National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality

National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), formerly National Association for Research and Treatment of Homosexuality, is a non-profit organization that offers conversion therapy and other regimens intended to change the sexual orientation of individuals who experience unwanted sexual attraction to members of the same sex. NARTH's leaders describe their organization as "dedicated to affirming a complementary, male-female model of gender and sexuality." 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. NARTH's leaders disagree with the prevailing mainstream opinion that homosexuality on its own is not a disorder. In a legal brief submitted to the supreme court of the state of California, the American Psychological Association, California Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association, and National Association of Social Workers stated that no major mental health professional organization has sanctioned efforts to change sexual orientation and many have adopted policy statements cautioning the profession and the public about treatments that purport to change sexual orientation.

Formation

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 Socarides, Nicolosi and himself 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]." NARTH's leaders argue 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."

Activities

NARTH's activities include providing referrals to conversion therapists, conducting research, hosting lectures, publishing scholarly literature, distributing literature to schools and libraries, promoting awareness of issues of homosexuality, and increasing public awareness of people who seek change in their sexual orientation.

NARTH is a secular organization which does not use the Bible as justification for its positions, differentiating it from other ex-gay groups which are primarily religious in nature. Nevertheless, NARTH often partners with religious and secular groups, such as Positive Alternatives to Homosexuality (PATH), a coalition of predominantly ex-gay groups, alongside Evergreen International (Mormon), Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality (JONAH), OneByOne (Presbyterian) and Powerful Change Ministry Group. NARTH's members also take part in religious ex-gay and conversion therapy activities." Agreement with NARTH's leaders' views is the "primary criterion for membership", rather than an individual's professional qualifications. The NARTH website also contains a resource list of theological articles.

Sigmund Freud Award

Beginning in 1996, NARTH has given one researcher per year an award in recognition of the work they have done. This award is named the "Sigmund Freud Award," and is presented at the NARTH annual conference.

Recipients of NARTH's Annual Sigmund Freud Award
name	year	reason	note
Abraham Freedman	1996	Therapeutic Attitude in the Treatment of Male Homosexuals	–
Warren Throckmorton	?	?	date and reason unpublished
George Rekers	2000	clinical works on childhood gender-identity disorder	–
Richard Fitzgibbons	2001	for his prolific writings and work in the field of reorientation therapy	–
Robert L. Spitzer	2004	research on the ability of gay people to modify sexual orientation	declined to accept

Views

While its members may hold different views, NARTH's leaders hold 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's leaders argue that there is today a widespread propaganda in favor of normalizing homosexuality in law and education. NARTH believes that clients have the right to claim a gay identity.

Mission statement

NARTH's mission statement reads:

“

We respect the right of all individuals to choose their own destiny. 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. We welcome the participation of all individuals who will join us in the pursuit of these goals.

”

Beliefs

NARTH differs with the APA on their views of the nature and development of sexual identity. NARTH states that they agree with the American Psychological Association that "biological, psychological and social factors" shape sexual identity at an early age for most people. Nevertheless, while the American Psychological Association emphasizes biological influences, they say that NARTH places more emphasis on the environmental (family, peer and social) influences, even though there is no conclusive scientific evidence that parenting methods, sexual abuse, other adverse life events, or early childhood experiences influence the development of sexual orientation. Those assumptions are now understood by the American Psychiatric Association to have been based on misinformation and prejudice.

Affiliations

Focus on the Family

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's leaders' research. In the session Prevention of Male Homosexuality: "Contrary to the popular myth that homosexuality is genetic, same-sex attraction is a preventable and treatable condition." Love Won Out questions if homosexuality may be unhealthy. Love Won Out shows in a statistic according to a study by NARTH: "500 studies show self-destructive, maladaptive behavior associated with a gay lifestyle."

Joseph Nicolosi, on November 4, 2006, represented NARTH at the Love Won Out conference speaking on "Prevention of Male Homosexuality" and on "The Condition of Male Homosexuality". Nicolosi is the president and principal research investigator for NARTH and the clinical director of the Thomas Aquinas Psychological Clinic in Encino, California, where he specializes in the treatment of "men with unwanted homosexuality".

PATH

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

Criticism

Gerald Schoenewolf controversy

NARTH received some criticism for 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." 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."

George Alan Rekers

Main article: George Alan Rekers

George Alan Rekers was once listed on NARTH's website as an advisor, but this is no longer true as of June 2010. Rekers has testified in court that he believes homosexuality is a sin. The ACLU has asserted that his personal beliefs regarding homosexuality interfere with his being able to give an unbiased professional opinion on LGBT topics, including gay adoption. Rekers was an expert witness in a 2004 case involving gay adoption in Arkansas. The state had banned LGBT people from adopting in 1999.

On May 4, 2010, press reports alleged that Rekers had hired a gay male prostitute from rentboy.com to accompany him on a ten-day European vacation. Rekers explained that the companion had been brought on the vacation so that he could carry Reker's baggage. On May 6 NARTH issued a statement on their website saying that "NARTH takes seriously the accusations that have been made, and we are currently attempting to understand the details behind these press reports."

Position of professional organizations on sexual orientation change efforts

Main article: Sexual orientation change efforts § Position_of_professional_organizations_on_SOCE

In 2009 the American Psychological Association stated:

There are no studies of adequate scientific rigor to conclude whether recent sexual orientation change efforts do work to change a person’s sexual orientation. Those efforts has been controversial due to tensions between the values held by some faith-based organizations, on the one hand, and those held by lesbian, gay and bisexual rights organizations and professional and scientific organizations, on the other. The longstanding consensus of the behavioral and social sciences and the health and mental health professions is that homosexuality per se is a normal and positive variation of human sexual orientation. Some individuals and groups have promoted the idea of homosexuality as symptomatic of developmental defects or spiritual and moral failings and have argued that sexual orientation change efforts, including psychotherapy and religious efforts, could alter homosexual feelings and behaviors. Many of these individuals and groups appeared to be embedded within the larger context of conservative religious political movements that have supported the stigmatization of homosexuality on political or religious grounds.

No major mental health professional organization has sanctioned efforts to change sexual orientation and most of them have adopted policy statements cautioning the profession and the public about treatments that purport to change sexual orientation. These include the American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, American Counseling Association, National Association of Social Workers in the USA, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and the Australian Psychological Society.

The American Psychological Association and the Royal College of Psychiatrists expressed concerns that the positions espoused by NARTH are not supported by the science and create an environment in which prejudice and discrimination can flourish.

See also

• Biology and sexual orientation
• Environment and sexual orientation
• Homosexuality and psychology
• Sexual orientation and medicine

External links

• National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, Official Website
• COPP Position Statement on Therapies Focused on Attempts to Change Sexual Orientation (Reparative or Conversion Therapies)
• NARTH position statementsbg:Национална асоциация за изследване и терапия на хомосексуалността

zh:同性戀研究及治療全國協會