FotF founder James Dobson has a doctorate in psychology. What these people can’t find, however, is a reputable researcher who supports their prejudices.

My theory is that anyone who goes thru these programs, even if they’re raging heterosexists, will end up doing decent research. For FoF et al, even decent research is too liberal.

I was raised by my biological family. My family was (and is) not just a little bit strange– ironically, I think I am the only one of four children that did not come out damaged. My Dad was OK– a good man with strong values and a good mind. He raised me properly, and I think I turned out well. But something was missing with him– I suspect it was what I call the gay Oedipus thing. My Dad recognized that I was very different from him (or entirely too similar to–take your pick), and so we were perhaps not as close as we could have been, though we certainly had a decent relationship.

Imagine my surprise a feew years ago where a gay psychotherapist made basically the same proposal.

I was going to make a similar point. Gay children may be abused by parents, especially fathers, who recognize (even if only subconsciously) the tendencies in their children and feel they have to respond with violence. Perhaps this violence even comes from the parent having repressed feelings. If more gay children than straight children are abused (and that’s a big “if”) it’s not necessarily a cause.

This definitely ties in with the anti-scientific viewpoints that other fundamentalist/evangelical groups promote. I’m actually grateful that Dr. Throckmorton is trying so hard to buck that trend.

Also, this explains why my wife and I have both been asked about child sexual abuse. I’ve heard anti-gays seize upon all kinds of traumas as “causes,” though. My father’s death when I was seven has been “blamed” for my bisexuality, and a friend of mine, who succumbed a few years ago after her fourth dance with cancer, once punched an armchair psychologist who tried to blame her bisexuality on her childhood leukemia. (No, I’m not sure how that worked, either.) As a community, I think we need more of that kind of spirit.

I found it through Google on the Christian radio website Pointofview.net

It’s only in PDF format:

http://www.pointofview.net/site/DocServer/Jeff_Johnston_Bio.pdf?docID=801