National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality

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The National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), also known as the NARTH Institute, is an organization that offers conversion therapy and other regimens that purport to change the sexual orientation of people with same-sex attraction. NARTH has been described by a Christian ministry group as a ministry partner that is "a multi-disciplinary professional and scientific organization dedicated to the service of persons who experience unwanted homosexual (same-sex) attractions (SSA)".[1] NARTH was founded in 1992 by Joseph Nicolosi, Benjamin Kaufman, and Charles Socarides. Its headquarters are in Encino, California, at the Thomas Aquinas Psychological Clinic. Julie Hamilton is the current president of NARTH.[2] NARTH's leaders disagree with the view of the world's major mental health organizations that homosexuality is not a disorder.[3][4][5][6]

History

NARTH was founded in 1992 by Benjamin Kaufman, Charles Socarides, and Joseph Nicolosi. In an article titled In Defense of the Need for Honest Dialogue, Kaufman wrote that the three of them founded NARTH because the American Psychiatric Association and similar professional organizations "had totally stifled the scientific inquiry that would be necessary to stimulate a discussion" about homosexuality.[7] NARTH's leaders argue that the political atmosphere had changed, making it politically incorrect even to suggest the need for a dialogue that considers the question of the normality of homosexuality. Kaufman states that NARTH was formed in response to censorship of scientific investigation of politically unpopular views.[8][9]

The organization had 501(c)(3) tax exempt status, which was revoked by the Internal Revenue Service in September 2012 due to ongoing failure to file required paperwork.[10]

Activities

NARTH claims to be a secular organization, differentiating it from other ex-gay groups that are primarily religious in nature. Nevertheless, NARTH often partners with religious groups,[11] such as Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing, Joel 2:25 International, and Evergreen International in Positive Alternatives to Homosexuality. The NARTH website contains a resource list of theological articles.[12]

In July 2011, NARTH failed to pay its dues to the California Board for Behavioral Sciences and was removed from the list of groups that provide continuing education credits to therapists in California. NARTH had been an approved continuing education provider since 1998.[13]

Sigmund Freud Award/President's Award

Beginning in 1996, NARTH has given an award in recognition of a researcher's outstanding work, called the NARTH Sigmund Freud Award. In some years, the award is called the NARTH President's Award. The award is presented at NARTH's annual conference.

Recipients of the Sigmund Freud Award/President's Award
Name Year Reason Note
Abraham Freedman[14] 1996 Therapeutic Attitude in the Treatment of Male Homosexuals[15] —
Eleanor Galenson 1997 — —
Harold Voth 1998 — One of the founders of NARTH
Loretta Loeb 1999 — Member of NARTH Scientific Advisory Board
George Rekers 2000 clinical works on childhood gender-identity disorder[16] Ex-NARTH member, Resigned 2010 from the board of NARTH after discovered hiring a male escort from a gay escort service for two weeks, According to Rekers, to help him with carrying the luggage, and converting the escort to heterosexuality. According to the male escort, for sex.[17][18]
Richard Fitzgibbons 2001 for his prolific writings and work in the field of reorientation therapy[19] Member of NARTH Scientific Advisory Board
Warren Throckmorton[20] 2002 — Broke with NARTH 2006 due to perceived racism,[21] and has become a strong critic of them and many of their claims[22]
Christopher Rosik 2003 — Member of NARTH Scientific Advisory Board
Robert L. Spitzer 2004 research on the ability of gay people to modify sexual orientation[23] declined to accept the prize, and has apologized for his previous claims NARTH awarded him for.[24]
Nicholas Cummings (APA president 1979) 2005 — —
Benjamin Kaufman 2006 — One of the founders of NARTH
Stanton L. Jones 2007 — —
Robert Perloff, (APA President 1985) 2008 — —
Joseph Nicolosi 2009 — One of the founders of NARTH
Michel Lizotte (Canadian journalist) 2011 — —

Affiliations

A. Dean Byrd is a past president.[2] Notable members of the Scientific Advisory Committee include Hillel Goldberg, Nathaniel S. Lehrman and Jeffrey Satinover.[25] Robert Perloff, former president of the American Psychological Association, was a notable supporter of NARTH.[26][27][28]

PATH

In 2003, PATH's leaders made NARTH a member of Positive Alternatives to Homosexuality.

Controversy

Abba Goldberg

In 2010 it was revealed that NARTH’s executive secretary, Abba Goldberg, was a con man who had served 18 months in prison.[29]

Gerald Schoenewolf

NARTH received criticism from the Southern Poverty Law Center for an essay titled Gay Rights and Political Correctness: A Brief History,[30] and written by Gerald Schoenewolf, a member of NARTH's Science Advisory Committee. SPLC called it an angry polemic that made outrageous historical claims.[31] The article had drawn a letter of protest from the National Black Justice Coalition a year after its publication. A month later, NARTH removed the article from its website and posted a statement of apology. A later statement from NARTH said that SPLC had mis-labeled Schoenewolf as "ex-gay" and had made other erroneous claims about his essay.[32]

Gerard J. M. van den Aardweg

Gerard J. M. van den Aardweg is a member of NARTH's advisory panel. During the debate over Same-sex marriage in the Republic of Ireland Aardweg promoted opinions the Irish Times described as conspiracy theories, including that the Nazi party was "rooted" in homosexuals, and that homosexuality is being imposed on the world by "freemasonry international."[33][34][35]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 NARTH Officers
  3. ↑ R. L. Spitzer, "The diagnostic status of homosexuality in DSM-III: a reformulation of the issues", American Journal of Psychiatry 138 (1981): 210–15.
  4. ↑ "An Instant Cure", Time; April 1, 1974.
  5. ↑ The A.P.A. Normalization of Homosexuality, and the Research Study of Irving Bieber
  6. ↑ Resolution on Appropriate Affirmative Responses to Sexual Orientation Distress and Change Efforts
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ IRS Exempt Organizations Select Check for National Association for Research
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Theological Issues. NARTH. Accessed July 27, 2011.
  13. ↑ NARTH No Longer Providing Continuing Education to California Therapists. San Francisco Chronicle, July 2011
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ [1] Caught renting male escort
  18. ↑ [2] Escorts tale
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ [3] Break
  22. ↑ [4] postings about NARTH
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Apology
  25. ↑ NARTH Scientific Advisory Committee
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Archived version hosted by Southern Poverty Law Center.
  31. ↑ SPLCenter.org: Anti-Gay Organization NARTH Publishes Essay on Gay Rights and Political Correctness
  32. ↑ Political Correctness Gone Amok: The Latest Controversy
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ http://www.splcenter.org/blog/2015/05/18/narth-institute-affiliate-addresses-anti-lgbt-audience-in-dublin/
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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