Ex-gay proponents Joseph Nicolosi, Arthur Goldberg and Jeffrey Satinover are in London today for the Sex & the City conference organized by Anglican Mainstream, the publishers of the tired, homophobic polemic God, Gays and the Church.
On BBC Radio Five Live last night, JONAH’s Arthur Goldberg made the mistake of invoking the 1979 Masters-Johnson study in support of ex-gay therapy – seemingly oblivious to the recent controversy surrounding its conclusions. When host Stephen Nolan asked (rather clumsily, admittedly) whether Goldberg woke up each day and made the decision to be attracted to women, rather than “bits of cloth” or animals, say, he answered quite confidently, “Yes.”
Oh Arthur. When being attracted to women instead of animals is a conscious choice you have to make every day, you’re the one who needs therapy.
Meanwhile, queer Quaker performance artist Peterson Toscano, who is currently touring the UK with his one-man show Transfigurations, offered some words of encouragement to protesters.
Thanks for making me laugh so hard I snorted. Now everyone in this cafe is staring.
I second what Jake says. Hilarious! This immediately put a smile on my face. It really is our sense of humor that keeps us from going crazy when anti-gay conferences are held or when governments side with inequality.
I was at the event – well attended, I guess 150 people there all showing what we thought of the conference, showing contempt for the organizers but solidarity with the people caught up in this event, too.
The ludicrous Mr Goldberg came out to remonstrate with protesters, hysterically claiming we were trying to deny their rights to hold this event. (How ridiculous, we were across the street). They keep coming out with the old line ‘if people want to change, they should have the freedom to..’ He was reminded that many people want to change because they have no alternative.
His arrogant pink-shirted sidekick tried to stop people taking photos of him and Goldberg, and when people just continued, the pink shirted guy stormed off across the road to try to involve the police. The police smiled politely, yet disinterestedly.
The organizers hired about half a dozen very mean looking doormen – one wonders if they expected an armed siege.
the co-sponsors of this were Anglican Mainstream (not mainstream at all) and CARE – a fundamentalist group that enjoys very good links with the government and media.
Here are some pics from the day. I’m in the green shirt 😉
https://www.flickr.com/photos/zefrog/3472903787/in/pool-londinium/
The experiencing of consciously choosing/deciding to have a particular sexual fantasy is quite common. Maybe this is what he means?
For those interested in the protest we organised, my blog (I was the organiser) provides further details on the building up to it, reveals the agenda of the conference and will feature a report as soon I have written it (!) and link to the press coverage we will be receiving.
Pictures can be found on flickr here: https://www.flickr.com/groups/gaycureprotest09/
The Chris Nolan Show mentioned above can be listened to (for a week, I think) here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/fivelive_aod.shtml?fivelive/nolan_fri (starts 1h42min in and there is a little bit more about 15min before the end)
I found some of the interview of doctor (of law!!!) Arthur Goldberg hilarious!!! Nolan is doing a great job at showing how ridiculous the guy is. Also includes an interview of a gay journalist who went to an ex-gay ‘ministry’ for research and a ‘post-gay’ reverend (whatever that is). And our very own Mikey! (well done, you!)
The “other side”‘s view of the protest and insider’s report on the conference: https://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=10318
I thought almost all human beings are indoctrinated to being attracted to “bits of cloth”. If not, we do have the choice to be without it… An ex-cloth ministry on the works perhaps? After all, before sin entered the world, god created us all naked….
Richard, I do believe there are people that do make a conscious choice on a sexual fantasy, and it has nothing to do with the gender of who we are or the person we are with. I can be attracted to both men and women, and sex (let alone sexual fantasies) are far from my mind. If sex does play a lot in the minds of people, it is obvious that straights are obsessed with sex. While gays are thinking about being commited into marriage with their partners and to have protections for each other, who were out with questions about what happens on their wedding night again? Gosh, admiringly some of these straights have so much imagination.