Associated Press reporter David Crary reported on Wednesday that the American Psychological Association voted 125 to 4 to repudiate "reparative therapy" to reorient homosexuals as unscientific and even harmful. But that was a more balanced vote than the AP article that appeared in many papers and websites, in which Crary couldn't find a single conservative voice -- even if the losing opinion was repeatedly identified as conservative, and the winning side drew no label at all.
In a resolution adopted by the APA's governing council, and in an accompanying report, the association issued its most comprehensive repudiation of "reparative therapy" — a concept espoused by a small but persistent group of therapists, often allied with religious conservatives, who maintain gays can change.
Crary explicitly set up the conflict as religious conservatives versus "mental health professionals," which would suggest the conservatives aren't professionals, they're quacks:
Judith Glassgold, a Highland Park, N.J., psychologist who chaired the task force, said she hoped the document could help calm the polarized debate between religious conservatives who believe in the possibility of changing sexual orientation and the many mental health professionals who reject that option.
Crary also failed to balance the story with the recent case of Kerry Pacer, the lesbian Person of the Year now living with a man.
CORRECTION: My original draft suggested David Crary excluded all conservatives and ex-gay therapists from his story. That's what I saw online and in the Rockford newspaper I read on vacation. Ironically, more thorough Googling finds a more thorough, slightly more balanced story at -- the blog Steve Rothaus' Gay South Florida.
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.




















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It's always conservatives
August 8, 2009 - 07:31 ET by motherbeltIt's always conservatives vs. civil rights activists, conservatives vs. women's advocates, conservatives vs. advocates for the poor.....
Just one more indication that to liberals, there are only "right (as in correct)-thinking" people, and those right-wing wackos.
And don't you just love this:
a concept espoused by a small but persistent group of therapists,
their view is a "concept," whereas the "gays can't change" thing is a fact.
And of course, the "gays can't change" group are not "persistent."
They're willing to be swayed, right?
Yeah, right.
The argumet that "gays" put
August 8, 2009 - 07:53 ET by jdhawkThe argumet that "gays" put forth, backed by the APA, is that homosexuality is genetically based. In other words, you are born either hetrosexual or homosexual. That is why the APA finds therapy that would alter this sexual choice "harmful."
However, if homosexuality is genetically based versus learned as one matures, then why does homosexuality still exist or why is it at least waning. Since homosexuals don't procreate, by definition, there should be less and less as time goes on.
Perhaps, the "small group" of therapists are, in fact, correct. That is homosexuality it is not genetic based, but learned as one matures and it can, indeed, be reversed.
Of course, the whole militant "gay" rights movemet would shatter if that were the case. So, don't expect any liberal to adopt this stance any time soon, if ever. Don't expect the government run media to support these obviously wacky notions. You right-wing bible beating religious nut!
That is not
August 8, 2009 - 15:09 ET by mamabearThat is not correct.
The argument is that sexual orientation is BIOLOGICAL, which is not the same thing as genetic. It means that there can be causes ranging from genes, to the endocrine environment in the womb, to early experience, all of which add up to produce an orientation that affects behavior once someone is sexually mature.
So no, there is no conflict between the argument that homosexuality is not just a choice and the continued existence of homosexual people despite their inclination not to reproduce.
Re biological
August 8, 2009 - 17:05 ET by slickwillie2001I agree that there is that third zone between genetic and early development that is often not considered. That's the development stage in the womb where the baby's brain development is guided by the baby's own hormones but can be affected by environmental factors, what the mother consumes, etc. That theory was popularized by the book 'Brain Sex'. We know that male brains differ from female brains, so it's not a big leap to consider that maybe the homosexuality might be in the brain as well.
Genetic? No
August 10, 2009 - 13:00 ET by Sergeant ROCKTo date, there has been zero evidence to suggest that homosexuality is genetic. This is why militant homosexuals have given up on that angle.
"I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."
George Mason
How many of these guys are gay? 125?
August 8, 2009 - 08:05 ET by needleI wonder what percentage of the people voting at American Psychological Association are confirmed homosexuals.
How about a little "full disclosure."
- Relying upon the State Run Media for your information is like relying upon an embezzler to manage your portfolio.
gayness
August 8, 2009 - 09:27 ET by charlietexasSo does this mean it ok for a therapist to council straight people to convert to gayness? and that is ok?
So.. what does the APA
August 8, 2009 - 10:04 ET by Jack BauerSo.. what does the APA think about "pedophilia". Not as harsh as you might assume.
Who's the crazy ones again? Conservaives, or Psychiatrists & Psychologists who don't think gays can be "cured," but DO THINK child molesters should be "normalized>"
http://www.massnews.com/past_issues/2000/Culture/apapedo.htm
American Psychological Association Admits Mistake About Pedophilia
July 2--The American Psychological Association has admitted it made a mistake when it published a study which indicated that pedophilia can have a positive influence on a child.
However, J. Edward Pawlick, the Publisher of Massachusetts News says that the Family Research Council in Washington is incorrect in getting excited about the change of heart. It was only the tremendous public pressure from radio talk show host Dr. Laura and others, such as House Majority Whip Tom DeLay which caused the organization to relent, according to most sources.
The Chief Executive Officer of the APA, Dr. Raymond Fowler, has sent a letter to Congressman DeLay saying that the APA should have worked to “evaluate the article based on its potential for misinforming the public policy process” but “failed to do so.”
“We still don't know who made the decision to publish this article in the first place,” said Pawlick. “Is he still there? Has his mind been changed?”
The APA has attempted to distance itself from its article about pedophilia ever since the APA was exposed by an organization of psychologists and psychiatrists who treat homosexuals. They are The National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH).
In Massachusetts it was Pawlick who alerted the state to the article by publishing his own article on the Massachusetts News Internet site. His article was also mailed to all the residents in the city of Newton. Because of that mailing, the City of Newton and Gov. Cellucci's Department of Education sponsored a rally on May 20 against Pawlick. It said that his article was “hate mail” in that it discussed pedophilia and warned that “child molestation is being normalized.”
Psychiatrists Also Are Questioned
The professional association of psychiatrists, also known as the APA (American Psychiatrists Association) has sent a signal that it too will support the “normalization” of sex with children. They quietly changed their diagnostic manual a few years back so that a person no longer has a “disorder” simply because he molests children. To be diagnosed as “disordered,” the psychiatrists must look to the psyche of the adult. If the adult does not feel anxious about the relationship with the child or if he is not impaired in his work or social relationships, then he has no “disorder.”
A high official in the American Psychiatric Association, Dr. Kathleen M. Mogul of Newton, attempted to refute Pawlick's article with a personal attack in a letter to the Newton Tab. She said his “anti-gay mailing...spread untruths not only about gays but also about the psychiatric profession.” Pawlick had written:
“Because the homosexual community is sharply divided on this subject, the study [that was published by the American Psychological Association] will undoubtedly cause consternation among them. Homosexuals are proud of the fact that most child molesters are not homosexuals. But they do not consider that the only reason this is true is because only 3% of the population are homosexuals; the truth is that pedophilia is more than three times more common among homosexuals. Some studies have shown that 35% of pedophiles are homosexual. It is estimated that approximately 80% of pedophilic victims are boys who have been molested by adult males.”
When Dr. Mogul spoke at the Newton meeting against Pawlick, she said that only 30% of pedophiles are homosexuals (which was almost the figures cited by Pawlick in his mailing.) But the head of the Christian Coalition in Massachusetts, Evelyn Reilly, pointed out during a question period that according to Dr. Mogul's own numbers, this meant that a homosexual was from 3 to 10 times more likely to be a pedophile. This stunned Dr. Mogul and the audience into total silence with no answer forthcoming.
In his reaction to the apology by the American Psychological Association, Pawlick commented, “Although it is good news that both APA's are going on record against pedophilia, it really doesn't mean anything until they actually change their policies. It's easy to mouth a few words. The psychologists should be firing the person who decided to publish that study in their journal and the psychiatrists should be changing their DSM. We'll know they're serious when they take some action, not just talk about it.
“It's apparent we have serious problems when a top official of the American Psychiatric Association makes personal attacks against me just because I told the obvious, that the majority of the push for pedophilia is coming from the homosexual community, such as the North American Man/Boy Love Association. The homosexual community must take a serious stand against it, not just talk about it. That is not 'hate' talk; that is just the truth.”
APA
August 10, 2009 - 13:05 ET by Sergeant ROCKFunny thing is that when the APA removed homosexuality from the list of mental disorders, they did so in response to homosexual activism, not science.
As far as the pedophilia angle goes, you have to remember that the Gay Rights Platform of 1973 mentions eliminating 'age of consent' laws.
Birds of a feather...
"I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."
George Mason
Homosexuality, like any
August 8, 2009 - 10:19 ET by JerryHomosexuality, like any other sinful desire, can be defeated, but the catalyst of change is not a "mental health professional".
When asked if he went to war with Iraq to derail the impeachment vote: “I don’t think any serious person would believe that any President would do such a thing." - President Clinton (Dec 1998).
complex but simple
August 8, 2009 - 14:51 ET by WesenIf you chose your words, "defeated" is a good one. Some things are crucified, others are defeated. The life is a race, a wrestling match and a fight, homosexuals aren't any different than anybody else.
I dont think gays choose to
August 8, 2009 - 10:26 ET by dumbanguishI dont think gays choose to be the way they are. I don't remember ever sitting down to choose my sexuality.
However...They do choose on whether or not to act on it. They choose to do sin and to have sinful thoughts. Just like the rest of us.
our bodies are clearly not
August 8, 2009 - 15:00 ET by TruthMongerour bodies are clearly not designed for gay sexuality - therefore its desire and practice is a mental disease. Do people choose to contract a mental disease? not really
so if disease is not a choice - should we then celebrate and encourage disease?! in this case many do - and worse off in the name of "tolerance" of all things...
encouraging disease in the name of tolerance must certainly be a mental disease as well
Palin/Prejean 2012
Our bodies don't determine
August 8, 2009 - 17:54 ET by mamabearOur bodies don't determine brain sex at the same time in development as they do anatomical sex (presuming that we work approximately the same as other mammals that we've performed experiments on).
So while you can say that our bodies aren't "designed" for homosexual relations, they also clearly aren't "designed" to have a perfect coupling between anatomy and behavior. Does that still mean that homosexuality is a disease?
This is a good example of
August 8, 2009 - 15:42 ET by mattmThis is a good example of the problem with "rule-by-expert."
The priests of expertism declare that something is a certain way, and nobody can question it. The APA used to consider homosexuality to be a deviant behavioral disorder. Political pressure and cultural attitude changes - not any scientific 'proof' - caused them to change their tune over the years.
So, which APA was right - past or present? They were both "expert" organizations, so if they contradict each other, one group of experts is wrong and the other is right - until another group of experts decides differently.
Private citizens acting within their own private circles can figure this stuff out better than the "experts" can.
"Never underestimate the wisdom of the people." - Sarah Palin