When I reviewed recent MSNBC coverage of exgays on July 4, I confess I had not thoroughly read this article:

Choosing research to prove your point
Both sides in gay-change contest latch onto landmark 2001 study
By Alex Johnson, MSNBC, June 29, 2005

The article accurately reports the limitations of the study by Dr. Robert Spitzer, and it captures the distortion of Spitzer’s work by both exgay political leaders and gay activists.

Unfortunately, the article overlooks what I feel is a key question, one that I have twice asked Dr. Spitzer via e-mail, without reply:

Given the distortion of his work by activists affiliated with PFOX and religious-right media, why does Dr. Spitzer then offer interview footage antigay pundit and videographer Warren Throckmorton? And is Spitzer really so surprised when gay activists react with anger against a reputable scientist who aids antigay activists in their distortion of his work?

This complicity in the distortion of his study results weakens Spitzer’s implicit claim to be a victim of culture warriors.

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