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Wayne Besen
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Brooklyn, NY 11202
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 This forum is nothing more than an underhanded way for anti-gay activists to make their outdated and intolerant views look respectable."
15 Comments:
I'm kinda curious - since pretty much ALL "ex-gay therapists" are unlicensed and all that - does their office look like Lucy's "psychologist" lemonade stand, like in the Peanuts comics?
And do they print out their framed "degree" by using a computer, or do they use crayons to draw it?
posted by S., at
4/29/2008 1:45 PM
Why did he pull out? And is it true that pretty much ALL ex-gay therapists not licensed??
posted by Anonymous, at
4/29/2008 9:03 PM
As I understand it, the people who run the ex-gay programs and carry out the techniques are almost universally NOT licensed therapists, or they had licenses and lost them a long time ago due to ethics violations.
Right now the ex-gay movement is fundamentally religious in nature and therefore doesn't have to answer to the standards and regulations of mainstream medicine. If they were ever sued, and a court decided that rather than offering subjective spiritual guidance they were in fact attempting to perform unlicensed, unproven psychiatric medicine, it would have serious consequences for them.
Again that's my understanding of it, but I'm not a constitutional lawyer or anything.
But I do know that even if an individual in the ex-gay movement were to have obtained a real medical license it would be irrelevant to their ex-gay work, because reparative therapy is not accepted as valid or ethical science by any reputable organization (which is where you get real medical licenses from in the first place).
There's always a chance some nutjob makes it through the university system undetected. There might well be a licensed therapist somewhere out there who thinks the earth is flat, or who believes aliens are scanning us and we should all wear tinfoil hats so they can't read our thoughts. And depending on what part of the country you live in, you may very well encounter a homophobic licensed therapist who would be willing to hand out pamphlets from Exodus International.
posted by Anonymous, at
4/30/2008 4:40 AM
+Gene Robinson is a really cool guy, I assume he initially didnt know what he was invited to and then pulled out when he discovered it was just a bunch of 'ex-gay' quack therapists. If anyone is interested, his autobiography just came out: In the Eye of the Storm. Gary (NJ)
posted by Anonymous, at
4/30/2008 12:16 PM
Wow - Eshto - can you get documentation?? And do you really think that all ex gay therapists believe the earth is flat and are waiting for aliens - or were you being sarcastic??
What organizations say exactly that reparative therapy (?) is unethical?
As for as the bishop stepping down - does anyone have the info on why - something more than guesses, assumptions, or specualtions?
posted by Anonymous, at
4/30/2008 1:54 PM
Robinson didnt 'step down', he pulled out of a quack anti-gay equality 'seminar' because he is an out and proud gay man who lives openly with his life-partner and was the first openly gay bishop consecrated by the Episcopal Church. He's been working very hard for equality for GLBT people and withdrew for obvious reasons.
posted by Anonymous, at
4/30/2008 2:49 PM
Um, where exactly did I say "all ex gay therapists believe the earth is flat and are waiting for aliens"?
Pay attention, or stay out of the conversation.
As for the organizations that oppose reparative therapy, here are some quotes:
“The American Psychiatric Association opposes any psychiatric treatment, such as ‘reparative’ or conversion therapy, which is based upon the assumption that homosexuality per se is a mental disorder or based upon the a priori assumption that a patient should change his/her sexual homosexual orientation. In doing so, the APA joins many other professional organizations that either oppose or are critical of ‘reparative’ therapies, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Counseling Association, and the National Association of Social Workers.
“The potential risks of ‘reparative therapy’ are great, including depression, anxiety, and self-destructive behavior, since therapist alignment with societal prejudices against homosexuality may reinforce self-hatred already experienced by the patient. Many patients who have undergone ‘reparative therapy’ report that they were inaccurately told that homosexuals are lonely, unhappy individuals who never achieve acceptance or satisfaction. The possibility that the person might achieve happiness and satisfying interpersonal relationships as a gay man or lesbian is not presented, nor are alternative approaches to dealing with the effects of societal stigmatization discussed.”
- American Psychiatric Association
“Therapy directed specifically at changing sexual orientation is contraindicated, since it can provoke guilt and anxiety while having little or no potential for achieving changes in orientation.”
- American Psychological Association
“Research findings suggest that efforts to repair homosexuals are nothing more than social prejudice garbed in psychological accouterments.”
- American Academy of Pediatrics
Is there any more thinking you need me to do for you, anonymous?
Or are you ready to take that next big step in your education and learn how to perform simple searches with an internet search engine?
posted by Anonymous, at
4/30/2008 5:10 PM
They say not to treat it as a mental disorder - they did not say that it was unethical. Further, what is contraindicated is to treat it as if it needed to be treated. Where does it say not to for the client who seeks that kind ofhelp out?
posted by Anonymous, at
4/30/2008 7:03 PM
Actually, the bishop was quoted in the Washington Blade as saying that he backed out because attending (in his opinion) would be validating that sexuality can change.
posted by Anonymous, at
4/30/2008 7:18 PM
Where does it say not to for the client who seeks that kind ofhelp out?
It doesn't have to say anything. All the potential client needs to do is read up on the writings of some of these people out there promoting "ex-gay therapy" - Randy Thomas, Alan Chambers, Stacy Harp, Michael Glatze, Stephen Bennett, James Hartline, Melissa Fryrear, etc.
That'll convince them NOT to waste their time, money and life on "ex-gay therapy". Who the hell would want to turn out like THESE above-mentioned lunatics? Only crazy people, that's for sure!
posted by S., at
4/30/2008 9:11 PM
@anonymous:
They say it's ineffective, potentially harmful, based on false assumptions and prejudice, that in their experience ex-gay clients reported being lied to and denied accurate information and alternate viewpoints, and that they all around OPPOSE IT, you dolt. I would say that pretty much sums up the meaning of "unethical".
You're just playing trivial little games with semantics. Go back to editing conservapedia where your daftness and logical fallacies will be welcome and rewarded by other like-minded simpletons.
FYI quote from Washington Blade:
"Robinson said he canceled his plans to attend because he came to believe that making an appearance at the event would validate the concept that sexual orientation can be changed.
'Conservatives, particularly Focus on the Family, were going to use this event to draw credibility to the so-called reparative therapy movement,' Robinson told the Blade. '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.'"
posted by Anonymous, at
4/30/2008 11:04 PM
I've read a lot of Throckmorton's discussions and debates on various sites. It's AMAZING how similar his rhetorical style and debate techniques MIRROR those of the ever present "ex-gay" therapy supporting, gay support questioning "Anonymous" here. It almost seems like they're one in the same person.
I thought the APA came out with a new statment about delf determination? Maybe I am wrong.
But hey - I would not want to be like several of those people you named - what about living a life that doesn't center around sex and sexuality?
posted by Anonymous, at
5/01/2008 1:22 AM
what about living a life that doesn't center around sex and sexuality? posted by Anonymous, at 5/01/2008 1:22 AM
What about you living whatever life you want to live and leaving normal people alone?
posted by Anonymous, at
5/01/2008 12:51 PM
I agree with you Tom. What about letting people do with their life what they want to do with it - not what others want you to do with it.
posted by Anonymous, at
5/02/2008 6:43 PM
