OF NARTH AND ANTI-NARTH

Of NARTH and Anti-NARTH

I remember in early 2002,  while browsing in a bookstore,  a random selection of an anthology of essays on American culture brought to my attention the organization, NARTH ( an acronymn for National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality).  One of the essayists was talking about the inevitable return of conservative and classical values,  and suddenly pointed out the fact that NARTH was now in the closet,  in the same way gays were closeted just prior to Stonewall.  He then reasoned that those in the closet are bound to come out.  A reversal and revaluation of values is in the offing,  he concluded.  It is true,  NARTH's latest publication online spoke to the effect that "now is our time to take on the establishment,  and to win."  Interesting.  I recall reading Camille Paglia's  Gay Stalinism,   and realizing that she   -  herself a lesbian,  and a blatant fan of all things gay male  -  had a decided bias toward the NARTH stance on homosexuality.

Among NARTH'S research findings/POV: That cultural acceptance of homosexuality is correlated to increase in people trying homosexual behaviors;  that adoption/foster parenting by gays subjects children to far more stresses on average than when placed in heterosexual homes;  that sex-change operations are a collusion with illness,  and not therapeutic intervention against it;  that many who have same-sex attractions would like to be able to repress these.

Although some of these "findings" would be dismissed as subjective by gay rights leaders and activists within the LGBT community,  the fact that much of this has been rigorously documented and comes from the mouths of clients who longed to escape inclinations toward same sex relations,  is compelling.  In an essay entitled,  "The Paradox of Self Acceptance",  the point is made that gay advocacy methods may be short-circuiting natural feelings of shame in many individuals.  The insistence to "embrace oneself"  can be foolhardy:  For example,  who would tell the pedophile to embrace his "natural" self?

And it is surely true that organizations such as PFLAG (Parents and Family of Lesbians and Gays)  have been over-zealous and on the look-out for "recruits".  Many studies and books have come out which reveal the success of persons who have wanted to embrace heterosexuality,  and who felt deeply alienated as they followed their "gay"  inclinations.  The fact that a superb researcher and clinician like Joseph Nicolosi His Reparative Therapy of Male Homosexuality text is at left)  finds so much transference in male same-sex attraction is a powerfully compelling idea,  that ought to give thinking people stern pause. 

But much remains to be seen.  Advocates form lines on both sides.  As our founding father James Madison observed,  "Ambition will  counteract ambition".  One sees backlashes against the Gay Agenda ( such as NARTH itself comprises),  and then there are backlashes against the backlash,  such as in the exposes of the "Ex-Gay Therapies".  Where it is leading,  to paraphrase the author Horsley,  is anyone's guess.

(* I would like to add that my own opinion is that NARTH serves best as a counter-balance and compensation to some of the more excessive aspects of the pro-gay agenda;  other than this,  I am rather suspicious of the organization. SMK)

~The excessive increase of anything often causes a reaction in the opposing direction.~  Plato