As Timothy Kincaid notes, the less-than-objective WorldNetDaily and Warren Throckmorton say the antigay parents group PFOX was asked last week to leave a conference of the Virginia Schools Counselors Association.
Antigay parents who subscribe to PFOX’s e-mail discussion group are outraged, and some have mounted an e-mail protest against the VSCA.
One parent viewed the incident as an excuse to demand the closure of public schools; another parent came to the defense of public education that includes mulitiple viewpoints and educates rural and low-income areas ill-served by private schools.
Chris Kempling, a registered Canadian clinical counselor and subscriber to the discussion list, wrote a letter to VSCA that was blind-copied to the list. Here is an excerpt:
Surely you cannot be basing your decision on the belief that orientation is inborn and immutable, given the lack of any substantive evidence to support it. And certainly you can not be unaware of the inherent risks of the practice of homosexual behaviours–increased risks of HIV, hepatitis C, shortened lifespan, increased level of drug use, higher levels of mental illness, etc., etc. It is incumbent on our profession to present a balanced point of view when dealing with controversial issues–your actions are the epitome of bias and discrinimation (sic).
Kempling neglected to point out that he is an active member of NARTH and — according to the religious-right Traditional Values Coalition — was suspended at least twice from his school-counseling positions for engaging in antigay politics that were viewed as disruptive to school affairs and a threat to potentially gay students who might seek his counseling services. According to the TVC, Kempling’s “writings on homosexuality drew the attention of the British Columbia College of Teachers and he was convicted of ‘conduct unbecoming a member’ of the organization in 2001.”