T H U R S D A Y , J U L Y 2 8 , 2 0 0 5Good Morning America on Conversion Therapyby Michael in New York on 7/28/2005 02:50:00 PMZach, the blog kid who was forced into the fake "straight camp"program Love in Action and told he should be ashamed ofhimself by his parents is getting out tomorrow.</p><p> That's whatprompted at least two major stories on these scams.</p><p> CNN lastnight ran a poor story that didn't even peg itself to the massiveweb story of Zach and his imminent departure.This morning, GMA did virtually the same story, but a bitbetter. (Hey, I'm a late riser and just got around to watchingit.) It talked about Zach and quoted from his blog, used clipsfrom The 700 Club of the boy's awful parents (try loving thechildren you have rather than telling your kids they're awful,folks) and emphasized the dangers to children being forced intothis scam.</p><p> Diane Sawyer also noted wryly that the head of theprogram struggles with gay desires himself and questioned hisridiculous claims of a 65% success rate.Strikingly, GMA used the same expert from the APA but got abetter quote about the dangers of this debunked andmisleading practice.</p><p> They also interviewed the same youngman CNN did who went through the program and rejects it butembraces faith and his new boyfriend side by side with a youngman who "graduated" and now works for LIA. (Pity their initialsaren't LIE.)Still, GMA failed to provide context about conversion therapy,how it was founded by two men who ultimately declared theirlove for each other, admitted it was all a fraud and are nowmarried and campaign against it.</p><p> GMA failed to note how therare "success stories" trumpeted by the far right have provento be failures time and time again.</p><p> GMA failed to speak to themany experts who have studied these groups or make clearhow health professionals can have nothing to do with them orpotentially lose their license for endangering the health of aclient.GMA failed to emphasize how these groups have alreadyadmitted defeat -- they used to claim they could turn peoplestraight; now apparently everyone admits they're still gay andstruggle with desire but just try not to act on it.</p><p> That's a far cryfrom what they used to believe -- it admits the fundamentalpoint that being gay is not a choice, something they used todeny heatedly.</p><p> GMA also failed to tie the hatred these parentshave for their own children to the trial of a man in Florida whokilled his three year old son because he feared the boy was gayand literally tried to beat it out of him.Imagine doing a story on teen steroid use and spending equaltime with the people who extoll its virtues rather than devotingmost air time to the vast majority of the medical and scientificcommunity that condemn it.</p><p> GMA did a little better job thanCNN, but it could have accomplished much more.NOTE: here are some links to learn more.</p><p> Disinformation, aSalon story and an HRC report.</p><p> You can also check out WayneBesen's expose "Anything But Straight." EschatonPretty Much - I think this encapsulates nicely ourmodern media environment.1 hour ago HuffPost PoliticsHuckabee's Huck Pac In Turmoil With StaffTurnover, Mounting Debts - Former Arkansas Gov.Mike Huckabee's political action committee, HuckPac, is undergoing a "restructuring," ExecutiveDirector Sarah Huckabee said Wednesday....2 hours ago Ben SmithGoing small - My story tonight: President BarackObama came alive about 50 minutes intoWednesday night’s news conference – whensomebo2 hours ago FiredoglakeLate Late Night FDL: What Eclipse? - A new videofrom Fatoumata Diawara, and and oldie from Bob.2 hours ago Daily KosOpen Thread and Diary Rescue - *Today, srkp23(pulling a double shift), ybruti, taylormattd,ItsJessMe and vcmvo2 combed through hundredsof diaries to find this powerful list.</p><p> Today's...3 hours agoJ O H N ' S P H OT O S Show All AmoLatino.comFeedback - Ads by Google AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Good...http://www.americablog.com/2005/07/good-morning-america-o... 1 of 57/23/09 3:54 AMA M E R I C A B L O G T V Visit our AMERICAblog TV site.see all 322 videos >I collect with vodpod The Taco Bell dog hasdied In honor of SenatorDeMint For the GOPers, healthcare is politics.</p><p> They just Traditional media has todebunk the birthers One small step...</p><p> The right-wing media, thevoices of the GOP, inNext 6AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Good...http://www.americablog.com/2005/07/good-morning-america-o... 2 of 57/23/09 3:54 AMThe TreatmentObama Has a Grown-UpTalk With America(Gulp)3 hours agoEzra KleinTab Dump8 hours agoWonk RoomSen.</p><p> Byron Dorgan:The ‘Trade’ InCap-And-Trade ‘MakesNo Sense To Me’9 hours agoHealth BeatTruth Squad: WallStreet Journal HealthCare Editorial Wrong onthe Facts . . .10 hours agoDaily DoseProviders Endorse 'Payfor Value' ProposalsG AY P O L I T I C S Visit our new gay politicssection, AMERICAblog Gay.F E E D S Blog RSS AMERICAblog TV RSS Twitter RSSTwitter Feed Get the blog by email: Subscribe me! AmoLatino.comAds by GoogleTop AdAdvertise in this spot.H E A LT H C A R ER E F O R MAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Good...http://www.americablog.com/2005/07/good-morning-america-o... 3 of 57/23/09 3:54 AMS E A R C H AMERICAblog Web SearchS E N D U S T I P S &C O M M E N T Samericablog@starpower.netB L O G A R C H I V E Blog ArchiveS I T E S W E L I K EAir America RadioAlan Colmes' blogAri Melber (The Nation)Ben SmithBicycleMark's blog &podcastBilericoBradBlogBring It OnCarrie FisherCrooks and LiarsDailyKosDan Savage's "Slog"Daou ReportDemocratic UndergroundEschatonEzra KleinFire Dog LakeFiveThirtyEight.comFreeway BloggerThe Gavel (SpeakerPelosi's blog)Good As YouGlenn GreenwaldHoly Bullies and HeadlessMonstersHuffington PostHullabaloo (Digby)Jack and Jill PoliticsJed ReportJesus' GeneralKenneth in the 212Margaret and HelenMatthew GrossMedia MattersMike Signorile's "The Gist"MudflatsMyDDOpen LeftPlum LinePolitical Punch (JakeTapper)Political WirePolitics 1Pop SurfingProgressive Blog DigestQueers UnitedRawStoryRex WocknerRude PunditSmirking ChimpTalk LeftTappedTaylor MarshThink ProgressTowleRoadVetVoice.comWashington NoteWayneBesen.comWonketteWorth Repeating N E W S L I N K SUSWashington PostNYTAP PoliticsReuters PoliticsRasmussen PollsTimeNewsweekRoll CallThe HillABCNews P L E A S E S U P P O RTA M E R I C A B L O GOne-time donation$ Recurring monthlydonation$ Donations are nottax-deductible.L A B E L S Select a labelL A S T 1 0 0 V I S I T O R SRecent Visitors A B O U TA M E R I C A B L O GWhy AMERICAblog?Because a great nationdeserves the truth.What issues do youcover?US politics overall with aparticular focus on theObama Administration, theradical right, and civilrights.Who are you?John AravosisEditorWashington, DCJoe SudbayDeputy EditorWashington, DCChris RyanAssociate EditorParis, FranceRobert ArenaContributing EditorBaltimore, MarylandJacki SchechnerContributing EditorWashington, DCAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Good...http://www.americablog.com/2005/07/good-morning-america-o... 4 of 57/23/09 3:54 AM© 2009 - John Aravosis | Design maintenance by Jason RosenbaumSend me your tips: americablog@starpower.netAMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth: Good...http://www.americablog.com/2005/07/good-morning-america-o... 5 of 57/23/09 3:54 AM
