Sound Scientific Research: "In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." - George Orwell

Attendees of the 2008 NARTH convention in Denver came from all over the United States, as well as from six different countries, including Canada, Mexico, Germany, England, Switzerland, and New Zealand. Despite economic difficulties, this year's convention was attended not only by therapists and researchers, but also community leaders, clergy, parents, and individuals seeking information regarding their own unwanted homosexual attractions. On the opening day of the convention two simultaneous day-long tracks were offered: The NARTH Training Institute and The NARTH Leadership Academy. The former provided advanced clinical training for practitioners, while the latter offered an expert overview of homosexuality presented by a series of researchers and academics.

This year's key note speakers were former US Ambassador, theologian, and author, Michael Novak and researcher, Dr. Neil Whitehead. Michael Novak spoke about the importance of truth in society, describing the philosophical implications of the death of truth. He pointed out, "Where truth does not count, conversation is empty; you cannot converse, you can only babble". He challenged NARTH members to continue to find ways to make the important information on homosexuality available to the general public, citing the convention theme and quote by George Orwell, "In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." His challenge is one that many NARTH members readily accept. We have clearly found that the issue of homosexuality is one in which there is a lot of misinformation, with even the professional associations being heavily influenced by politics, rather than science (Wright & Cummings, 2007). In such a climate, it becomes imperative to return to the facts, upholding science rather than fulfilling preferred political agendas.

Dr. Neil Whitehead presented a description of the research findings in his keynote address, The Harvest of Compassion: NARTH & the Client's Fight against Mental Illness. He discussed the much higher levels of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation found in the homosexual population. Dr. Whitehead refuted the claims that the higher incidence of these issues is due to the discrimination that many homosexuals face. He cited research which shows that only 8% of suicide attempts are due to perceived discrimination, with higher percentages due to other factors such as relationship difficulties, self-hatred, depression, and substance abuse. He went on to describe a recent study of those listed on a Denmark marriage registry (living in a gay-affirming culture and most likely comfortable with their identity, having entered into marriage). This study revealed that suicide rates among these married homosexuals are still three times higher than the general population. Suicide rates for homosexuals are the same for the United States, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway. There are no differences found in cultures which are more affirming or accepting. In light of these studies, Dr. Whitehead pointed to the importance of responding compassionately to the needs and goals of homosexual clients.

Regarding the claims that reorientation therapy harms clients, Dr. Whitehead cited studies that found suicide rates decrease after therapy. In fact, he pointed out that Shidlo and Schroeder (2002) sought to prove the adverse effects of therapy by collecting stories of harm; however, instead of finding therapy to be harmful, they found it to be helpful, in that suicide attempts by these clients actually decreased after therapy. For more information on the content and references for Dr. Whitehead's keynote address, see the NARTH Collected Convention Papers or soon-to-be-released book, What the Research Shows: NARTH's Response to the APA Claims on Homosexuality.

Another highlight of the convention was the Intersection of Science and Religion Symposium in which papers were presented by Episcopalian leader, Bishop John-David Schofield; former US Surgeon General, Dr. James Mason, and NARTH Scientific Advisory Committee member, Dr. Phillip Sutton. Throughout the remainder of the weekend, there were three simultaneous tracks offering a wide variety of workshops related to the research and therapy of homosexuality. The convention also provided an opportunity to network with people from around the world who care about the issue of homosexuality. Often those who work with this issue find themselves isolated from others who are also doing this important work. Networking opportunities were described as one of the highlights of the convention.

On Saturday afternoon, participants were invited to the NARTH Town Hall Meeting where board members shared the work that they are doing for NARTH. Dr. Dean Byrd, president of NARTH, showed a video presentation of the work that was accomplished at the APA Convention earlier this year. Included in his video presentation was a segment showing Dr. Nicolosi presenting APA president, Dr. Alan Kazdin, with NARTH's draft document, What the Research Shows. Other 2008 accomplishments highlighted at the Town Hall Meeting included the startup of the international division of NARTH (IFTC - the International Federation for Therapeutic Choice), the compilation of research findings for What the Research Shows, the creation of treatment guidelines, presentations by board members at a four day conference in Mexico City, and much more.

We are already preparing for next year's convention to be held November 20-22, 2009 in West Palm Beach, Florida. We look forward to welcoming members, nonmembers, and newcomers to next year's convention.

References

Shidlo, A. & Schroeder, M. (2002). Changing sexual orientation: A consumer's report. Professional psychology: Research and Practice, 33(3), 249-259.

Wright, R. H. & Cummings, N. A. (Eds.). (2005). Destructive Trends in Mental Health: The Well-Intentioned Path to Harm. New York, NY: Routledge.

http://narth.com/docs/2008convreport.html