Could you be kind enough to confirm the date on which this July Board meeting occurred?

The first order of business I brought to the table when I joined the Exodus Board of Directors in July of 2000 was to reject Dr. Cohen’s application for membership with Exodus, publicly distance ourselves from his ministry style and approach and to cease all sales of his materials.

Nice try, but perhaps you could explain why you therefore took Exodus into an alliance with Cohen in 2003?

P.A.T.H. You remember, the alliance that Cohen himself arranged.

Whatever you claim to have said in private with him, it does appear these concerns weren’t enough to say or do anything in public.

A link through to that formal policy against touch therapy would also be appreciated. (I assume anyone in the public can easily find these policies — the only reason I’m asking for the link is because I’m a novice computer/internet user.)

On a side note: while you’re in the mood to clean the Exodus site — isn’t it about time you removed all the glowing references to Paul Cameron? Including those occassions where he is deceptively quoted second-hand, eg Satinover. TE Schmidt. Concerned woman, Bob Knight etc etc etc

I also sincerely hope that now you’ve likewise joined the Board of Exodus Global Alliance you will not permit EGA to again send an official delegation to the Caribbean to support the criminal laws against gay men.

Ask Pat Lawrence and DL Foster about that one, if you need clarification. I did ask Randy Thomas on his blog, but he deleted the question; unanswered.

You just did 🙂

As we said, the question for you was rhetoric. We knew the answer, and the history — which is what you were referring to, but unfortunately using present tense.

One final aside, I was aksed to join the board of PFOX several months ago and I shared with Regina Griggs and the PFOX board that I would do so only if Richard Cohen decided not to serve another term.

Again, I do not want to bash Dr. Cohen, but I do believe that his techniques are dangerous and cast a negative light on the entire change movement.

It isn’t my desire to bash Cohen or anyone else for that matter. However, I do want to set the record straight (smiling as I type that) on Exodus’ relationship with him.

The first order of business I brought to the table when I joined the Exodus Board of Directors in July of 2000 was to reject Dr. Cohen’s application for membership with Exodus, publicly distance ourselves from his ministry style and approach and to cease all sales of his materials.

Dr. Cohen had, that same year, presented a workshop on touch therapy at the annual Exodus conference that was unbelievable.

When I became President of Exodus in 2001(then called Executive Director)I realized that Exodus was still offering Cohen materials and listing him on the links page of the website. It was then that both ceased.

I have been a respectfully vocal critic of Dr. Cohens. We have had conversations in person and via email. I have made my criticisms known.

Dr. Cohen and his techniques are not endorsed by Exodus and never will be. It was under my leadership that we wrote and adopted a formal policy that no Exodus Member Ministry could offer touch therapy as an option.

I hope this clears up any misconceptions about how Exodus and I stand on the matter.

I especially appreciated your lengthy challenge and believe that Exodus needs to hear it. I’m going to cut and paste a copy of your challenge in an e-mail to Alan Chambers. (BTW: it may sound like Alan and I are best buds but I never had contact with him until after I started blogging here. I do believe he respects my opinion, though, so I’m hoping he’ll give your challenge the time and thought that it deserves.)

It’s the only explanation I can come up with to explain why so many people seem so upset by homosexuality. They are worried we want their kids — or their pets.

If NAMBLA was ever a participant in the CSW parade, it was long long ago.

Interestingly, considering how much attention the anti-gay activists give to NAMBLA, I’ve never met anyone in the group. I don’t even know anyone who has met anyone in the group.