Founded 1992 | Headquarters California, United States | |
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Similar Exodus International, OutRight Action International, Family Research Council, Joel 2:25 International, Focus on the Family | ||
The National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), also known as the NARTH Institute, is an organization that offers conversion therapy and other regimens that purport to change the sexual orientation of people with same-sex attraction. NARTH has been described by a Christian ministry group as a ministry partner that is "a multi-disciplinary professional and scientific organization dedicated to the service of persons who experience unwanted homosexual (same-sex) attractions (SSA)". NARTH was founded in 1992 by Joseph Nicolosi, Benjamin Kaufman, and Charles Socarides. Its headquarters are in Encino, California, at the Thomas Aquinas Psychological Clinic and has operated under the Alliance for Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity (ATCSI) since 2014. Julie Hamilton is the current president of NARTH. NARTH's leaders disagree with the view of the world's major mental health organizations that homosexuality is not a disorder.
Contents
History
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 the three of them founded NARTH because the American Psychiatric Association 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 even to suggest the need for a dialogue that considers the question of the normality of homosexuality. Kaufman states that NARTH was formed in response to censorship of scientific investigation of politically unpopular views.
The organization had 501(c)(3) tax exempt status, which was revoked by the Internal Revenue Service in September 2012 due to ongoing failure to file required paperwork.
Activities
NARTH claims to be a secular organization, differentiating it from other ex-gay groups that are primarily religious in nature. Nevertheless, NARTH often partners with religious groups, such as Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing, Joel 2:25 International, and Evergreen International in Positive Alternatives to Homosexuality. The NARTH website contains a resource list of theological articles.
In July 2011, NARTH failed to pay its dues to the California Board for Behavioral Sciences and was removed from the list of groups that provide continuing education credits to therapists in California. NARTH had been an approved continuing education provider since 1998.
Sigmund Freud Award/President's Award
Beginning in 1996, NARTH has given an award in recognition of a researcher's outstanding work, called the NARTH Sigmund Freud Award. In some years, the award is called the NARTH President's Award. The award is presented at NARTH's annual conference.
Affiliations
A. Dean Byrd was a past president. Notable members of the Scientific Advisory Committee include Hillel Goldberg, Nathaniel S. Lehrman and Jeffrey Satinover. Robert Perloff, former president of the American Psychological Association, was a notable supporter of NARTH.
PATH
In 2003, PATH's leaders made NARTH a member of Positive Alternatives to Homosexuality.
Abba Goldberg
In 2010 it was revealed that NARTH’s executive secretary, Abba Goldberg, was a con man who had served 18 months in prison.
Gerald Schoenewolf
NARTH received criticism from the Southern Poverty Law Center for an essay titled Gay Rights and Political Correctness: A Brief History, and written by Gerald Schoenewolf, a member of NARTH's Science Advisory Committee. SPLC called it an angry polemic that made outrageous historical claims. The article had drawn a letter of protest from the National Black Justice Coalition a year after its publication. A month later, NARTH removed the article from its website and posted a statement of apology. A later statement from NARTH said that SPLC had mis-labeled Schoenewolf as "ex-gay" and had made other erroneous claims about his essay.
Gerard J. M. van den Aardweg
Gerard J. M. van den Aardweg is a member of NARTH's advisory panel. During the debate over same-sex marriage in the Republic of Ireland Aardweg promoted opinions the Irish Times described as conspiracy theories, including that the Nazi party was "rooted" in homosexuals, and that homosexuality is being imposed on the world by "freemasonry international."