National Task Force For Therapy Equality Files Complaint with FTC

*** THERAPY EQUALITY NEWS RELEASE ***

Medical and Mental Health Professionals File Groundbreaking Joint Complaint Against Gay Activists with the Federal Trade Commission

Complaint to FTC Charges Southern Poverty Law Center, Human Rights Campaign, and National Center for Lesbian Rights of Engaging in Mass Fraud in Efforts to Ban Therapy

 WASHINGTON, D.C.Today, a major blow was delivered to three of the largest gay activist organizations in the United States, as the National Task Force for Therapy Equality, representing tens of thousands of licensed psychotherapists, psychiatrists, and physicians and over 1,000 clients and patients, filed a consumer fraud complaint on behalf of eight organizations with the Federal Trade Commission, charging the Southern Poverty Law Center, Human Rights Campaign, and National Center for Lesbian Rights of committing mass deception and fraud in their efforts to ban counseling by licensed professionals for clients distressed with unwanted same-sex attractions and gender identity conflicts.

The report, titled: In Their Own Words—Lies, Deception, and Fraud: The Southern Poverty Law Center, Human Rights Campaign, and National Center for Lesbian Rights’ Hate Campaign to Ban Psychotherapy for Individuals with Sexual and Gender Identity Conflicts, which can be accessed here (In Their Own Words – Lies, Deception, and Fraud – National Task Force Complaint to the Federal Trade Commission), was filed by the National Task Force on behalf of the American College of Pediatricians, Christian Medical and Dental Associations, Alliance for Adolescent Health, Family Watch International, Voice of the Voiceless, Center for Family and Human Rights, Jewish Institute for Global Awareness, and the Alliance for Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity. These organizations represent over 20,000 licensed therapists, psychiatrists, and physicians and over 1,000 clients/patients experiencing sexual and gender identity conflicts.

Christopher Doyle, a licensed professional counselor, leader in the #TherapyEquality movement, and co-coordinator of the National Task Force for Therapy Equality, said the following of the complaint:

“The complaint our Task Force filed today with the FTC reveals just how deceptive these three organizations (SPLC, HRC, and NCLR) have been acting over the last five years in their ‘hate campaign’ against clients with sexual and gender identity conflicts. Not only have they published misleading and scientifically inaccurate statements on their websites, they have raised untold sums of money in the process from unsuspecting consumers and the general public,” said Doyle. “They have also supported witnesses, in some cases financially, that are guilty of lying and deceiving lawmakers with false stories of ‘therapy torture’ by electric shock and other aversive means. In the process, these organizations have complicity and implicitly committed mass fraud with these inaccurate claims and by refusing to correct distortions about the scientific research regarding therapy. They claim therapy for clients with unwanted same-sex attraction and gender confusion is harmful and ineffective, but even the research conducted by their own liberal-friendly trade organizations, such as the American Psychological Association, contradict the statements they make on their websites, marketing campaigns, and testimony in front of law-making bodies.”

The complaint to the Federal Trade Commission accuses the three organizations of:

  • Engaging in deceptive and fraudulent marketing practices of the kind the FTC considers malicious, including those that “cause or are likely to cause substantial injury to consumers which is not reasonably avoidable by consumers themselves and not outweighed by countervailing benefits to consumers or to competition.”
  • Supporting witnesses on the state, federal, and international level who have delivered unverifiable and fraudulent testimony in front of law-making bodies in the effort to persuade legislative action to ban licensed psychotherapy.
  • Actively raising untold sums of money in the effort to ban psychotherapy by using deceptive and fraudulent practices.
  • Actively and knowingly distorting the scientific research to promote efforts to ban licensed psychotherapy for clients with sexual and gender identity conflicts.
  • Actively distorting the scientific research by promoting the “Born Gay” hoax (and raising untold sums of money), a notion that has been disproved and refuted by organizations such as the American Psychological Association.
  • Engaging in smear and defamatory attacks against licensed psychotherapists and faith-based ministries providing help and assistance to those who experience sexual and gender identity conflicts.
  • Using “opinion-based smears and innuendos” while engaging in political activities, as though they were being educational, while hiding behind their non-profit status to shield themselves from liability lawsuits.

The Task Force report, In Their Own Words—Lies, Deception, and Fraud, provides extensive documentation and evidence not only disproving the fraudulent testimony of gay activists trying to ban therapy, but also presents decades of scientific research that demonstrates sexual attraction and gender identity are not fixed or innate, but are fluid and commonly change, with and without therapeutic intervention.

“It’s shocking that these gay activists have actually been able to deceive six states and several cities with their pseudoscientific claims of ‘harm’ to ban psychotherapy. It just goes to show you, if you repeat a lie long enough and loud enough, people will believe it,” said Doyle. “From five years of fighting this war being waged by gay activists, we have documented conclusive and definitive proof that the SPLC, HRC, and NCLR are committing mass fraud, and the general public can now see it for themselves. It’s all documented in this report. We even have video footage of gay activists caught in the acts of lies and cover-ups in their effort to deceive lawmakers. We hope this report will prompt outrage from the general public and convince the Federal Trade Commission to finally put a stop to these harmful actions and legislation, and restore therapy rights to minors that desperately seek help.”

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CONTACT: 

Deborah Hamilton, Hamilton Strategies, Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Ph: 703-371-8239

To interview Christopher Doylecontact Deborah Hamilton at Media@HamiltonStrategies.com or by phone at 703-371-8329.

The National Task Force for Therapy Equality is a coalition of licensed psychotherapists, psychiatrists, physicians, public policy organizations, and clients/patients from across the United States of America. Their purpose is to secure therapy equality for clients and patients that experience distress over unwanted same-sex attractions and gender identity conflicts.