N.A.R.T.H. Analysis
NARTH feels that they are responding to the "suffering that homosexualityoften causes the individual" and "the anguish in the homosexual that iscompounded by distress experienced by his or her family, friends and otherloved ones." They wish to discuss issues that they think have beenmisrepresented by social-activist groups who have portrayed sexual deviancy asa normal way of life. The seek to further the research and treatment of this"disorder". NARTH claims to be the only organized voice standing against the "misinformation" promoted by the pro-gay lobby and heralded by the misinformedmedia. The organization is at the same time looking to recruit more healthprofessional, parent groups, and other concerned members of society to helptheir cause. Since they are a non-profit organization, NARTH is hoping toreceive funds and donations from people to conduct their research, expandtheir referral network, print and distribute literature, and get their messageout to the public.
To achieve their goals, NARTH has promoted the following projects andprovided the following services. They have set up an international referralservice of licensed therapists offering sexual reorientation treatment in theUnited States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. They have conducted research,which includes: a worldwide survey of homosexuals who have changed, review ofscientific studies documenting the psychological factors associated with a gaylifestyle, and review of the psychological literature documenting treatmentsuccess. They have also sponsored and promoted lectures by mental-healthprofessionals. The aims of these lectures has been to let the public know howsome homosexual people do seek and achieved change.
One of NARTH's main convictions is to educate the general public about whatthey feel are the truths and non-truths of homosexuality. Above all they wantpeople to believe that homosexuality is not genetic, but that it is rather atype of disorder. NARTH takes a strong social constructionist point of view.They feel that it is important to realize that our sexualities are learned andthat it is a wise choice to "unlearn" homosexuality. NATRTH claims thathomosexuality is very "unhealthy" and "unnatural", hence therapy to changethis is orientation is desirable. They have gone "educating the public" bydistributed publications and literature to colleges, high schools, andcommunity libraries. This literature includes what they feel is reliable andtruthful school sex-education guidelines to parents, which refutes what theyfeel is misinformation given to children and teenagers by the pro-gay lobby.NARTH feels by getting their literature out, they will be informing teens andyoung children that homosexuality is not genetic, normal, or healthy and thatthey have an ability to choose a heterosexual lifestyle. They hold strong onmaking sure that "teens that go through temporary episodes of idealization ofsame-sex peers shouldn't be led to believe they are homosexual, and that sucha young person may later find himself trapped in an unwanted---and even lifethreatening--sexual habit pattern."
At first look, NARTH can deceive some people into believing that they are notan anti-gay organization. The association states that it respects that notall homosexuals wish to seek treatment and that they "do not wish to diminishthe fights of homosexual people in society." They also state that they"oppose social stigmatization and obstruction of the civil rights ofhomosexuality." They also make clear that family, society, or religionshouldn't coerce homosexuals into treatment. One can see that thesestatements make it hard to put this association into the anti-gay category.While their promotion of changing homosexuals orientation easily shows thatthis association is not pro-gay, can it hence be labeled anti-gay? Once onelooks deeper into this association you find that while they say one has theright to live a homosexual life, they are very active in promotinghomosexuality as unhealthy and unnatural. There are many places throughoutthe website where NARTH claims gay people have experienced "disturbances" intheir early lives and that homosexuals have a developmental disorder. Thesestatements can hence be seen as promoting gay people as somehow defective andinturn lead to more stereotypes and outcasting from the heterosexual majority.Although NARTH is attempting to be "gay friendly" by promoting the fact thathomosexuals have the right to live their lives the way they want, the factthey are propagating homosexuals as developmentally defective can only butharm gay and lesbian people.
NARTH stands strong on their belief that "there is substantial evidence" thathomosexuality is a developmental disorder. Researchers for this organizationsuggest that social and psychological factors are strongly influential. Theirexamples include problems in early family relationships, sexual seduction, anda sense of inadequacy with same sex peers, with resulting disturbances ingender identity. One strong connection this organization makes is that duringtheir youth, gay men overwhelmingly seem to lack a strong relationship withtheir father. One can here see that this group is emphasizing their socialconstructionist perspective on homosexuality. NARTH also feels that oursociety influences a sexually questioning youth when it encourages gay self-labeling. "Every child has a healthy need to identify positively with theparent of the same sex, have same-sex friendships, a positive body image and aconfident sexual identity. Homosexual feelings can occur when these needs arenot appropriately met. The adolescent's unmet needs become entangled withemerging sexual feelings and produce same-sex attraction."
NARTH claims that the main reason their homosexual clients seek change in notbecause of anti-gay social pressure-but dissatisfaction with a gay lifestyle.They claim that the dissatisfaction comes from the following things: aresurgence of the AIDS epidemic; vastly higher incidences of all forms ofvenereal disease and hepatitis; vastly higher rates of promiscuity; the lackof a stable family structure; and various psychological symptoms. NARTH ismaking sweeping stereotypes by their connection of these previously statedthings to the homosexual lifestyle. This organization, while attempting torefute that gay people would want to change because of social pressure, aremerely adding to more fuel to the anti-gay sediments of our society. Whenpeople make the connection of things like disease and psychological problemsto gay people, it can only but propagate negative views of homosexuality.
In a study done by the NARTH organization, 850 individuals who have had gonethrough psychological treatment were surveyed for their reaction to the re-orientation treatment. NARTH reported that their report "strongly suggests"an increase in self-understanding and self-esteem, and improved ability torelate to others. However, no exact number or percentages are given. Quotingothers studies they state that from 1/3 to ¼ of patients who enter into re-orientation therapy make the transition to heterosexuality. To despitepopular belief, NARTH makes the claim that "reparative" therapy is harmful. Therapy consists in helping clients to understand the emotional causes oftheir attraction and to strengthen their masculine and/or feminine identity."It has been our clinical experience that as these men become more comfortableand confident with their manhood, same-sex attractions resolve or decreasesignificantly in many patients." NARTH holds strong on their refuting such athing as a "gay-gene" and that homosexuality is preventable and treatable andthe sooner intervention takes place, the better the prognosis. Thisorganization takes the stance that it has been through the media that the ideaof a gay gene has been propagated and misconstrued. The quote a few number ofdoctors that claim there is no evidence of a gay gene, and at this point noway of pin pointing any kind of gene that relates to any type of behavior.This organization feels that it is only doing harm to homosexual people byattributing "their serious disturbance in psychosexual development" to anorganic cause such as chromosomes or hypothalamic functioning. They wantpeople to know that it is primarily psychological and that these people canand should change their orientation to the "more healthy" and "more natural"heterosexual orientation.
The NARTH association also has a headingdevoted primarily to "Homosexuality and the Schools," which by the use ofnumerous letters, pamphlets, and excerpts tries to relay a general messagethat pro-homosexual agenda is often inaccurate and can be quite harmful tochildren in school. They accomplish this quite ingeniously by never directlycommunicating their agenda but rather using other people's letters andthoughts to convey their general thoughts. In one school letter they posted,parents are writing about their concerns about homosexual literature. Parentswere very unhappy that public schools forced them to buy books affirminghomosexuality. By posting this letter which does not mention any of thepositive effects that the literature contributes to the children's growth andbehavior, parents will sympathize or even feel alarmed that they no longerhave control over what books their children read in school. This furthercontributes to a feeling of lack of control over their child's education whichparents hold very dear. The letter then continues on to inform the readersthat many of the publishers of gay literature used in school also publishpornographic material. This again alarms parents by creating a connection,though a vague one, with pro-gay literature and pornography. The letter thengoes on to discuss some of the various literature. The parents claim that theliterature is very sexual in nature and that it does not stress healthyrelationships. It furthermore encourages children to use only their feelingsand to "have fun" experimenting. The parents back up these claims with variousshocking excerpts from the recommend groups. At the end of this letter, NARTHputs forward their conclusion on the matter; all the homosexual materialsrepeat these same negative themes, traditional religion is portrayed asridiculous if not evil, self restraint is foolish, marriage need not bemonogamous, and sexual pleasure is the birthright of everyone. Essentially,what NARTH did was analyzed this one letter and then give a general statementon all school recommended pro gay literature, a very negative one at that.This method of implanting such negative feelings of homosexual literature inthe schools is very powerful and long-lasting.
NARTH continues its analysis of homosexuality in the schools with a reviewthey posted of the film "It's elementary: gay and lesbian issues in theclassroom." The reviewer believes that the film compares criticism ofhomosexuality with that of bigotry and racism. He speculates that there is nomention of disease crisis in the gay male life. This definitely will provokeemotion in many people since there is a crisis in the gay community. Yet henever mentions anything about the disease crisis in the heterosexualcommunity, or even that in various ethnic communities. The reviewer also saysthere is no mention of therapy, which to many whom didn't understand that thewhole point of the video was to show people that gayness is not a condition ordisorder would be disturbed. The reviewer then ends with a quote from youngchild who had seen the video. The child says, "it's kind of like vegetables:you don't know [you'll like homosexuality] until you try." Parents would bedisturbed at the notion of their young children "trying" out differentSexuality's. By not giving an unbiased review of what the movie was about,people are led to believe that it is incomplete inaccurate and somewhatharmful.
By using only 5 articles in total, all harboring anti-gay sentiments, NARTHanalyzes the entire issue of homosexuality in schools. This is definitelyinsufficient and misleading because the reader has no concept of how manypeople really believe this and think this way. The manner in which theanalysis is presented makes one believe that a large portion of people sharesthese thoughts. Since children and education is a very sensitive subject, allnegative connections with a child's development and growth will be avoidedmost parents. This effectively imprints the beliefs held by NARTH on thesubject into the reader's mind.Under the next heading, NARTH discusses "Clinical and ethical issues." NARTHis discussing the issue of change is sexual orientation. The first andforemost article posted was written by a well know psychologist in thepsychiatric community. It discussed the effectiveness and appropriateness oftherapeutic efforts to change in sexual orientation. The author concludes thatefforts to change those who want to change have been successful in many cases.He continues on to say that many psychiatrists and psychologists viewhomosexuality as a disorder or something that could be changed. This statementis unsuspectingly powerful because most people think that people in thisprofession are very educated and learned. So many would think that this beliefis valid. The article then talks about how gay rights activists oppose anyform of gender conversion therapy. They give no reasons for this opposition.He continues to say that change is possible. It states in the article that 20- 30% of lesbians were once in a heterosexual marriage, which he claimsquestions the whole concept of sexual orientation. Yet the reason for why thisquestions the concept of sexual orientation is the lesbian women were said tohave been in love. This indirectly says that there was a healthy heterosexualaspect to their sexuality. The article also talks about sexual abuse and pasttrauma help "cause" homosexuality. Yet no evidence is put forth to back thisclaim up. Some statistics are given of people who have "converted" in variousstudies, 4 to be exact, with success rates ranging from 19 - 44%. The authorthen says that if a person really wants to change they will. Yet the reasonsfor want of change are not described here. He ends saying that one does nothave to call homosexuality a disorder and just because one is in counselingdoes not mean one is mentally ill. Here again, NARTH is trying to less itsanti gay sentiments
In conclusion, NARTH can be seen as is an anti-gay organization
that makessome attempts to look gay friendly by using deception.
They make claims thathomosexuals have and do change their orientation,
and that they merely want tohave the right to treat homosexuals who seek
change. By opening discussionand providing research on homosexuality
being a psychological disorder, NARTHis hoping to reach their ultimate
goal of having the psychological communitylook at it as a pathological
condition. While this organization states thatthey oppose social
stigmatization and obstruction of the civil rights ofhomosexuals, they
contradict themselves by further causing hardships andstigmatization.
By claiming that homosexuality is un-natural, making strongconnections
of homosexuality with disease, promiscuity, and psychologicallydisturbance;
NARTH is making sweeping stereotypes of homosexuals. Theseaccusations
and stereotypes can only but harm and stigmatize homosexuals.Homosexual
movement for civil rights and acceptance in society is caused muchsetback
and hardships by organizations such as this one. We feel the onlyreason
homosexuals would want to change is because of people and/or groupssuch
as NARTH that make them feel abnormal, psychologically screwed up, anddevelopmentally
defective.