A quick overview of Warren Throckmorton

Associate professor of psychology
Grove City College, Pa. GCC is a conservative Christian college. Its psychology department comprises four professors.
Key project: Truth Comes Out
Editorials and research: DrThrockmorton.com
Education: B.A. from Cedarville College, M.A. from Central Michigan University, Ph.D from Ohio University.
Majors not commonly disclosed.

Factoids:

In November 2003, Throckmorton co-wrote a letter to the American Psychological Association. Throckmorton said he was "appalled" that an earlier article encouraged parents to accept and affirm gender-variant children.

Judith Glassgold, a leader of the American Psychological Association‘s Division 44 — Society for the Study of Lesbian, Gay, & Bisexual Concerns — wrote a letter to Psychotherapy (Spring 2002) concerning an article by Mark Yarhouse and Throckmorton. The letter addressed "serious shortcomings in the article titled ‘Ethical implications of attempts to ban sexual reorientation therapies.’ James Cantor wrote a letter on behalf of the Division to the journal Sexuality and Disability. The article in question suggested that sexual orientation change could be possible with the off-label use of medication (‘Fluoxetine-associated remission of ego-dystonic male homosexuality’)."

Throckmorton wrote "Initial Empirical and Clinical Findings Concerning the Change Process for Ex-Gays" in the June 2002 issue of the APA journal Professional Psychology: Research and Practice.

Throckmorton frequently claims that Dr. Robert Spitzer’s 2001 study of ex-gays not only supports his belief that gay people in general can change their sexual orientation, but also demonstrates that reparative therapies cure depression. However, Spitzer’s study sample purposely excluded the majority of ex-gays who are unaffected by reparative therapy, or who in some cases are harmed (made more confused and depressed). (Spitzer did this in order to focus on the veracity of success stories.) In a CNN interview about change of sexual orientation, Spitzer says: "…I’m not saying that this can be easily done, or that most homosexuals who want to change can make this kind of change. I suspect it’s quite unusual, and probably more unusual than those who claim it is…." Spitzer also says, "And I certainly would be very upset if my study now … were used to justify coercive treatment. That would be a terrible thing. If it was used to justify the denial of civil rights to homosexuals." Here at XGW, Michael Hamar notes:

Additionally, in a Wall Street Journal (May 23, 2001) editorial, Spitzer stated “In fact, I suspect that the vast majority of gay people would be unable to to alter by much a firmly established homosexual orientation." In a July 1, 2001, interview in the Advocate, Spitzer stated only "a small minority – perhaps 3% – might have a malleable sexual orientation." He also stated in the Advocate interview that his research was being "twisted by the Christian right."

Lastly, ex-gay apologist Warren Throckmorton in a June 2002 article in the APA Journal reviewed the few studies of ex-gay program success rates and found that even Joseph Nicolosi’s study (Nicolosi is the "high priest" of the ex-gay programs) revealed a failure rate of over 67%.

Throckmorton provides this spin on studies showing that reparative therapies are harmful: Yes, reparative therapies harm some people, but they help some people, too. Throckmorton encourages social acceptance of reparative therapy while making little public effort to reduce or stop the harm.

Thanks to Michael Hamar for helping to compile this information.

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