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National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality

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The National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), formerly the National Association for Research and Treatment of Homosexuality, is a non-profit organization "dedicated to affirming a complementary, male-female model of gender and sexuality."[1] NARTH supports the use of therapy to change the sexual orientation of homosexuals and bisexuals. NARTH opposes the American Psychiatric Association's 1973 finding that homosexuality is not a mental disorder.[2][3][4]

NARTH was founded in 1992 by Joseph Nicolosi, Benjamin Kaufman, and the late Charles Socarides. Its headquarters are in Encino, California, at the Thomas Aquinas Psychological Clinic. A. Dean Byrd is the President of NARTH, Arthur A. Goldberg is executive secretary.

Formation

In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders.[2] In an article titled In Defense of the Need for Honest Dialogue, Kaufman wrote that he, Socarides, and Nicolosi founded NARTH because the APA and similar professional organizations "had totally stifled the scientific inquiry that would be necessary to stimulate a discussion [about homosexuality]."[5] NARTH argues that the political atmosphere had changed, making it politically incorrect to make even the suggestion of a dialogue that opens up the question of the normality of homosexuality. Kaufman states the reason they formed NARTH was in response to "censorship of a politically unpopular position."

Mission statement and activities

According to its mission statement, NARTH "is a professional, scientific organization that offers hope to those who struggle with unwanted homosexuality. As an organization, we disseminate educational information, conduct and collect scientific research, promote effective therapeutic treatment, and provide referrals to those who seek our assistance. NARTH upholds the rights of individuals with unwanted homosexual attraction to receive effective psychological care and the right of professionals to offer that care.[6]

NARTH's stated activities include providing referrals to conversion therapists, conducting research, hosting lectures, publishing scholarly literature, distributing literature to schools and libraries, promoting "teen awareness that homosexual attractions do not necessarily make one a homosexual", and "[making the public aware] that some homosexual people do seek and achieve change. The change is neither quick nor easy, but many believe---as we do---that the goal is a worthy one."[7]

NARTH is a secular organization and does not use the Bible as justification for its positions. Nevertheless, NARTH often partners with religious organizations at ex-gay and conversion therapy events. Nicolosi is a consistent speaker at Focus on the Family's ex-gay Love Won Out conferences.[citation needed]

Views

While its members may hold different views, NARTH holds to some key positions on the origins and nature of homosexuality. These views serve as both a basis for their advocacy, as well as a source of controversy in the psychological profession, among activists and in the media. NARTH argues that there is today a widespread propaganda in favor of normalizing homosexuality in law and education.

Position statements

  • NARTH explains its position on seven issues relevant to the group in this article on their website. They are titled:
    • Right to treatment
    • Gay advocacy in public schools
    • Pedophilia
    • Homophobia
    • Same-sex marriage
    • On the Meaning of Tolerance and Diversity
    • On the Causes of Homosexuality

On the nature of sexual identity

NARTH differs from the APA on their views on the nature and development of sexual identity.

NARTH agrees with the American Psychological Association that "biological, psychological and social factors" shape sexual identity at an early age for most people. But the difference is one of emphasis. We place more emphasis on the psychological (family, peer and social) influences, while the American Psychological Association emphasizes biological influences....

Affiliations

Focus on the Family

Focus on the Family (FOTF, or FotF) is an American evangelical group. The non-profit organization was founded in 1977 by Dr. James Dobson, and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Focus on the Family is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations that rose to prominence in the last decade. A major component of the American Christian right, it is active in promoting interdenominational work for a social conservative public policy.

Focus on the Family's Love Won Out ministry claims to exhort and equip the church to respond in a Christ-like way to homosexuality from "a biblical point of view." The conference bases its Prevention of Male Homosexuality session on NARTH research. In the session Prevention of Male Homosexuality:[8] "Contrary to the popular myth that homosexuality is genetic, same-sex attraction is a preventable and treatable condition."[9] Love Won Out questions if Homosexuality may be unhealthy. Love Won Out shows in a statistic according to a study by (NARTH) The National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality:[10] "500 studies show self-destructive, maladaptive behavior associated with a gay lifestyle."[11]

Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, on November 4, 2006,[12] represented NARTH at the Love Won Out Conference speaking on "Prevention of Male Homosexuality" and on "The Condition of Male Homosexuality".[13] "Dr. Nicolosi is the president and principal research investigator for the National Association of Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH)". "Dr. Nicolosi is the clinical director of the Thomas Aquinas Psychological Clinic in Encino, Calif., where he specializes in the treatment of men with unwanted homosexuality.[14]

PATH

in 2003 NARTH became a member of Positive Alternatives to Homosexuality.

Gerald Schoenewolf controversy

NARTH received some criticism for Dr. Gerald Schoenewolf's essay "Gay Rights and Political Correctness: A Brief History", in which the member of NARTH's Science Advisory Committee argued that "Africa at the time of slavery was still primarily a jungle... Life there was savage ... and those brought to America, and other countries, were in many ways better off." He also stated that the civil rights movement, the women's rights movement, and the gay rights movement were all "irrational" and "destructive."[15] Schoenewolf later on clarified that "No person is better off enslaved, obviously... What I tried to say, before my words were twisted by that reporter, is that despite the clear and obvious evil of that practice, we tend to forget that many of the enslaved people had been first been sold into bondage by their fellow countrymen; so coming to America did bring about some eventual good. No social issue has all the 'good guys' lined up on one side and 'bad guys' on the other."[16]

Medical view of conversion therapy

Main article: Conversion therapy § Mainstream medical view on changing sexual orientation

The American Psychological Association Committee on Lesbian, Gay, & Bisexual Concerns states that therapy to change sexual orientation is rejected by most medical and mental health associations that have taken a position on the topic, on the grounds that it is often damaging to people's well-being.[17] The American Psychiatric Association states that "ethical practitioners refrain from attempts to change individuals' sexual orientation."[18] Major organizations that reject therapy to change sexual orientation include the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Counseling Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Association of School Administrators, the American Federation of Teachers, the National Association of School Psychologists, and the National Education Association.[19]

NARTH rejects these claims, arguing that the psychological and psychiatric professional associations have become little more than the research arms of the gay rights movement.[20] A. Dean Byrd commented in a press release that a paper by Jeffrey Satinover showed that, "...gay advocates have created fraudulent studies and misused, misquoted, and mischaracterized other research studies for political gain. These reports are frequently used in court cases to bring about victories for gay activism."[21]

The keynote speaker at NARTH's 2004 Annual Conference, Robert Perloff, a past president of the APA, said that: "The individual's right for self-determination of sexuality -- or sexual autonomy -- is, I am happy to see, inherent in NARTH's position statement: 'NARTH respects each client's dignity, autonomy, and free agency... every individual has the right to claim a gay identity, or to develop their heterosexual potential. The right to seek therapy to change one's sexual adaptation is considered self-evident and inalienable.' I subscribe fully to the aforementioned NARTH position statement."[22]

See also

References

  1. ^ NARTH Home Page
  2. ^ a b R. L. Spitzer, "The diagnostic status of homosexuality in DSM-III: a reformulation of the issues," American Journal of Psychiatry 138 (1981): 210-15.
  3. ^ "An Instant Cure", Time, April 1, 1974.
  4. ^ The A.P.A. Normalization of Homosexuality, and the Research Study of Irving Bieber
  5. ^ In Defense of the Need for Honest Dialogue
  6. ^ NARTH Mission Statement
  7. ^ What We Offer
  8. ^ Focus on the Family's Love Won Out Conference Guide Copyrighted 2005-2006
  9. ^ Love Won Out Conference Guide, pg 11
  10. ^ Focus on the Family's Love Won Out Conference Guide Copyrighted 2005-2006
  11. ^ Love Won Out Conference Guide, pg 31
  12. ^ Focus on the Family's Love Won Out Conference Agenda
  13. ^ Focus on the Family's Love Won Out Conference Guide Copyrighted 2005-2006
  14. ^ Love Won Out Conference Guide, pg 9
  15. ^ SPLCenter.org: One More Enemy
  16. ^ Political Correctness Gone Amok: The Latest Controversy
  17. ^ Just the Facts About Sexual Orientation & Youth: A Primer for Principals, Educators and School Personnel
  18. ^ Jason Cianciotto and Sean Cahill (2006). Youth in the crosshairs: the third wave of ex-gay activism. New York: National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute.
  19. ^ Just the Facts About Sexual Orientation & Youth: A Primer for Principals, Educators and School Personnel, 1999, American Psychological Association
  20. ^ The APA Vote On Same-Sex Marriage: The Inside Story
  21. ^ NARTH Publishes Report on Mental Health Organizations and Gay Advocacy
  22. ^ Former APA President Supports NARTH's Mission Statement, Assails APA's Intolerance of Differing Views
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