“Its statements routinely outrage gay-rights activists. But two commentaries posted online in recent months by members of NARTH’s scientific advisory committee have raised concerns among its closest allies as well.”
–Stephanie Simon, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer, October 15, 2006
It took a while, but what was first documented at XGW made it to the mainstream press. On XGW, Daniel Gonzales covered Joseph Berger comments about gender variant children here, and then frequent reader of XGW Boo uncovered Gerald Schoenewolf’s comments on slavery here — Timothy Kincaid writing it up as a full post here .
These stories on gender variant children and slavery have snowballed in the LGBT press (here and here), civil-rights organizations (here and here), and the blogosphere (here and here).
Mainstream press publication The Los Angeles Times has now published a piece about what NARTH Scientific Advisory Committee members have had published on the NARTH website, and what Dr. Warren Throckmorton, Wayne Besen (director, Truth Wins Out), and Alan Chambers (director, Exodus International) said in response.
Article excerpts from the LA Times’ ‘Ex-Gay’ Group Draws Fire From Allies:
Berger’s advice that children with differences be ridiculed “wouldn’t be something we would tolerate from someone who was part of our board,” said Chambers, who recalls being teased for acting effeminate as a boy. “We have to be very careful about what we say and how we say it. Peoples’ emotions, hearts and even lives are at stake.”
And…
Schoenewolf’s essay on political correctness not only seemed to justify slavery, it also denounced the gay-rights movement as “mob rule.” Using explicit language, Schoenewolf asserted that “the entire planet has now been forced to agree that [homosexuality] is normal.”
“This puts a real spotlight on what we’re dealing with…. This organization is incredibly reckless and irresponsible,” said Wayne Besen, a gay-rights activist who founded a nonprofit, Truth Wins Out, to keep tabs on the ex-gay movement.
The slow snowballing of the coverage on the original Berger and Schoenewolf articles speaks to how these incidents are impacting NARTH’s credibility. Thank you Los Angeles Times for bringing these stories about NARTH and its Scientific Advisory Committee members to the general public’s attention.
Right On Autumn!
That’s inspiring.
“Alan Chambers, who leads the nation’s largest support group for “ex-gays,” urged NARTH’s members to “think long and hard about the mission of the organization.”
Alan states that EXODUS would not have men like Berger or Schoenewolf on its board. Until Joseph Nicolosi personally apologizes for and fully retracts the Schonenewold article — and removes BOTH men from NARTH’s “scientific advisory board” — Alan should not share the microphone with NARTH either.
He needs to have the same sort of moral and intellectual courage to do what Dr. Throckmorton and David Blakeslee did (fully distance himself and EXODUS from NARTH) and for the same reasons they did so.
Agapepress on Schoenewolf:
https://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/10/172006b.asp