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Once again, Warren Throckmorton - a vanity blogger and unlicensed "ex-gay" religious therapist with no books or studies on the topic - insulted my intelligence and that of his readers. In an interview on "ex-gay" therapy in the Washington Blade I made an obvious, incontrovertible point:
"The bottom line is your sexual orientation cannot change and your religion can."
This is common sense, but Throckmorton wrote, "That struck me as a failure to understand the function and centrality of religious belief for those who are committed to it."
To the contrary, I understand all too well that people who are caught in a harmful belief system must find a new religion or wither. The chance of happiness as a gay person living in a fundamentalist paradigm that condemns homosexuality is virtually non-existent. Indeed, such a "happy" outcome can only occur in Throckmorton's La La Land.
While sexual orientation is not changeable, people can and do find new religions every day that better suit their needs. In fact, most religions have active missionary programs designed to convert people to new belief systems. The Southern Baptists speak of converting Jews. The Mormon Church has grown rapidly by converting other Christians, as well as non-believers. Islam has quickly spread to large swaths of the globe. And, Catholicism is increasingly challenged in Latin America for theological supremacy.
Like usual, Throckmorton carves out a gay exception to the rule of religious conversion. For gay and lesbian people, there is simply too much supposed pain and confusion to make the leap. Wrong.
If a gay person belongs to an abusive religious institution, there are many more that will truly love and accept this individual. But, such a rational solution might take dollars out of Throckmorton's slimy pocket.
Warren Throckmorton must realize that he and others of his ilk are the cause of the conflict and the real problem, not the solution. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being gay. It is natural and wholesome and can be quite beautiful. He ought to be ashamed that he takes money from clients who will never change and be miserable unless they find a new set of beliefs.
Finally, many GLBT activists are beginning to see through his charade. It is clear that Throckmorton is engaged in a high stakes PR game to bash the APA and make ex-gay therapy more acceptable. This unaccomplished vanity blogger must realize that in the coming months he will meet stiff opposition and in the end he will surely fail.
Throckmorton's ex-gay guilt therapy and libido management is always harmful. The only true solution to the crisis that psychologically cripples so many otherwise healthy people is self-acceptance. It can be done, if people like Throckmorton stop selling the line that religious abuse, in some cases, is permissible. Such a position is extremist, no matter how kindly it is cloaked by Throckmorton and others. It is time for Throck to stop peddling his crock.
7 Comments:
Thanks for exposing this slick bug-eyed snake. What an embarassment to his profession. He is the worst of the worst and a snake in the grass.
...ashamed that he takes money from clients who will never change and be miserable unless they find a new set of beliefs.
should read:
...ashamed that he takes money from clients who will never change and be miserable EVEN IF they find a new set of beliefs.
posted by Anonymous, at
7/31/2007 6:43 PM
Continuing in religious beliefs that are incompatible with one's nature may not be the healthiest choice, but it is a choice people make. It's really not the therapist's place to try and alter the client's goals. And Throckmorton's been pretty explicit about not promising clients they can change their sexual orientation for some time now. I definitely disagree with him about lots of things, but he's far from "the worst of the worst." When I found Narth's imfamous pro-slavery article, he went after them in a pretty big way.
posted by Anonymous, at
7/31/2007 9:02 PM
The thing about Throckmorton is that he is not up front about the fact that he does, in fact, promise sexual orientation change.
Troughout Warren Throckmorton's work on both his website and blog he does mention that "change is possible." It is throughout his body of work.
Here are just a few references from Throckmorton's work supporting and believing that change from gay to straight is possible:
In the video, "I Do Exist"
"Produced by Dr. Warren Throckmorton, I DO EXIST is a documentary about homosexuals who have changed their identity to one that is heterosexual. The documentary explores the different types of homosexuality from the people who dabble in it and people who adopt a gay identity...The most important part of the documentary is interviews with people who had identified as gay for many years and decided to change...
He is the producer of this video and still sells it and endorses it today. That means he supports the concept that sexual reorientation from gay to straight is possible.
Next, on Throckmorton's website he sites Exodus and PFOX as appropriate resources for those struggling with homosexual behavior. These groups promote the concept of changing from gay to straight. This is anti-gay and harmful.
That would be like me saying the KKK is a resource being for people struggling with Judaism!
And finally, Throckmorton's support of Yarhouse's work, which talks about changing from gay to straight, shows his support in that type of work.
It is important in anyone's work not to isolate a guideline or a book without looking at the entirety of one's body of work. Throckmorton cannot deny that while the main thrust of his work is not about changing sexual orientation, he does support those who do in his writings, videos and website.
Where does the concept of changing from straight to gay start and stop within Throckmorton's work. Hopefully he and his colleagues will work out these bugs within their work.
Men struggling with same sex attractions, desires and sexual behaviors should not be told, promised or guided to resources that speak of change of sexual orientation if they are, in fact, gay. This is harmful and a lie.
posted by Dr. Joe Kort, at
8/01/2007 12:12 AM
Whatever Throckmorton's claims, have any of these ex-gay ministries published the actual numbers of "conversions" in the scientific literature backed up by sound clinical studies? Of those conversions, how many have engaged in heterosexual intimacy, married? How many have chosen celibacy while remaining gay, or asexual? Further, is it possible to convert a heterosexual to gay? If so, where is the evidence? Maybe the APA can provide the information.
posted by Anonymous, at
8/01/2007 8:31 AM
