Starting at around 2:55. He’s clearly referring to adolescents and pre-adolescents.

I can’t say that’s clear at all. But hypothetically speaking, if he were referring to adolescents and pre-adolescents, he would hardly be put in a better light. A mental health professional describing kids and young adults as barbarians?
And either way he is clearly saying, again as a mental health professional, that there is something wrong with acting on one’s homosexual orientation, and those who do in those tender years when scorn and shame can damage the most, are to be treated like barbarians who can’t think for themselves. This is not his job.
Taken with everything else we do know about this man and his work, I tend to understand the clip as it has been reported, but is hardly the lynchpin in all of this — there are plenty of serious problems to parcel out.

David Blakeslee, of the few websites I visit regularly regarding ‘gay’ stuff; I long ago realized that TWO was not for me. In my opinion, it has lost any credibility and usefulness for those seeking accurate news. Sadly, they’ve joined a few of my ‘no visits’ on the Right of the issue. There is a ‘via media’ in all this; but, it doesn’t have quite the drama of the either the social policy Right or Left.

TWO is not for me either, nor does it speak for all gay people. In some ways I do not think they are any better than NOM.

If NARTH, and others like them, could shape up a bit on statistical outcomes, be a bit more cheery and affirming that homosexuals are valuable persons, persons loved by God, even if we can’t change … if they would tell clients seeking ‘change’, how really difficult that is … that congruence of behavior with their faith beliefs is very do-able, albeit hard … if they’d be up-front, blunt and candid about that … well, I guess they’d be all SITF therapists … which is what they should be. Just my opinion, though.

There are just so many more “ifs” to add to that list but I don’t have time. NARTH is no more reputable than TWO or NOM IMO 🙂
David B –

It is better (healthier!) in some parts of the culture to accede to biological drives or subjective sensations of self.
That is part of the “therapeutic popular culture” created in the 50?s and 60?s which drives so much of the political debate about sexual behavior.

I am never quite sure what you are trying to say when you make statements like this. Are you talking about gay people when you say these things? Some gay people?
TWO is not the only source for information regarding Bachmann’s so-called “therapy”.
Warren,

David – I tend to agree and think that one big part of the interest is that Bachmann said he didn’t do change therapy and it turns out they do.
I also think that Bachmann’s comments about gays (barbarians) have set him up for heightened scrutiny. There are many therapists who think like he does but are not married to a woman who could become President. So when he says gays are barbarian and oks change therapy with bogus promises (completely free), then he is going to be held to a different standard.

Thank you! You can harp on TWO all you like, and there is plenty there to find questionable, but the fact remains Bachmann made these statements, he lied!

The biggest offender in this regard is the horribly overused word “healthy” which has been substituted for the older word “right.”

But “right” according to who? And why?