A video interview with Dr. Robert Spitzer was released today by Truth Wins Out. In it he explains in detail how groups such as Focus on the Family have distorted his research for their own purposes and his reaction to that. This comes at at time when Daniel Gonzales of Ex-Gay Watch has recently produced his own informational video on the subject and PFOX has included a highly edited clip of Dr. Spitzer on their newly redesigned site in which he appears to say something quite different. We suggest you view both and decide for yourself which reflects the truth.
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You know though…. it seems that “gay activism” is always in the manner of defensive moves or counter-punching. Not that I think it would be offensive to some or anyone, well, who cares, but shouldn’t we in some way mount an offensive? Though maybe the idea of us mounting anything is offensive to some certain others. It seems that anytime “gay activists” speak out forthrightly, the FotF/AFI/CWA/AFTAH crowd simply points at us and says something like, ‘there goes those gays again.’ Like what was say carries no weight of truth or matter.
Because it just seems that Spitzer let the mule out of the barn long ago and this is a rather pathetic attempt to get it back in, even if it does fully express his opinion of the probability of change. What as that? Oh yeah, “quite small.” Really scientific, that statement (not that his original work had any statistical importance either). I think Spitzer did nothing more than get his mule turned around and facing its barn. But getting the stubborn thing started in that direction is going to take some more doing.
Alright could I have talked any more in innuendo and metaphor than I did?
“…some people can change, but how likely is it if I go into some therabpy and program. Umm…so my study i think does indicate that some gays can change, but it’s probably pretty rare…the liklihood of sucess is probably quite small.”–Robert Spitzer, Ph.D.
The New York Times article of last week mentioned:
Well. $240 per session is a lot. Randy Thomas’ recent claim it took him three years to overcome his homosexuality; the NY Times article said it took Robert Schaeffer (of LIFE Ministries) two years of therapy to overcome his homosexuality.
Well, at Mr. Matheson’s fee rates, 52 times $240 (one year of weekly therapy) adds up to $12,400 a year. But, I’ve heard from some who’ve priced Jerry Leach or Exodus International’s affiliated Reality Resources that he charges only $90 for a fifty-minutes session. So at Leach’s fee rates, 52 weeks of therapy at $90 a session adds up to $4,680 a year.
Multipy these annual fees by two or three years, and it’s obviously pricey to be treated for SSAD — an illness the APA doesn’t recognize.
Who’s paing the fees for a treatment that Dr. Spitzer states“…the liklihood of sucess is probably quite small.” The patients obviously. I don’t expect there are any money-back garentees from those serving the patients if a cure doesn’t take…
Since religious conservatives seem to be behind the effort to “treat” homosexuality as a treatable illness either in secular or spiritual couseling sessions, it looks to me that to a certain extent like some religious conservatives have turned God’s house into the worst kind of market — a market that preys on people’s faith.
Autumn, exellent point.
Jesus’ anger was at those who profitted off of allowing access to God. Only special money or special doves were allowed for sacrifice. So too do religious leaders block access to God for many Christians who are same-sex attracted. Only those with accepted “identity” are allowed. And there are current day money changers and dove sellers right there ready to make a buck off of making your sacrifice “acceptable to God”.
Well… there’s another way of looking at it too Autumn!
Splitting the differences from your figures: 2.5 years at $8540 per year. Equals $21350.
But that’s who sees it through. Others drop out. So, what — do you give it a year? $8540 for them. Let’s pretend they don’t have any “on costs” afterwards, such as paying another therapist to fix the damage that was done.
And a quick add up (and bringing in the 2% that achieve “heterosexuality”)…
Did you know it the exgay industry needs $440,000 to produce just one heterosexual???
You have only to look at the underlying theory to know that it is bogus. In Spitzer’s study most of his responders were part of the cash cow reparitive therapy providers.
I hope some one sues them. It would be easy!
Here’s an actual figure for you:
3 years and 4 months in Love in Action at $950.00 = $38,000. There was a period of the first seven months where my fees were a little less, but I don’t remember the exact cost. Those documents have long since seen the trash.
Dr. Spitzer did his study in 2001. I wonder how many of the 200 people that he studied still identify as ex-gay 6 years later in 2007.