Monthly Archives: August 2013

Anti-Ex-Gay Activist Wayne Besen May Be Responsible for Countless HIV Infections

Activist-Blogger Claims on National Television He “Probably Would” Have Sex with Someone Who Has AIDS, Calls Abstinence “Reckless” and “Irresponsible”

 

Besen-Barber-The-Awakening-2010

Anti-Ex-Gay Activist-Blogger Wayne Besen with Liberty Counsel’s Matt Barber at the 2010 Awakening Conference at Liberty University. Besen was posing as an undercover college student when he was called out and shockingly, embraced and loved by Barber, one of those “hateful, bigoted” Christians.

In a shocking display of ignorance and irresponsibility, anti-ex-gay activist-blogger Wayne Besen admitted on national TV that he has, and “probably would” again, have sex with a person infected with HIV/AIDS as long as he wore a condom, although it’s not “optimal,” and that efforts to reduce HIV/AIDS with abstinence, faithfulness, and partner reduction are “reckless” and “irresponsible.”

You can watch Besen’s confusing, contradictory, and troubling statements by clicking here and viewing the 2009 Fox News O’Reilly Factor footage, hosted by Laura Ingraham, where Besen admits that he has had sex and “probably would” have sex again with a person infected with AIDS, as long as he wore a condom.

At the time of the broadcast, some liberal social activists had criticized Pope Benedict for his recommendation that Africa concentrate more on abstinence, faithfulness, and partner reduction rather than promote “safe sex” methods such as condom use to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS.

According to research by Harvard University’s Dr. Edward Green, mass condom promotion in some African countries has actually had a reverse effect on HIV/AIDS prevalence, causing increases, not decreases, in HIV infections.

In a letter to The Lancet who criticized the Pope’s stance, Dr. Green said:

 

Ecological and epidemiological evidence from generalised epidemics points to partner reduction as the primary behavioural factor explaining declines in HIV prevalence, which we now see in several African countries. Increased condom availability or use has not shown a similar pattern of association with prevalence decline across multiple generalised epidemics.”

 

To support his statement for the promotion of abstinence, faithfulness, and partner reduction, Dr. Green cites several scientific peer-reviewed studies that provide data to suggest that condom promotion may actually “exacerbate” the AIDS epidemic within Africa.

 

“The phenomenon of risk compensation—engaging in higher-risk behaviours because risk reduction technology conveys a greater sense of safety than warranted—could account for higher infection rates, and has been suggested by at least one randomized, controlled study, which found that ‘gains in condom use seem to have been offset by increases in the number of sex partners’.”


Green makes a compelling argument; one that I agree with completely. In fact, around the same time Besen opined his dangerous, ignorant views on Fox News, I consulted with Green when citing some of his research in my own work on abstinence and faithfulness with the Children’s AIDS Fund.

But why should we rely on actual data and science when we can trust Wayne Besen’s “safe sex” practices?

When I confronted Besen in Trenton, New Jersey a couple of months ago when we both testified at the same Assembly hearing, he was very defensive and told me that he stands by his statement, that he is now married to his partner, and that both of them are HIV negative.

That’s a relief. But what about all the other potential victims who may have taken Besen’s dangerous and ignorant advice, and as a result, became infected with HIV?

I tried to reason with Besen (after all, the guy doesn’t know his research) that it’s not necessarily the method failure rate of condoms (which is between 10-20 percent, depending on the study you cite) but rather, the user failure rate of condoms that makes his statement and recommendation so dangerous.

For example, condoms fail 10-20 percent of the time due to breaking during sexual intercourse and other manufacturer’s defects. But the reason they are so risky for the prevention of HIV is because individuals simply don’t use them consistently and correctly, and if someone doesn’t use a condom for every single sex act, 100 percent of the time, it’s like playing Russian roulette.

But perhaps the most troubling aspect of Besen’s statement is that he is a gay man, and the primary audience that listens to and supports him are gay men who have sex with men (MSM).

Frighteningly, there is no condom approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for anal sex, which is a very common practice among MSM!

In fact, the Attorney General has gone on record to say:

 

“Condoms provide some protection, but anal intercourse is simply too dangerous to practice. Condoms may be more likely to break during anal intercourse than during other types of sex because of the greater amount of friction and other stresses involved. Even if the condom doesn’t break, anal intercourse is very risky because it can cause tissue in the rectum to tear and bleed. These tears allow disease germs to pass more easily from one partner to the other.”

 

It’s really quite astonishing for Besen to talk about credibility when he stated: “The Pope has got a huge credibility problem. It’s not rocket science that condoms stop HIV, just sound science . . . and to say otherwise is reckless, it’s irresponsible, and quite frankly, it’s unconscionable.”

When Raymond Arroyo (Besen’s counterpoint on the show) corrected Besen’s errors, that condoms are NOT the “responsible” and “effective” way to stop HIV/AIDS, and cited actual research that shows Uganda’s abstinence and faithfulness program has been the only success story in Africa in reducing the prevalence of AIDS, Besen resorted to his typical three-year old bullying behavior:

“What you’re saying is not true, every respected medical and mental health organization will disagree with you.”

Wayne’s usual tactic when he loses an argument is to bully those who disagree with him by citing more bullies who also agree with his liberal views. But the fact is, Besen’s statements are extremely dangerous not only to him and his partner, but also to his primary audience of gay men who listen to him and read his blog.

It’s frightening to think that millions of people watched this broadcast, many of whom may have taken his advice, used condoms to prevent HIV during sex, and subsequently got infected.

Voice of the Voiceless is so concerned with Besen’s dangerous advice and lack of education, that we are contacting Fox News Network and all of the other major TV networks that have brought him on as an “expert” to warn them that his dangerous advice may have resulted in countless men (and women) being infected with HIV/AIDS.

If you or someone you know watched this broadcast, followed Wayne Besen’s advice, and subsequently became infected with HIV/AIDS, please contact Christopher Doyle at [email protected] so we can investigate whether Wayne Besen may be legally responsible for your or your loved one’s life-threatening illness.

Christopher Doyle, M.A. is the President and Co-Founder of Voice of the Voiceless, the only anti-defamation league for former homosexuals, individuals with unwanted same-sex attractions, and their families. For more information on our investigation of Wayne Besen, please visit our website at: www.VoiceoftheVoiceless.info

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Protecting Our Children

As a veterankids public school teacher, I questioned my niece as to why she wouldn’t send her children to public schools.  She has seven children, all under age 12. She is opting to homeschool her children for a number of reasons.  One of them is that she wants to protect her children’s innocence as long as she can.She is a Harvard graduate and a lawyer, but she has put her career aside in order to  select her homeschool curriculum,to teach her children herself and to  monitor each child as s/he grows intellectually, socially and spiritually .

In addition to homeschooling, she is extremely vigilant about her children’s TV watching and use of computer time.  The family owns a small, 12 inch screen TV, and it is primarily used to watch DVD’s and sports channels.  Yes, she only allows G-rated movies. She monitors educational gaming on her computer which is in her full view. You can imagine that these children are the most wholesome, innocent, pure, and loving children I have ever encountered.

I bring this up because the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Round Table of the American Library Association is continually endorsing new pro-gay books to schools for their libraries. At one school where I used to teach, the school adopted a community read of one of the recommended books. Everyone in the school would read the book.  Students would follow along as their small group mentors, their teachers, read the book to them.

At first glance, the book that was selected is a wonderful, anti-bullying book.  It depicts how many students are marginalized because of their differences.  I applauded the school’s decision to read an anti-bullying book as a community read.  There is an awful lot of bullying at the middle school level, and I thought that the book would bring the problem up for discussion and hopefully stop the bullying. What I did not condone was the choice of the book and the manner in which the book would be read. In my opinion, the book does an excellent job at exposing the bullying of different groups, including same-sex attracted youth. But, it also subtly promotes the gay agenda.  For example, one character in the book advises a homosexual boy to go along with his feelings because “ if it feels right it must be right.” 

I’m not sure how you interpret that line, but I interpreted it as an endorsement for the gay lifestyle. It also is sending the message that whatever feels right is OK. Well, for many of my students, having sex at age 12 feels right. To some stealing feels right.  To some, cheating feels right.  How can a school district force a teacher to read such a statement to his/her class?  A teacher is a role model, and as such has some power of persuasion when he or she says something.  For me to read, “If it feels right, it must be right,” is tantamount to my endorsement of that statement.

For this reason, I submitted a letter to the principal telling her why I could not read the book.  She did not reply, but the next year, the same book (which was slated to be read again to the incoming class) was removed from the required reading list. I think she was afraid that I would make an issue of this with the school board, and she didn’t want to have to defend that line, and others like it, herself.

While the majority of parents cannot homeschool as my niece does, we can monitor the books that are being selected to read at home.  We can also monitor the games and shows watch on TV and gaming devices. We keep our homes safe by locking doors and keeping the lights on.  We should also protect our children’s values by monitoring what they read and are exposed to in school and elsewhere.

Gisele Roy is a parent of a son in his twenties who has battled SSA for 13 years. She has struggled with the emotional pain of seeing her son experience rejection from his peers, loneliness, and deep depression. It is Gisele’s hope that she, her husband and her son will continue to work on healing the deep-seated pain and emotional causes of his SSA and that her son will be able to find a wife who will complement him in every way.

How Exodus International Should Apologize to the Ex-Gay Community

exodusOver the last couple of months, the Christian community has taken two giant steps back with the dissolution of Exodus International, previously the largest Christian ex-gay ministry in the world. Sadly, this has caused a great deal of damage.
 
To be fair, many in the Christian community have historically misunderstood same-sex attraction (SSA). Instead of recognizing the complexity of homosexuality from a scientific perspective (along with a spiritual view), they have offered simplistic notions of deliverance, with little to no practical solutions for those who struggle with these feelings. Indeed, many Christians, myself included, have failed individuals who experience SSA in some way or another.
 
About two years ago I offered an apology to members of the homosexual community for insensitive remarks I made in the past. I realized over the years that while I was trying to bring some truth about the consequences of homosexual behavior, I nonetheless wrote a couple of articles and made a few public statements that were not very loving.
 
Despite my change in heart, I still believe that homosexuality is not in-born, and that for some, including myself, real change is possible. While I believe God can perform miracles and transform anyone He chooses, I know that He equips counselors, therapists, and ministers with the knowledge to help individuals resolve the issues that lead to the development of SSA.
 
Unfortunately, not everyone who experiences unwanted SSA and seeks change is successful. Because of this reality, it appears that the leadership of Exodus International felt that the best solution was to completely shut down, rather than improve their methodology of helping such individuals resolve their homosexual issues.
 
In preparation for their closure in late July, the leadership of Exodus embarked on a global apology tour. First, with their President Alan Chambers’ appearance on “Our America” with Lisa Ling to say he’s sorry to several participants who felt they were harmed by the work of Exodus. Next, with several visits to churches and Christian universities across the United States. And most recently, before officially closing their doors, their Vice President offered yet another apology to gays, while at the same time, throwing some ex-gay leaders under the bus.
 
While I believe the apologies are sincere are well-meaning, some of these statements, specifically their condemnation of the work of ex-gay leaders, both within and outside the Exodus International umbrella, are inappropriate and ill-advised. In short, while attempting to right some wrongs for members of the gay community they hurt, the Exodus leadership is “throwing the baby out with the bathwater” when it comes to ex-gays.
 
It’s really troubling to see these daggers thrown at the ex-gay community without a proper response. So rather than simply point out the errors in the Exodus leadership, I am going to propose an apology that the now extinct Exodus International Board of Directors should offer to the ex-gay community.
 
Dear Ex-Gay Community,
 
We are sorry that the leadership of Exodus International didn’t seek out professional psychotherapy to understand the roots of our homosexual feelings. Instead, we merely repressed our urges and hoped that God would take them away if we prayed hard enough.
 
We also deeply regret that we didn’t pursue advanced degrees in counseling or psychology so we could truly help others who were struggling with unwanted SSA resolve their issues and experience real change.
 
Now that we look back at our leadership, relying on clichés, slogans, and simplistic answers to complex sexual orientation issues was not the way to go. Rather than embrace cutting-edge therapeutic techniques that were developed to help individuals heal the wounds that lead to SSA, we are deeply saddened that we attacked our allies in the psychological community, most of who are also people of faith. Out of fear and ignorance, we failed to embrace solutions that could bring about real and lasting change.
 
We would like to ask for forgiveness for making statements, pronouncement, and judgments on behalf of dozens of Exodus member-ministries across the USA, instead of seeking their feedback and making decisions based on a consensus. In essence, our Board of Directors behaved as an oligarchy instead of a democracy. When the members we ruled over didn’t like our direction, instead of humbly listening to them, we promptly dismissed them, arrogantly condemned them, and swiftly exiled them.
 
Finally, we are sorry that once we realized we were unable to effectively lead, we did not appoint more qualified individuals to take over Exodus International. Instead, our narcissism allowed us to mistakenly believe that if we couldn’t help individuals who experience SSA pursue heterosexuality, than no one could or should.
 
How foolish of us to believe that our member ministries would stand aside and allow us to destroy their work and reputations. We are sorry that our bad leadership has fragmented the ex-gay community and caused over half of our member ministries to leave and form the Restored Hope Network. We also regret that this has created a great financial difficulty for our organization and caused many of us unemployment.
 
Yours truly,
Exodus International Board of Directors
 
PS: Please forgive Alan Chambers for leaking confidential e-mails of our former colleagues to a homosexual activist website who used it against them. That was really bad!
 
In summary, because the ex-gay community will never receive this apology from the leadership of Exodus International, I will summarize as to what you can expect from them moving forward.

They will continue to struggle with their own homosexual feelings. They will continue to walk in blindness over the causes and meaning of their SSA, and therefore, lead others into similar confusion. Lastly, they will continue to (try to) be buddies with homosexual activists while rejecting the truth that ex-gay ministries offer. How very sad that the largest and most influential ex-gay ministry has resorted to a popularity club for their narcissistic leaders.

 
Christopher Doyle is the President and Co-Founder of Voice of the Voiceless, the only anti-defamation league for former homosexuals, individuals with unwanted same-sex attractions, and their families. For more information,visit: www.VoiceoftheVoiceless.info

Liberty Counsel’s Mat Staver to Receive 2013 Ex-Gay Freedom Award at the First Annual Ex-Gay Awareness Month Dinner and Reception

Defender of Client’s Rights to Address Historic Celebration on September 30, 2013

KG_Mathew_Staver_Liberty_Co.4Voice of the Voiceless (VoV) and Equality and Justice for All (E&JA) are excited to announce that Mat Staver, Founder of Liberty Counsel, will accept the 2013 Ex-Gay Pride Freedom Award when he addresses the First Annual Ex-Gay Awareness Dinner and Reception in Washington, D.C. as a part of September’s Ex-Gay Awareness Month on September 30, 2013! The dinner and reception is being hosted by Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX).

“We are thrilled to honor Mat Staver at the First Annual Ex-Gay Pride Celebration,” commented former homosexual Christopher Doyle, President & Co-Founder of VoV. “He has been a champion in defending the freedoms of clients who pursue counseling to overcome unwanted same-sex attractions (SSA) and has tirelessly advocated for their God-given right of self-determination and Constitutional rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I can’t think of a better person to receive this award!”

Mathew D. Staver is the Founder of Liberty Counsel and currently serves as the Chairman of the Board. Liberty Counsel is a litigation, education, and policy organization with hundreds of affiliate attorneys in all 50 states. Liberty Counsel was one of the first religious liberty litigation organizations in the country. In the early 1990s, Mr. Staver was one of the first to pioneer a new legal strategy and theory in litigating religious liberty cases.

Mr. Staver has been on the front lines in defending the rights of clients who pursue counseling to overcome unwanted SSA. Staver was the lead Counsel in Pickup v. Brown, which challenged the California ban on change therapy (SB 1172) that would prohibit any counseling to minors seeking to diminish or eliminate unwanted SSA, behavior, or identity. Oral arguments were heard in April 2013 in front of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, with a decision still pending.

“In honor of his heroic work on behalf of former homosexuals and clients who seek change, we are excited to congratulate Mat Staver with this award and express our deepest gratitude as he continues to advocate for our rights,” commented former homosexual Greg Quinlan, Board member of Equality and Justice for All and former President of PFOX, who is hosting the dinner and reception on September 30.

To view the invitation for the First Annual Ex-Gay Awareness Month Dinner and Reception, click here.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsor and/or purchasing tickets for the First Annual Ex-Gay Awareness Month Dinner and Reception, click here.

Event Details

September 29, 2013 (7:00pm – 9:00pm) – Pre-Event Get Together and Lobbying Education Training (Location to be disclosed when you register)

September 30 (9:00am – 4:00pm) – Lobbying Congress and Senate on Capitol Hill (e-mail [email protected] for assistance in making appointments)

September 30 (6:00pm – 9:00pm) – Ex-Gay Awareness Dinner (Location to be disclosed when you register)

Travel Information

Out of town participants should fly into Reagan National Airport. The hotel provides complementary transportation to and from Reagan National Airport.

Lodging

A block of rooms has been reserved at the rate of $139 (plus tax) per night. The location of the hotel will be disclosed upon your registration.

To join Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays, Voice of the Voiceless, and Equality and Justice for All on September 29-30, 2013 please e-mail [email protected] to register for the event.

The Ex-Gay Pride Freedom Award is presented annually to an individual who defends the rights of free speech, religious liberty, and self-determination for former homosexuals and clients who pursue counseling to overcome unwanted same-sex attractions. For more information on the First Annual Ex-Gay Awareness Month, visit: www.VoiceoftheVoiceless.info. For more information on Dean Mathew D. Staver and Liberty Counsel, visit: www.lc.org

New Jersey Governor Christie Makes Himself Complicit in the Effects of Sexual Abuse onto Children

tumblr_mrs55oCcmv1qj5rqko1_500On Monday, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie joined a small but effective group of lawmakers by signing legislation into law that bans all types of therapies that seek to “reduce or eliminate homosexual feelings” for minors. Christie joined his own legislature and New Jersey became the second state to ensure that children who are sexually abused by adults and teenagers will be permanently damaged by molesters and pedophiles in their respective states.

The new law in New Jersey is virtually the same language as that of California’s, of which the constitutionality is still being decided by the 9th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals. As justification for the ban, Christie stated there was not enough evidence to support the use of Sexual Orientation Change Effort (SOCE) therapy to veto the law put forth by the partisan legislature.

He said this, despite a number of facts that have either been distorted or not reported.

Fact #1: The American Psychological Association (APA) stated in it’s 2009 Task Force Report on SOCE (pp. 82-83) that there is insufficient evidence that it is effective or ineffective and that there is no proof the intervention is harmful.

Fact#2: Christie said that be believes people are born with a homosexual predisposition, despite the scientific studies and countless testimonies that indicate homosexual feelings are not inborn and therefore changeable.

Fact #3: Despite the many letters written by therapists and clients alike who gave testimony of the significant and authentic change in homosexual feelings they have witnessed, Christie signed the law even though there is not one documented case filed with the New Jersey board that governs therapist’s licensure that complains about any child or adult undergoing the “horrors” of these kinds of therapies that’s been repeated over and over by gay activists.

Fact #4: The governor failed to challenge the false allegations of activists who said they were tortured by SOCE at “conversion therapy camps” but were unable to provide any evidence to support such claims. Most notably was Transgender Brielle Goldani’s fabrications of being sent the fictitious “True Directions” camp, that we now know only exists in the Hollywood production starring Drag Queen RuPaul, and the half-dozen additional “conversion therapy” camps Troy Stevenson of Garden State Equality said existed in Ohio and Oklahoma. Stevenson promised to provide the names of these camps, but failed to deliver after repeated requests.

Fact #5: Christie said he had to side with the “experts” on this issue, yet, these so-called “experts” could not produce one scientific study documenting that SOCE is ineffective or harmful for adolescents, despite their claims. Christie had to have known that the outcomes of adolescents undergoing SOCE have not been studied, and therefore, any decision to promote or reject such an intervention would be premature. In the case where solid evidence is lacking, the responsible action is to refrain from making any judgement until the science can be produced.

In short, Christie said these things because he is either grossly politically motivated, or completely ignorant of sound evidence. Either way, is this the type of man who New Jersey wants as a governor? Is this the type of man who America wants in the office of President of the United States?

No doubt, the appropriate lawsuits will follow any day now. In the meantime, take some time to think about the child who, God forbid, becomes sexually abused by a same-sex predator and who develops homosexual feelings resulting from this. God help your child if you ever live in New Jersey or California. You won’t get any help from their governors or legislatures. What you will get is propaganda from gay-affirming therapists who are more than happy to follow the law and refuse to help your child reduce or eliminate their homosexual feelings.

If you’re interested, see the letter I faxed to Governor Christie some time ago. Ah, but maybe it doesn’t matter? After all, it’s only about children, not about politics.

David H. Pickup, M.A., LMFT, is the Vice-President of Voice of the Voiceless and holds a masters degree in psychology. He is licensed in California and Texas as a Marriage and Family Therapist. He is pursuing his doctorate in psychology at California Southern University in Los Angeles. Note: Portions of this article were contributed by Christopher Doyle, President and Co-Founder of Voice of the Voiceless. For more information, visit: www.VoiceoftheVoiceless.info

 


08-10-13

Honorable Governor Christie,

I am writing you to urge you to veto A3371. As a psychotherapist who is licensed in California And Texas, I would like to draw your attention to how destructive this bill will be to certain groups of children if you do not exorcise your power of veto. I am going to give you scientific and anecdotal evidence, which I believe will show you how insidiously destructive this bill will be to certain minors and their parents. I will also show you the grave intolerant political agenda that is behind this bill.

I am also writing you because I was a child who experienced sexual abuse by a young man when I was 5 years old. I know the horrific experiences of this first hand. Only one of the abuses that I experienced was the rise of homosexual feelings as a result of what this man did to me. I was born a heterosexual, so when I reached puberty around 13, I was severely repressed and confused concerning these issues. I didn’t have a therapist to help me deal with these homosexual feelings. My sense of masculinity was severely shamed and underdeveloped. I suffered greatly for many years. Later in life I experienced the transformative power of authentic Reparative Therapy. I am now a Reparative Therapist who is helping children and adults from all over the country. See www.davidpickuplmft.com. I have an MA in psychology, and I am obtaining my doctorate at California Southern University. I have been a Reparative Therapist for 7 years. I was trained under the direction of Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, the creator of Reparative Therapy. After you read the evidence against A3371, I will tell you of specifically how Reparative Therapy helped me and how this kind of therapy is of extraordinary benefit to minors. I do realize this letter is lengthy. However, if you desire to truly look at the evidence, I believe it will be well worth your attention. By the way, every detail of the harmful things this bill calls SOCE is certainly not authentic Reparative Therapy.

Before I give you the evidence, I’d like to tell you that this letter is not being sent to demean, discriminate against, or mistreat Gay persons. It might surprise you to know that I have Gay minor clients, and I do not coerce them or treat them in any other way but with unconditional positive regard. They know what I do, and they trust me as we work on other issues besides sexuality.

(Next were many pages of reference scientific and anecdotal evidence.)

Finally…

Governor Christie, with all due respect, you and the New Jersey state legislature will become unintentionally complicit in the furtherance of sexual abuse of children if these minors can not receive sound, science-based, effective therapy for unwanted homosexual feelings that have arisen because of their same-sex sexual abuse. Can you imagine a wonderful little boy or adolescent coming into my therapy office in tears while telling me he’s hurt and confused because of the homosexual feelings he’s feeling because of his sexual abuse, and that all I can tell him is, “I can’t help you reduce or eliminate your homosexual feelings because it’s against the law, and you’ll just have to try your best in life.” Can you imagine?

SOCE therapists are on record acknowledging that there have been some incidents of coercive incidents in therapy sessions, and individual cases of harm done happen in the world in any form of therapy for any issue. However, since no one can be privy to everything that happens in all sessions, banning SOCE as a whole would actually be harmful to minor clients and their parents. I would highly recommend instead that before a bill be proposed or signed into law that further study be done first to represent sound, effective research in order to develop more specific controls. I believe the state owes this to minor clients and their parents who truly benefit by sound therapy and SOCE.

Additionally, the harmful coercive therapies the bills mention are interventions that were practiced 40-100 years ago. They are no longer used because they are indeed ineffective or outright harmful, and no therapist I know of would ever use this in today’s world. If there are abuses of any kind now, they should be handled on a case-by-case basis, not by banning therapy that truly works for minors. In fact, licensing boards are already fully prepared to do just this since their ethics codes and related laws for this are already in place.

In my opinion, based on my years of experience, there will be no question that if you let this bill pass  into law by trying to help one group of children, another group of children will be irreparably harmed if they are not allowed the kind of SOCE that helps this particular population.

I can tell you first hand that I greatly benefited from authentic Reparative Therapy and so have my clients, some of whom are minors. I’ve been using the term “authentic” because there is clearly a difference between the real thing and the many forms of other therapies that do not work, and/or are facilitated by shaming and coercive therapists as individuals. Reparative Therapy (created by Dr. Joseph Nicolosi) truly accomplishes the following:

It eliminates any and all shame for having homosexual feelings no matter how they arose. It allows boys and men to experience a decrease in depression and anxiety. It allows them to grow into great self-confidence in their own genders. It raises self-esteem. It demonstrates how boys and men can get their emotional need for affirmation, approval and affection from other males; needs that they simply didn’t experience in their early lives. And…this results in a spontaneous, automatic lessening or dissipation of their homosexual feelings. In short, they maximize their heterosexual potential. Please look at www.voices-of-change.org for testimonials of authentic, therapeutic change that the media, the APA and Gay therapists are trying to keep from you at all costs. The political agenda of these persons and associations is to force all of America into only one view of homosexuality for all people. This is not really about helping children, especially when you consider there has not been one ethical complaint taken before any licensing board in the past few decades about Reparative Therapy. I’m sure there have been individual incidents of wrongdoing. However, this is a problem that is not germane to Reparative Therapy per se. Why now are people coming forward? Because this is actually about a political agenda.

Thank you for your consideration. I would be honored to answer any questions you may have about these issues. I hope that you and your assistants will read this evidence with an open mind, and at least consider both sides of this historic issue. Professionals, children, parents, legislatures and politicians are certainly aware of the historical significance of bill A3371. I humbly ask you to please regard your own legacy in history when making your decision regarding this bill.

David H. Pickup, M.A., LMFT