The National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality is now the “main source of anti-gay ‘junk science,'” according to a new report by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
“But even as NARTH is held up as an authority on the science of homosexuality by both fringe groups and politically potent national organizations like the Family Research Council, its claim that LGBT people can be ‘cured’ of their homosexuality is not backed by the evidence,” the SPLC said.
The report gives a brief history of NARTH, which began in 1992 as a response to the medical consensus that homosexuality was not a mental disorder. Psychiatrists Charles Socarides, Benjamin Kaufman and Joseph Nicolosi — the chief engineer of modern reparative therapy — founded the organization to fight the increasing influence of the “homosexual agenda.”
Authors Ryan Lenz and Evelyn Schatter provide several damning facts about NARTH, including its pseudoscientific claims of a cure for homosexuality; its associations with extremists like Scott Lively, whose book The Pink Swastika says gay men orchestrated the Nazi Holocaust; and the 2010 revelation that NARTH scholar Dr George Rekers paid a male prostitute for nude massages. Also mentioned is the embarrassing 2007 episode that led to Nicolosi’s resignation as NARTH president, after he defended a NARTH adviser’s racially offensive claim that American slavery rescued Africans from a much worse “savage” life in what was “still primarily a jungle.”
Read the full report: NARTH Becomes Main Source for Anti-Gay ‘Junk Science.’
The SPLC is a “nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry, and to seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of society. ”
[Edit 03/13/12: Joseph Nicolosi defended controversial remarks about slavery; it was Gerald Schoenewolf, a member of NARTH’s scientific advisory committee, who made the claims in an essay.]
The SPLC is a “nonprofit civil rights organization full of ignorant liberals who have never done psychological research, are not therapists, and just want to malign NARTH in the most dishonest way to make a buck, by duping their benefactors.
The SPLC is a complete disgrace.
@Alessandra
What?
@Alessandra, as an XGW writer, I’ve been researching NARTH on and off for about five years. The SPLC report is very consistent with everything I’ve found, and those who have done psychological and psychiatric research would agree, I think. If you have evidence of dishonesty and defamation in the report, please present it. Otherwise, I’m afraid just saying it don’t make it so.
Also mentioned is the embarrassing 2007 episode that led to Nicolosi’s resignation as NARTH president, after he made the racially offensive claim that American slavery rescued Africans from a much worse “savage” life in what was “still primarily a jungle.”
It was actually NARTH scientific advisory committee member Gerald Schoenewolf who made that claim. Nicolosi defended him but was not the actual author of it. Schoenewolf remains on the committee.
Thanks, Boo. I’ve amended it.
@Alessandra
@Alessandra: Stay a while and have your lack of evidence, facts or the truth be corrected. Nothing more useless and cowardly than a person that just ‘hits and runs’ with a claim and never shows up again to face the dissent.
The SPLC as a legal advocacy doesn’t require therapists or psychologists. Their work reflects protecting the rights of those who have been confronted with threat and defamation. NARTH contributes to the defamation of gay people, and threatens the rights of gay people.
In other words, the SPLC has done a great deal of good for the cause of JUSTICE, and NARTH has done a great deal of harm in disregarding the efficacious and factual evidence about homosexuality and bigotry on gay people.
You made a claim, back it up.
I made a statement, and CAN back it up. I’m a member of the SPLC and receive their magazine, “The Intelligence Report” as well as their newsletter. And I’ve been a member over 30 years.
Bring it.
@Alessandra
Well the FBI doesn’t agree with you Alessandra.
In fact the Southern Poverty Law Center is a Community Partner to the FBI.
https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2007/february/coldcases_022707
Now maybe the Left Leaning, Liberal, FBI is not a good enough reference for YOU, but it is for ME.
StraightGrandmother- I forget to add the space, I will try and remember that.