Bishop Gene Robinson could hardly have been clearer about his reason for dropping out of a forum on religion and sexuality that was to be held May 5 in conjunction with an American Psychological Association convention in Washington:

“Conservatives, particularly Focus on the Family, were going to use this event to draw credibility to the so-called reparative therapy movement.  It became clear to me in the last couple of weeks that just my showing up and letting this event happen…lends credibility to that so-called therapy.” (The Washington Blade)

Robinson’s exit prompted the forum’s cancellation, but the political biases and oversights of forum organizers and panelists doomed the forum from the start.

Despite Robinson’s clear explanation, ex-gay and antigay advocates ranging from Warren Throckmorton to Exodus and Focus on the Family to LifeSiteNews continue to redirect blame.

In its latest video, Focus on the Family falsely describes the cancelled forum as a debate between “gay activists” and “pro-family leaders” regarding “homosexuality and therapy” — implying that the topic would be ex-gay therapy. Focus then falsely reports that “gay activists” prompted Robinson’s exit. Focus goes so far as to accuse forum critics of silencing Christian voices — as if Bishop Robinson, and the Christian ex-gay survivors who were excluded from the forum, were something other than Christian. Focus quotes Exodus executive vice president and resident cynic Randy Thomas:

“It’s pretty amazing that if if they (unnamed gay activists) want to be as diverse as they claim, they would accept people who have a different perspective on faith with regard to this issue.”

Throckmorton admits that opposition to the forum was motivated by involvement of Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. But Throckmorton fails to explain how inclusion of a highly political activist such as Mohler was ever appropriate for a forum about religion, homosexuality, and mental health. Throckmorton continues to sidestep mischaracterizations of the forum by Focus on the Family, as well as the forum’s exclusion of former ex-gays and informed critics of ex-gay therapy that would have balanced out his own presence.

(Warren Throckmorton, Left)

Sources have informed TruthWinsOut.org that Monday’s symposium featuring infamous “ex-gay” therapist Dr. Warren Throckmorton has been cancelled. The forum, “A Pastoral Approach for Gay & Lesbian People Troubled by Homosexuality,” suffered a major blow when panelist, Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, pulled out of the event. Robinson expressed concern that the symposium, scheduled to take place the same week as the APA’s annual meeting in Washington, would be used as a public relations gimmick for Focus on the Family.

“The cancellation of this forum is welcome news because it gave the wrong impression that the American Psychiatric Association endorsed ‘ex-gay’ therapy, when, in fact, the organization soundly rejects such therapies,” said TWO Executive Director Wayne Besen.

Predictably, on his blog, Throckmorton claimed that the APA is “apparently afraid of a conversation.” What he conveniently failed to mention was that this discussion ended three decades ago and his side was defeated because they lacked scientific credibility. They have yet to provide a shred of evidence supporting the efficacy of ex-gay therapy, while there is evidence that such methods cause a great deal of harm.

“Throckmorton ‘counsels’ vulnerable gay people to either live a lifetime of loneliness or a lifetime of lies. This is neither healthy nor therapeutic and it’s a diagnosis for disaster,” said Besen.

David Scasta, the openly gay psychiatrist who shamelessly promoted the seminar, has not publicly commented on the events cancellation.

Sources have told TruthWinsOut.org today that Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson has pulled out of a controversial symposium featuring an infamous “ex-gay” therapist. The May 5 symposium, at the APA’s 2008 convention in Washington, was dealt a major blow with the news of Robinson’s decision. TruthWinsOut.org opposed the panel because it featured Dr. Warren Throckmorton, an unlicensed psychologist who compares “leaving” homosexuality to quitting smoking.

“We are pleased that Bishop Robinson has not lent his credibility to a political right wing platform disguised as a scientific symposium,” said TWO Executive Director Wayne Besen. “The debate over whether homosexuality is a curable metal illness was settled decades ago and is not debatable. This forum is nothing more than an underhanded way for anti-gay activists to make their outdated and intolerant views look respectable.”

The conservative-Christian New Man Magazine interviewed Exodus International president Alan Chambers on March 20.

The interview consisted of carefully worded questions that appeared to have been written by (or for) Exodus to bypass any serious analysis of ex-gay politics and pseudoscience.

Chambers’ answers were boilerplate ex-gay rhetoric; the questions were more telling in terms of bias and evasion of facts by Exodus and those who uncritically provide Exodus with a soapbox.

The Truth Wins Out blog analyzed the first half of the interview here; read on for part two. (Read More)