Comments on: NARTH Cofounder Exports Ex-Gay Pseudoscience to Poland

By: Timothy Kincaid

Timothy Kincaid — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 21:10:57 +0000

Excellent point, Darina.

There is nothing evil about ignorance. That’s just a lack of knowledge or experience.

But exploiting the ignorance of others, that is evil.

By: Darina

Darina — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 23:26:25 +0000

Here they come to Eastern Europe to expand their territory/business. I bet we’ll have the “pleasure” of seeing them here in Bulgaria sooner or later.

I understand exactly what they are trying to do. They are trying to exploit the post-communist ignorance about “talking therapy” and the post-communist ignorance about homosexuality. I only wonder how much of all that there is still left in Poland. My oh my, if when they come here, they are going to find plenty of ignorance…

By: William

William — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 20:41:32 +0000

Well, we’ll have to agree to disagree on that, Priya. People can go to a Christian Science practitioner or to a spirit healer when they’re ill, instead of to a proper doctor. They can waste their money on going to an astrologer to help them plan their future. They can call in a chiromantist to read their hand, or a clairvoyant to read their tea-leaves. As long as they’re adults, they must be allowed to do these foolish things at their own risk.

Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely loath and despise “ex-gay ministries” and “reparative therapy” programs. I think that they’re positively evil, and I would advise anyone to steer clear of them; in fact, not long ago I gave precisely that advice to a guy who was suffering from depression and who imagined that changing his orientation just might be possible and might provide a solution.

I do think that it should be illegal to practise these forms of abuse on anyone under 18, either with or without their consent, or to coerce anyone of any age in any way into such programs. It is also important that they should not be recognized by any official health organization or financed directly or indirectly by the tax-payer, e.g. by the National Health Service in the UK or by the Social Security reimbursement schemes in other European countries.

I look forward to the day when these scams will have gone out of business because everyone will know them for what they are. Actually, it looks as though that day may be nearer than I once dared to hope.

By: Priya Lynn

Priya Lynn — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 18:25:53 +0000

On one hand the bigots say “Such a man, by seeking male erotic love, trying to find love and acceptance of a lost father.” and on the other they claim gayness is all about sexual desire and that there is no love involved.

By: Priya Lynn

Priya Lynn — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 18:06:23 +0000

I don’t agree William. Society has an obligation to protect people from harmful pseudotherapies. They absolutely should be banned.

By: Jan

Jan — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 17:02:21 +0000

Poland wanting to cure the gays – at least that’s better than exterminating them; although the same sentiment might underlie both approaches.

By: William

William — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 16:31:29 +0000

It wouldn’t be right to ban “reparative therapy” – any more than it would be right to ban angel therapy, astrotherapy, magnet therapy, reincarnation therapy, psychic surgery, or any other of the seemingly endless inventions of the crank fringe.

In a free, democratic society people must be free to go in for any form of quackery that happens to take their fancy and to waste their time and money as and how they please – provided that they are adults. They just need to be warned, in no uncertain terms, that it’s fraud and that it can be harmful. If they prefer to ignore the warning, that’s up to them. Caveat emptor. The cutbacks and staff lay-offs at “ex-gay” organizations and the diminishing attendance at “ex-gay” conferences suggest that the message is getting through to ever more people.

By: Rob

Rob — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 02:42:46 +0000

I’m sure this could be easily remedied with an EU law banning “reperative therapy” and all that harmful nonsense.