Earlier this week, we looked at the slightly conflicted amicus briefs that the Family Research Council submitted to the Supreme Court ahead of its consideration of two major marriage equality cases.
Today, Warren Throckmorton alerts us that the “ex-gay” group Parents and Friends of Gays and Ex-Gays (PFOX) has submitted its own brief to the Court.
The PFOX amicus brief [pdf], unsurprisingly, argues that gays and lesbians should not be a “protected class” under the law because homosexuality “is not an immutable characteristic.” As evidence, it presents the stories of four self-proclaimed “ex-gays” whose lives purportedly show that “sexual orientation can shift over time and does so for a significant number of people.”
One of the stories the brief presents is that of “Richard Cohen, M.A…an ex-gay who is now married with 3 children. He struggled for much of his life with unwanted same-sex attraction. Richard is the founder of the International Healing Foundation (IHF) and the author of Coming Out Straight, Gay Children Straight Parents, Let’s Talk About Sex, and Alfie’s Home.”
As it happens, Cohen is one of the most prominent purveyors of reparative therapy, the harmful process of trying to “cure” homosexuality that was recently banned for minors in California.
And his book Alfie’s Home, cited in PFOX’s Supreme Court brief, is the most horrifically disturbing children’s book we have ever seen. We know, because we are unlucky enough to have a copy in our research library. Here is some of what the Justices have in store if they check out Cohen’s work:
Alfie’s Home was published in 1993 by Cohen’s International Healing Foundation. It starts out with a picture of the protagonist on a boat with his dad.
But it goes bad fast, going right for the right-wing myth that homosexuality is caused by childhood sexual abuse…
…and by insufficiently attentive parents:
Eventually, Alfie seeks help and takes part in the “touch therapy” advocated by Cohen…
…which leads him to “realize that I’m not gay” and start dating a woman:
You can see Cohen’s “touch therapy” in practice in this 2006 CNN interview:
Cohen also made a cameo on the Daily Show.
For their own sakes, I hope the Justices don’t look too far into Cohen’s story. But if they do, they’ll get a revealing glimpse of the world that is trying to sink gay rights laws across the country.
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It’s probably Scalia’s favourite.
omg im soo outraged right now how the fuck can that shit get published
That is a disgusting piece of work
This is ridiculous, retarded and over the top … if I were a justice and these clowns present this brief and told me to read the story I would throw them out of the court…
Iran has a far more progressive view on homosexuality than what is advocated in these books.
There is no such thing as being ex-gay. That’s like me being ex-hetro. And ‘touch therapy’..please.
O…M…G… PLEEASSSE!
It is so disturbing to me that with all that is known about how harmful reparative therapy is, that this continues to have any followers at all. The Family Research Council and many other organizations have done irreparable damage and continue to do so. Hope the Supreme Court does take the time to see what a horrendous agenda these groups have. Scheduled to share tomorrow 2pm.
http://americaisconservative.blogspot.com/2013/02/doma-part-1-background-of-windsor-case.html
That was way weirder than it needed to be…
and homophobes want to call US the ones with psychological sexual issues? they want to call US the deviants? the perverts? the irony is stunning
Again with the pedophilia. Does anyone else ever notice when these accusations for “why people are gay” are always male driven?
As a survivor, this offends me and makes me sick. As a pansexual trans* identified LGTBQ+ supporter, this just pisses me the f*ck off. I want to pity this man, but I don’t think I can.
This book is nothing but garbage
This book…
Why.
Lord help us all.
Reading those pages felt like I was reading animated child porn.
This book is absolutely horrible and it should have never seen the light of day.
What a horrible, twisted book. Sickening.
This makes me want to cry. Hell, I am crying. This is just wrong on so many levels. HOW could this man be led so astray?
Ugh!
THIS IS CRAP!!!
Reparative therapy is crap
What sickens me more than anything is its likely this myth came from the fact that so many gays try to be straight. Living in this lie can’t help but warp your sense of sexuality. When every avinue for a healthy sexual relationship whit your prefered sex partner is off limits what else is left?
That was fucking sick!
that is beyond disgusting! :-(
That’s just disgusting. How can they even think what they’re doing is right?
Oh My Gods!! How can this kind of stuff get published??!! I would love to know what publishing company thought this atrocity was a good idea. This is so dangerous and damaging to kids in general. Makes me so sick to my stomach!!!! ~Nadine
Sick & scary!
Is this going to be part of the Christian Rights defense to the US Supreme Court this Spring? I almost hope it is… this kind of shit is going to fuck them over almost instantly.
no they won’t.
from all these comments i assume this is complete bull crap .. Why the hell do people make these books?… living in the past..? wtf
Depends on how much Justices Thomas and Scalia are offered??
People are still doing this kind of therapy, which is horrible. ONe reason I wrote my novel, OUT, is to show how insane this practice is. I did some research and watched a documentary called CHASING THE DEVIL that went inside some of the reconditioning camps (although they did not show specifically “reparative therapy”. I used this in my book OUT quite a bit to illustrate the inhumanity of it.
I know people in San Diego who still practice this type of therapy, too, which is insane and should be criminal, in my opinion.
Seeems vile and manipulative to me
Doubt they will. Not an important enough issue 4 them.
Ridiculous! “To thine own self be true”…
What a crackpot.
Gross.. So the kid is gay because his uncle molested him?!! These people are crazy.