BishopAccountability.org
	Gay Pressure Threatens Counseling By Wendy Cloyd CitizenLink.com February 23, 2007 http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000003985.cfm Task force will review "appropriate therapy practices." Under pressure from homosexual activists, the American Psychological Association (APA) plans to re-examine its policy on therapy for gay men and women seeking change. At least two homosexual groups--the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute (NGLTF) and PFLAG (Parents, Family and Friends of Lesbian and Gays)—want the APA to get tough on anyone who tries to help gays change. The groups "came to us and said from their perspective issues related to reparative therapy are still very important issues that affect the well-being of lesbian, gay and bisexual people," Dr. Clinton W. Anderson, director of the lesbian, gay, and bisexual concerns office at the APA, told CitizenLink. "They said, 'We think it would be a good idea if you took another look at it.' " The APA is inviting nominations for a five-member task force to consider the issue. Anderson said he isn't sure if there will be a panel member appointed to represent homosexuals who have successfully sought change. "What we will do is look to see who is nominated," he said. "I believe that there will be a strong concern to have on the task force people with substantive expertise about the population you're talking about -- people who know the scientific and clinical literature very well; people who have both research and clinical understanding." Dr. Warren Throckmorton, associate professor of psychology and fellow for psychology and public policy at Grove City College, said the APA is responding to pressure, not science. "The reasons they recommended it was for political reasons, not for scientific reasons," he said. "They didn't refer to new research, or new studies -- they referred to new policy statements from other groups." The APA already stands against therapies that treat homosexuality as a mental illness, Throckmorton said. If the group yields to demands from PFLAG and NGLTF and comes out against reparative therapy, discontented gays will have fewer options. "What we're talking about is the right of clients who are unhappy with their feeling (of same-sex attraction)," he said. "Those people have the right to seek therapy to help them live the way they want to live -- the way they value." Alan Chambers, a former homosexual and president of Exodus International, an ex-gay organization, said reparative therapy isn't harmful. In fact, he said he's all the better for having gone though it. "What I found in my life is that I had lasting change, a change in identity and something that I don't feel tempted to be involved in homosexuality at all," Chambers told Family News in Focus. "It took probably eight years for me to find freedom from the attractions and the desires that really held me captive for decades. But I believe that I have a heterosexual identity." Family News in Focus Correspondent Steve Jordahl contributed to this report. FOR MORE INFORMATION: Focus on the Family sponsors "Love Won Out"--a dynamic one-day conference on homosexuality that balances truth-in-love with grace and compassion. Focus on the Family's next Love Won Out conference is scheduled for April 14 in Omaha, Neb. Please call (800) A-FAMILY (232-6459) for more information, or sign-up online using our secure registration process.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.