'Beating the Gay out of you' (Paula Zahn/CNN clip on Crooks and Liars)

[Barad Simith]

There's no way my transcription can do the video justice. Link below.

Zahn: "And yet this man, who tells us he was once gay, claims to have helped hundreds of men like him. Richard Cohen, now married with three kids, is a leader in the so-called repairative therapy movement. With just more than a thousand members, it's not a particularly big movement, but because it's so controversial and despised within the gay community, it tends to get a lot of attention. He showed us some of his unconventional techniques, like touch therapy, in which he encourages Rob to seek out same-sex mentors to basically recreate a healthy father-son bond."

Cohen is shown cradling another man like a baby.

Cohen: "It's nonsexual. It established a parent-child relationship. So he didn't experience this growing up with his dad."

Zahn: "Rob, do you feel a sexual connection right now?"

Rob: "No, I don't, I feel very safe and very comforted, and um..."

Cohen can be seen rubbing and patting Rob's back, and stroking it gently with just his thumb.

Rob: "...it just feels wonderful."

Zahn: "Another technique: Bio-energetics, designed to help clients release memories stored in the muscles - in this case, by hitting a pillow with a tennis racket."

Cohen: "I was angry at my mother, so I started saying..."

Cohen begins hitting the pillow with the racket, in rhythm to his angry rant:

"MOM! MOM! MOM! MOM! WHY! DID-YOU! DO-THAT! TO-ME!"

5 mb
79 seconds

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/06/02.html#a8543

[sutz12]

1. So Mommy made him gay?

Just wondering. He's probably mad because he was attracted to his father, meaning that mother wasn't pretty enough, or something. Maybe mommy loved his brother more. Maybe mommy cuddled him too much, and taught him to be all soft and gay-like. :sarcasm:

Yeah, there's lots of reasons to hate mommy, and daddy, et al. Most of us grow up and learn to live with it. Usually, we don't have to beat a pillow to get over it, though.

[xchrom]

2. this bullshit is so fucking warped.

can you imagine having to be stuck in a conversation with one of these fucks?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

4. They are on live on C-span right now.

These people are insane.

[xchrom]

6. i was listening.

the whole notion that they are not trying to force us all into the same box is nuts.

[im10ashus]

16. I'd rather chew glass than engage them in any conversation.

It would be like talking to a wall. A loud, obnoxious wall.

[xchrom]

17. lol -- like a really icky tasteless wall fell on us!

[keopeli]

3. OMG! I'm so happy that I don't watch CNN!

These people are absolutely psychotic and they let Paula Zahn put them on CNN!

[peekaloo]

5. Oh, Daily Show, please return next week.....a Moment of Zen is calling.

Now if someone would enroll PZ in a "Beating the stupid out of you" course.......

[tech3149]

7. check out this article

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/15/AR2005081501063.html

He has been married for nearly 23 years -- an arranged marriage that he said was suggested by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon when he and his wife were members of the Unification Church, to which they belonged for 20 years.
<snip>

He is not licensed as a therapist, he explained, because he "didn't want to jump through the hoops and deal with the heterophobia and anti-ex-gay attitudes." He circumvents the licensing requirement by asking for donations to his foundation. "I am not doing therapy per se," he said. "I'm coaching."

In 2002, Cohen was permanently expelled from the American Counseling Association (ACA) for multiple ethical violations.

Permanent expulsion is a rarely used sanction, according to David Kaplan, chief professional officer of the Alexandria-based organization. Kaplan said Cohen was found to have violated six sections of the ACA's ethics code, which bars members from actions that "seek to meet their personal needs at the expense of clients," those that exploit "the trust and dependency of clients," and for soliciting testimonials or promoting products in a deceptive manner.

[Laughing Mirror]

15. Self-loathing queen, con man, and a Moonie

and apparently a misogynist also since he doesn't "treat" women. Still, business seems to be booming for his non-profit, tax-exempt organization for non-women afflicted with unwanted "SSA" (same-sex attraction!!).

Pretty hilarious huh?

This queen is a menace to society and needs serious help.

[RandiFan1290]

8. Sam Seder was killing me with that clip last night.

"MOM! MOM! MOM! MOM! WHY! DID-YOU! DO-THAT! TO-ME!"

:rofl:

[Buns_of_Fire]

9. What, then, are we to make of boosh* rubbing and patting

every bald head he gets near, and kissing them gently with his lizard lips?

"MOM! MOM! MOM! MOM! WHY! DID-YOU! DO-THAT! TO-ME!" baby boosh* cries, remembering Barb taking the coathanger to his beautiful ass...

[dsc]

10. Lord God almighty

When will this quackery ever end? I guess we should thank God that evidently aversion therapy is out.

[TomClash]

11. Why do gay men have to be "repaired?"

Why can't they just be, well, er, . . . gay?

I smell the great money racket. Pay me $10,000 and I'll cure your "gayness."

If you buy this, I've got a pet rock to sell you . . .

[PA Democrat]

12. Well, they used to blame autism on "refrigerator mothers", so why not

say that "bad" parents cause their kids to "become" gay? So should Mary Cheney hit her dad over the head with a tennis racket to be "cured"?

This is so sad on so many levels.

[Scoody Boo]

13. Instead of hitting the pillow...

with a racket to release memories....shouldn't that bozo instead be biting it? :)


Sorry, just couldn't resist!:)

[Zynx]

14. Ummmmmmmmmm......

Yeah.....
*Runs out of room*

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

18. Youtube has the full segment.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQH6mrOvSGI

Apparently, I could become straight if I could just figure out my childhood trauma. :eyes:

[Barad Simith]

19. thanks for the link! (nt)