumb, awkward name). This sleazy maneuver was denied by the group’s co-founder, convicted felon, Arthur Abba Goldberg, who said the name change occurred months ago.

Clearly, Abba Goldberg forgot to relay his seedy spin to Porno Pete LaBarbera at this week’s Truth Academy hate conference on the outskirts of Chicago. If you look at the list of speakers on the event’s curriculum, it says the name of Abba Goldberg’s group is Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality.

Whoops, caught in a lie, Abba Goldberg.

The JONAH scandal has ignited debate in the Jewish Community over “ex-gay” therapy and acceptance of homosexuality. Here are a few articles addressing the topic.

The Jewish Daily Forward

Goldberg, however, does try to provide an answer. Through his organization, Jews Offering New Alternatives to Healing (JONAH), he promotes the idea that homosexuality can be overcome through therapy. But the nature of this therapy has come under scrutiny after a video featuring two young Orthodox Jewish men was posted online in late July by Truth Wins Out, a group that battles what it calls the “ex-gay movement.”

The two men, Ben Unger and Chaim Levin, described to the Forward how they had struggled with their sexual identity. Unger told of being sent to therapists who recommended shock therapy, and to rabbis who told him to visit the mikveh (ritual bath) five times a day. He even contemplated suicide.

Unger and Levin both turned to JONAH around the same time, and were referred by Goldberg to a “life coach” named Alan Downing. Both men described a series of psychotherapeutic experiments they were asked to carry out that felt increasingly strange and uncomfortable.

“He told me take a pillow and beat it with a racket,” Unger said, referring to Downing. “He told me my mother is the reason for me being into guys, and I should beat the pillow as if it is her. He said that my dad was not man enough, that he didn’t show me proper masculinity, as if he knew my parents. I actually began to hate my mother. He convinced me it was her fault. But I was completely into it. I was desperate. There was no way out.”

The incident that made Unger and Levin each decide to leave the program involved standing in the mirror with Downing nearby, and taking off articles of clothing until they were naked. Unger said he took off only his shirt. Levin said he took off all his clothes and Downing told him to touch himself.

Contacted by the Forward, Downing said that there was nothing unusual about his methodology, which he referred to as “body work.” He said he works with a number of different “modalities,” including “psychodrama” and “guts work.” But he did say that the two men mischaracterized him as having “malicious intent.” All he wanted, he said, was “to eliminate shame.”

Jack Drescher, a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association who has written extensively on the “ex-gay movement,” said, “This is a marketing movement, not a science movement. Most of the people who do these kinds of approaches are the least trained of mental health professionals. ‘Life coach’ is not a licensed profession.”

The Jewish Week

A controversial treatment that is supposed to “cure” gays of their same-sex feelings — which has credence in parts of the Orthodox community — took another step toward respectability this week when it received apparent approval from a group of Orthodox scientists.

A recently posted YouTube video of two young Orthodox-raised men who complain of psychological abuse at the hands of a “reparative therapy” practitioner originally played a role in causing the Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists to cancel the appearance last weekend of Arthur Goldberg, a leading advocate of reparative therapy, at the organization’s annual convention.

But, in a sudden reversal, the AOJS let Goldberg speak, in the convention’s final session on Sunday. Goldberg’s views apparently were not challenged — either from members of a hastily arranged panel or from the more than 100 people in the audience. And no mention was made of the contents of the video.

In the video, posted on YouTube two weeks ago by the gay activist group Truthwinsout.org, Ben Unger and Chaim Levin allege that Alan Downing, a “life coach” who serves as a therapist for JONAH (Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality), had them remove their clothes in front of a mirror — with Downing standing behind them — as part of therapy to change from gay to straight. Levin also states that Downing encouraged him to touch his own genitals “to increase my masculinity.”

The Jewish Star

That public rebuttal coincides with allegations of misconduct by JONAH, Jews Offering a New Alternative to Homosexuality, the most prominent organization offering reparative therapy in the Jewish community.

Truth Wins Out, a group that combats what its founders consider to be false information about homosexuality, produced a video about Jonah, of two Jewish teenagers describing the therapy they underwent with life coach Alan Downing, who considers himself a former homosexual.

In the video, that has been widely viewed on YouTube, Ben Unger speaks about how during a one-on-one therapy session with Downing, he was asked to undress while repeating the statement, “‘I feel less masculine,’ and every message was a layer of clothing,” Unger said. “Till I was standing there without clothes.” Afterwards, Downing asked Unger to touch himself.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I wrote the following:

If one ever completely screws up his or her life and wants “redemption”, there are two courses of action. The first is a name change, with the hope that no one notices the sordid past. Don’t laugh, the technique worked for ValuJet. In 1996, the airline crashed into an alligator-infested swamp, changed its name to AirTran – and presto – it was like the disaster never happened.

And, like clock work, the beleaguered and scandalized “ex-gay” activist group, Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality, (JONAH) has changed its name to “Jews Offering New Alternatives to Healing”

Where did JONAH get the idea of a name change in a time of scandal?

It came from its co-founder, Arthur Abba Goldberg, who is a convicted Wall Street con artist who looted millions of dollars from poor communities. After Goldberg’s parole was up, he dropped the “Abba” from his name, making it nearly impossible to find out about his sordid history on Google. It was at this point he reinvented himself as a great healer of homosexuals and co-founded JONAH. This scheme worked for nearly a decade, until it was uncovered this year by Truth Wins Out and the South Florida Gay News. So, it makes sense that this charlatan would replicate his old trick, which shielded him from controversy for years.

However, Goldberg can change his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and it won’t make his tawdry criminal record disappear. Likewise, altering JONAH’s name will not erase the fact that the group’s senior trainer, Alan Downing,  stands accused by two former clients of sexual misconduct. The facts won’t so easily be dismissed, nor will people be so easily fooled. And, if they are, Truth Wins Out will be there to remind them.

From what I hear through the grapevine, Goldberg is now claiming that “JONAH is at war.” I’m glad to hear this because he is now operating on my turf. I wish him luck and believe that our truth grenades will prevail over his bullshit bombs.

Goldberg is quite cunning. One has to be to steal millions of dollars — and nearly get away with it. His greatest weakness, however, is that he overestimates his abilities. He fervently believes that he is always the smartest person in the room — like the Enron guys. And we all know what happened to them.

While Goldberg might be a genius in money mismanagement (or is it malfeasance), he needs some work on his lousy PR instincts. For example, only someone delusional or out of touch would use disgraced “life coach” Richard Cohen (See pictures of therapy) as his therapeutic guru. He also made a gargantuan mistake by changing the name of JONAH to Jews Offering New Alternatives to Healing.

Why?

The greatest weakness of this organization is the bizarre, sexually inappropriate and unproven methods of “healing” it promotes. As of today, they have made it infinitely easier to focus on the types of therapy provided to clients — including nude therapy, therapeutic lap dances and pretending to murder a parent by slamming a tennis racket into a pillow.

Truth Wins Out is excited about debating JONAH on its so-called “healing” methods. The truth is, Goldberg is the smartest person in the room — if the other people are George W. Bush and Carrie Prejean.

Goldberg and JONAH can change like chameleons, but, in the end, they will show their true colors. When they do, Truth Wins Out will be on the scene to shine a bright spotlight so the entire world will see the flawed and corrupt character of Goldberg and his minions at JONAH.

If you ever want to study the actions of a coward, look no further than Rich Wyler (pictured). He is the founder of People Can Change (PCC), which hosts Journey into Manhood (JIM) weekends. This is an individual who fancies himself as a macho, he-man,  and for roughly $700 he takes effeminate gay men into the woods to butch them up. He and his unqualified, touchy-feely  trainers do this by sometimes getting clients naked or having them give “non-erotic” massages in his seedy “cuddle room”. ( A more appropriate name for JIM would be “Journey to Your Manhood”)

Last week, Truth Wins Out broke the story of how JIM’s senior trainer, Alan Downing, was undressing clients and making them fondle their genitals in front of a mirror — in a convoluted effort to make them straight. When the scandal broke, Wyler almost immediately took Downing’s name off of the PCC website. Yet, there is no statement or apology from Wyler. (A better name for this lucrative scam would be, “People Can Charge”)

Why no statement?

Downing was no intern – he was the group’s SENIOR TRAINER. If the therapy did not work for Downing, who the hell does it work for? Of course, it doesn’t matter if it works, the product that PCC sells is false hope. All is well in the world as long as Wyler keeps forking in the dough by manipulating confused gay men who are traumatized by years of religious abuse.

If Wyler were a real man, he’d address this scandal head on. But, no, he’s a sniveling wimp. That is why he hid for years under the pseudonym Ben Newman. Old habits are hard to break. It seems Newman/Wyler is still hiding and refuses to let his former JIM campers know about the shocking sin that took place under his nose.

We will be watching to see if Wyler will publicly admit to this huge failing that undermined his “butch-up-the-gays” program.

Kyle at Right Wing Watch posted the agenda for Porno Pete LaBarbera’s upcoming Truth Academy camp. The instructors are a fundamentalist freak show, with virtually every nutjob congregating under one wretched roof in Illinois.

Interestingly, one of the instructors is con artist Arthur Abba Goldberg of Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality (JONAH). The sinister Goldberg used to specialize in ripping off poor communities, such as East St. Louis and Guam, with complicated bond fraud schemes worthy of Bernie Madoff. He went to the hoosegow for his evil efforts.

Earlier this week, we saw what his “new alternative” to homosexuality actually was. It was just like the old homosexuality — except this time a Goldberg-recommended therapist strips you naked and then bills you for the abuse! Pretty nifty scheme if you ask me.

Anyway, for a man who talks about morality, why is Porno Pete allowing this convicted felon with a failed, abusive “ex-gay” outfit to take part?

I’m not surprised by Porno Pete’s kinship with Abba Goldberg. LaBarbera also is responsible for a string of disastrous forays into the “ex-gay” arena. He brought ex-gay activist Wade Richards to speak at the National Press Club in Washington — and then Richards came out of the closet within a year of LaBarbera’s press conference.

Porno Pete also embraced “ex-gay” poster boy John Paulk, who I photographed in a gay bar in Sept. 2000. Finally, Porno Pete embraced Michael Johnston, the HIV+ “ex-gay” activist. What happened with Johnston? See TWO’s revealing video below for the hideous answer.

Given his disgraceful record of failure with “ex-gays”, Porno Pete should be the last person to promote such nonsense. He’s seen firsthand how “pray away the gay” programs do not work. Yet, because he would rather profit from peoples’ pain, he continues pushing this obvious lie. His vulture-like values are quite sickening, because he cares nothing about the people he harms and continues to fib to the American people, his twisted followers, and probably even himself. (after all, what kind of straight man attends every gay S&M event year-after-year and collects stacks of gay porn for “research”?)

In any case, if one is into clowns and circus acts, step right up and enroll in Porno Pete camp – it promises to be The Greatest Freak Show on Earth.

If you ever want to take a look at the underbelly of the “ex-gay” myth, look no further than a fraudulent website hosted by the Peoples’ Church of Montreal. It seems that this “church” is catering to ignorant people they hope to fool with fake statistics and outdated research. Is it Godly to peddle lies? This is a question the Peoples’ Church of Montreal must ask itself.

For example, the group’s website has a section called, “A Biblical Response to Homosexuality Today.” Inexcusably, It lists the infamous Paul Cameron’s Family Research Institute as a key source. Are these so-called Christians comfortable with using the “research” of a man who was expelled from the American Psychological Association for lying about homosexuality? And, yes, it is lying, because information on Cameron is readily available:

In 1985, the American Sociological Association (ASA) adopted a resolution which asserted that “Dr. Paul Cameron has consistently misinterpreted and misrepresented sociological research on sexuality, homosexuality, and lesbianism” and noted that “Dr. Paul Cameron has repeatedly campaigned for the abrogation of the civil rights of lesbians and gay men, substantiating his call on the basis of his distorted interpretation of this research.”

In August, 1996, the Canadian Psychological Association adopted the position that “Dr. Paul Cameron has consistently misinterpreted and misrepresented research on sexuality, homosexuality, and lesbianism and thus, it formally disassociates itself from the representation and interpretations of scientific literature in his writings and public statements on sexuality”.

Cameron’s credibility was also questioned outside of academia. In his written opinion in Baker v. Wade (1985), Judge Buchmeyer of the U.S. District Court of Dallas referred to “Cameron’s sworn statement that ‘homosexuals abuse children at a proportionately greater incident than do heterosexuals,’” and concluded that “Dr. Paul Cameron…has himself made misrepresentations to this Court” and that “There has been no fraud or misrepresentations except by Dr. Cameron”.

It gets worse. The group cites Masters & Johnson:

William H. Masters and Virginia E. Johnson, write in their work Homosexuality in Perspective: “Providing therapeutic support for the homosexually oriented man or woman who wishes to convert or revert to heterosexuality has been an integral part of the practice of psychotherapy for decades.”

Interestingly, this “church” failed to inform readers that the Masters & Johnson research has been debunked — by Virginia Masters herself. Check out the video.

The mendacious ministry from Montreal then embarrasses itself by quoting the discredited National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH). This is an outfit that began 2010 with the infamous George “Lift My Luggage” Rekers — the doctor who got caught with a Rent Boy — on its board. The group’s board also had criminal mastermind Arthur Abba Goldberg, who served time in prison after he was convicted as a Wall Street con artist. Both men resigned under pressure.

Well, I guess this is what passes for fundamentalist morality these days. It’s kind of sad.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, July 19, 2010

Contact: Wayne Besen, TWO Executive Director
Phone: 917-691-5118
E-Mail: wbesen@truthwinsout.org

Therapist Alan Downing, A Key Figure In JONAH and People Can Change, Allegedly Made Clients Get Naked And Touch Genitals

NEW YORK – Truth Wins Out (TWO) released an exclusive video statement today from two former clients of “ex-gay” life coach Alan Downing. The clients, Ben Unger and Chaim Levin, alleged that during individual therapy sessions, Downing (pictured) made them undress in front of a mirror and touch their bodies while the significantly older therapist watched. Unger and Levin call the sessions a “psychological striptease” and believe they were harmed by what they consider unprofessional behavior and sexual misconduct.

Downing, who admits he is still attracted to men, is a major player in the “ex-gay” industry and a practitioner of so-called “reparative therapy”. He is the lead therapist for Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality (JONAH) and is listed on the People Can Change website as a “Senior Trainer” for Journey into Manhood, which is a controversial “ex-gay” backwoods retreat designed to supposedly make gay men more masculine.

“These dysfunctional, unscientific programs are rife with sexual impropriety and need to be shut down,” said Truth Wins Out’s Executive Director Wayne Besen. “Too often, repressed ‘ex-gay’ quacks pretend they are trying to get into your head when they are really trying to get into your pants. They call what they do reparative therapy, but it’s more like re-perv-ative therapy.”

“He was encouraging me, ‘it’s okay Ben, you can take your shirt off’…here was a man that was much older than me, and I was around 20,” said Ben Unger, a former client of Alan Downing. “At that point, I was just staring at a mirror with my shirt off and he was right behind me staring at the mirror with me at my body. Then telling me to look at my body and feel my body. It was weird.”

“While I was standing there without my clothes on, he asked me to touch my genitals,” says former Downing client Chaim Levin. “Once again, I communicated that I was not comfortable with it. And he was like, you know, ‘just feel yourself. Just feel it for a second. So, you can grasp your masculinity physically.’”

“If you believe having a closeted gay therapist undressing clients makes one straight, than you’ll believe that playing doctor makes one a brain surgeon,” said TWO’s Besen. “The concept is both outrageous and ridiculous and these sick, exploitative practices should be abandoned immediately.”

JONAH was co-founded by Arthur Abba Goldberg, a Wall Street criminal mastermind who was convicted in 1987 of “fraud of spectacular scope”. Upon completing parole, Goldberg secretly reinvented himself as a moral leader who “cures” gay and lesbian people. Known as “Abba Dabba Do” in the financial world, Goldberg was sentenced to 18 months in jail for bilking poor communities with complicated bond schemes and served six months in prison.

“Given the sordid history of JONAH, this latest scandal is not too surprising,” said TWO’s Besen. “This is an unscrupulous organization of high moral turpitude that has few qualms about harming desperate and vulnerable clients. This group has consistently been tied to bizarre, sexually suggestive methods that are unsettling, dangerous and ineffective.”

Journey into Manhood, where Downing is a counselor, exhibits similar eyebrow raising techniques. Writer Ted Cox infiltrated this peculiar program and was surprised to find what he called, “homoerotic exercises” and a cabin that he called “The Cuddle Room” because it was a space where supposedly “ex-gay” men gave each other inappropriate massages.

“Apparently some of the guys in one cabin threw their mattresses into the middle of the room and had an all-night holding session,” said one of the men attending the Journey into Manhood session, according to Cox’s article.

“How ironic that therapists that claim to cure homosexuals keep ending up naked with their gay clients,” said TWO’s Besen. “Such lurid exploitation has moved from a disconcerting pattern to a full-blown trend and it needs to be investigated by the authorities.”

Truth Wins Out is a non-profit organization that fights religious extremism. TWO monitors anti-LGBT organizations, documents their lies and exposes their leaders as charlatans. TWO specializes in turning information into action by organizing, advocating and fighting for LGBT equality.

The recently disgraced Arthur Abba Goldberg will take his first stab at rehabilitating his image tonight after a South Florida Gay News and Truth Wins Out investigation revealed that he was a convicted Wall Street con artist. Upon leaving prison and completing parole, Abba Goldberg reinvented himself as an ex-gay activist – concealing his sordid past.

Goldberg and his apologists say that he should now be forgiven because his crimes and sins occurred two decades ago. But that ignores the central fact that his larger moral failing was that he concealed his past from colleagues and the media during his entire tenure with Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality (JONAH). He never came clean about his sordid identity and would have continued lying and deceiving if not for the expose in February revealing that he is a fraud. As a result of his deception, he was forced exit his position as an officer with the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH)

Over the past couple of months, Goldberg has understandably kept a low profile. But, now he appears to be reemerging with a full-fledged public relations campaign. His efforts begin tonight with an “enlightening panel discussion” in Tallahassee allegedly sponsored by Pride and Seminole Christian Life. The event is presenting speakers both for and against the so-called “ex-gay” industry.

According to a Face Book page, the panelists will include:
- Frank Carrasco, Exodus
- Rev. Mark Byrd, Gentle Shepherd MCC
- Arthur Goldberg, JONAH
- Cantor Tanya Greenblatt, Temple Israel
- Christine Sneeringe, Exodus

The Face Book page also says:

Keep in mind, this is a panel, not a debate. We are looking to engage one another in a meaningful dialogue about the others opinions in a safe space. Both sides will be represented in order to present an unbiased view so that we all can reach our own conclusions about the topic in question.

Huh?

By definition the ex-gay industry is biased and pumps out unadulterated propaganda. It is has not one iota of science on its side. Its central thesis is a fraud: That LGBT people are the way they are as a result of poor parenting or sexual abuse. They say the “cure” is a combination of prayer and making straight friends that the gay person does not have sex with.

Not only is this bizarre reasoning false, but it is deliberate pseudo-scientific misinformation designed to undermine LGBT attempts to gain equality under the law. Indeed, the entire “ex-gay” “movement” isn’t even a real movement. It is political construction by religious fundamentalists intent on manipulating science to bolster a discriminatory worldview and justify anti-gay legislation. It allows the Religious Right to smile and pretend they love us, even as they persecute us.

It is disappointing that Pride is so gullible to promote this as a “safe space” when by definition “ex-gay” rhetoric demeans, diminishes and dehumanizes LGBT people. Does Pride believe that calling LGBT people sexually broken, demonic and perverse, as ex-gay activists routinely do is meaningful dialogue? Is having ex-gay activists whitewash their failure rate and lack of professional oversight, which can lead to abuse, sound like a “safe space”?

Furthermore, did they ever stop to question why the fundamentalists have recruited Goldberg, a convicted con artist, to represent their side? Maybe because their intention is to con students into believing they are just a good bunch of wholesome, loving people who only want to “help” those who want to change. Not the double talking, hate mongering, intellectually bankrupt, extremist ideologues they truly are.

By all means, have a panel discussion, I support such dialogue and free speech. But it is disappointing that Goldberg, a proven miscreant with no credibility, zero moral authority or genuine expertise on this subject is given a platform with the willing consent of an LGBT organization. That’s just plain stupid and allowing yourself to be punked.

As for the Christian organization I only have two questions: If your side is so moral, just and correct, why must you elevate a convicted felon who lied to his colleagues as recently as February to make your case – unless you have no case? Is this really, the best your side can do?

I hope the panelists and students who come to this event are well-informed, armed with the facts and ask tough questions. They should not shy away from combating such propaganda – even if it means making Goldberg and others uncomfortable. This con artist should not get a pass. I’d like to see a student ask this question:

Mr. Abba Goldberg. You bilked your clients – including poor communities – for millions of dollars. You emerged from prison and lied about your identity. What gives you the moral authority and integrity to talk about this issue, given your propensity for decades of deception? Why should we believe you now?

The Goldberg rehab train continues in New York City with a “special evening with JONAH”, Sunday, April 25, 2010 from 5:30 – 8:30 pm on West 70th St., NYC. According to the invitation:

This evening will be an opportunity to ask questions of our counselors and directors about JONAH’s new programs and plans for the future. We would also like your input and help in creating programs that will suit your needs.

We look forward to seeing you. We have lots of good information to share.

*Kosher Dietary Laws Observed

Well, at least its good to know there are still some laws observed by Goldberg. I may just have to attend this meeting. I can think of a few important questions to ask.

Rabbi Denise L. Eger warned the Jewish Community about convicted felon Arthur Goldberg (aka Arthur Abba Goldberg, Arthur A. Goldberg), who was a mini-Madoff on Wall Street before being jailed.

After his probation ended, Goldberg found a new group of people to con – gay Jews and their families. Goldberg co-founded Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality (JONAH). Rabbi Eger took this slippery charlatan to task on her blog:

He was a financier who bilked people of millions of dollars. Even though he was disbarred he holds out his Law degree–Juris Doctor as some kind of credential. And yet he set up JONAH and pretends to be an expert. Far from it. The Ex-gay industry regularly uses outdated and disproven research to base its “therapy” upon. Goldberg and his ilk are the real frauds forcing their particular brand of lies upon desperate and sometimes very fragile people who desparately want love and acceptance while unable to embrace their full selves.

The truth is that God made us who we are. B’tzelem Elohim–we are made in the image of God. That is the truth that should win out for everyone. We in the Jewish community must expose such chicanery and lies that are done in the name of our tradition. And we must demand that con men like Goldberg that continue to practice their criminal behaviors of con jobs must be held accountable.

Once a con man always a con man. BEWARE!

Rabbi Denise L. Eger is the founding rabbi of Congregation Kol Ami: West Hollywood’ Reform Synagogue. She is a currently the Board President of the Southern California Board of Rabbis.