AP reported today (via Newsday) that Prof. Warren Throckmorton had been "removed" from a national advisory board of Magellan Health Services.
That much appears to be false: Previous media reports said that Magellan had rethought its decision to renew Throckmorton’s board position when his contract expired. And nothing is reported to have changed at Magellan since then. The new article does not quote Magellan on any "removal."
What qualifies as "developing news," but is buried in the AP story, is not a "removal"; it is PFOX’s accusation that Magellan discriminates against exgays.
On March 24, PFOX executive director Regina Griggs — possibly seeking to distract public attention from her organization president’s reported ethical lapses and loss of professional standing — circulated this press release which promptly appeared here and was rewritten as a "news" story two days ago by the American Family Association’s AgapePress:
"She [Griggs] contends Magellan should not receive Medicaid or other federal
funds while it continues its discrimination against the ex-homosexual
community. Individuals struggling with unwanted same-sex attractions
have the right "to seek counseling and be represented at all levels of
society," Griggs asserts, "especially health-care advisory councils."
The fact that Magellan officials would "disregard their clients in such
a manner," she adds, brings into question the company’s ability to
operate as a health-care provider. PFOX is asking Magellan Health to
immediately reinstate Dr. Throckmorton and also to place former
homosexuals in advisory positions at the company." (Emphasis is XGW’s.)
(Hat tip: XGW commenter Cpt. Doom)
PFOX’s demand for hiring and leadership quotas for a sexual minority is surprising, given its claim to be a conservative organization. Furthermore, PFOX’s complaints of anti-exgay discrimination are not borne out by some simple realities:
- Throckmorton is not exgay;
- Advisory board positions are a privilege, not a right, and exgays are no more entitled to them than gays or heterosexuals;
- Magellan has not been shown to discriminate in the treatment of exgay patients or reimbursement of reparative therapists;
- PFOX supports antigay discrimination; and
- Throckmorton frequently used his advisory board title to lend credibility — a sense of professional endorsement — not only to reorientation-therapy activism, but also to efforts to ban comprehensive sex education in Montgomery County, Maryland, public schools.
The AP report might have benefited from a fair and balanced presentation of the facts.
I just noticed that the telephone number listed for PFOX in Los Angeles is not a local number. The number listed is actually a Ridge, MD number. It makes me wonder, in a city of nine million, PFOX couldn’t find ONE local nut to be their contact?
But I guess LA is special in that at least there’s a phone number. For most of the cities listed on their site there’s no contact listed at all.