Discussions
of
conversion therapy might have faded a bit from public consciousness
in recent years, but it still exists and it is still dangerous nonsense. And as
far as we know, Julie Hamilton remains one of the leaders of the group committed to the propagation of such
therapies. Hamilton is former president of the Alliance for Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity (shades of Badger’s Law in that name), a group that describes itself as “principled advocates for
persons experiencing unwanted homosexual attractions”, and of its mother
organization, the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH); she is also editor of the
2009 book Handbook of Therapy for Unwanted Homosexual Attractions: A Guide
to Treatment, in the preface of which she suggests that conversion therapy
can prevent murder. A serial spreader of misinformation, Hamilton’s official
position is, in fact, that “there is actually no such
thing as conversion therapy” and that bans of such therapies would ban “free
speech in the counseling office.” Hamilton was a central feature of the
documentary Such Were Some of You, a pro-conversion therapy tool
that encourages people to consider “leaving homosexuality” and rejecting
the “gay lifestyle” intended for Sunday school children.
Diagnosis:
We would probably have given her more space 10 years ago, but she is apparently
still around and still a hateful and crazy promoter of dangerous pseudoscience;
indeed, she might be in a position to cause more harm than ever these days.
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