The following was prepared by Quan Young, a student in GLSU at the University of Florida. This student and several others were very upset about a recent visit by Cameron to the University of Florida campus. As a result they researched the information below and requested that I post it so others can be aware of who Cameron (and a few of the others) are, what their tactics are, and why we should vigorously oppose them at every opportunity. I hope that those of you that requested information on Cameron find this material useful. doug dankel - --------------------------------- I. Cameron was expelled from American Psychological Association. A. Date of expulsion: 1983 (Los Angeles Times-2/22/1993). B. Reason for expulsion: "He was misrepresenting and distorting other peoples' psychological research and using it to sensationalize his point of view on homosexuals. He talks about homosexuals being mass murderers and child molesters and credits other people for those findings. If you read their research, they have in no way made such claims. We have letters from those researchers saying his (work) has distorted their research." Natalie Porter, assistant professor of psychology at University of Nebraska. (LA Times-8/20/1985). II. Cameron's credibility is questioned (LA Times-8/20/1985). A. Cameron appeared as an expert witness in a 1982 Texas district court. B. In a supplemental opinion U.S. district judge, Jerry Buchmeyer, stated "he is not a credible witness." C. Charges cited by Buchmeyer: "... his continuing misrepresentation of Kinsey data and other research sources on homosexuality, inflammatory and other inaccurate public state192/1006ments about homosexuals, and his fabrication to a Nebraska newspaper about the supposed sexual mutilation of a 4-year-old boy by a homosexual." III. Cameron's linkage of homosexuality with pedophilia is dubious. A. In several articles Cameron has suggested this link: 1. 'Homosexual Molestation of Children/Sexual Interaction of Teacher and Pupil' Psychological Reports, 1985, vol. 57, 1227-1236. by Paul Cameron. 2. 'Child Molestation and Homosexuality', Psychological Reports, 1986, vol. 58, 327-337. by Paul Cameron et al. 3. 'Effect of Homosexuality upon Public Health and Social Order', Psychological Reports, 1989, vol. 64, 1167-1179. By Paul Cameron, Kirk Cameron, and Kay Proctor. B. Cameron has used the work of other researchers disingenuously: 1. Other authors have indeed shown that the percentage of homosexual molestations is higher than the percentage of homosexual individuals within the populous. 2. Cameron interprets above fact as an indication that homosexual individuals are several times more likely to molest children. 3. At least one author cited by Cameron reached an opposing opinion based on data and clinical experience. a. see A.1 above page 1229-1231 b. from 'Adult Sexual Orientation and Attraction to Underage Person', Archives of Sexual Behavior, 1978, Vol. 7(3), by Nicolas Groth and H. Jean Birnbaum: "... in over 12 years of clinical experience working with child molesters, we have yet to see any example of a regression from an adult homosexual orientation. The child offender who is also attracted to and engaged in adult sexual relationships is heterosexual. It appears, therefore, that the adult heterosexual male constitutes a greater sexual risk to underage children than does the adult homosexual male. 4. Cameron often cites the prestigious Kinsey Institute in his studies, "... but the co-author of the 1978 Kinsey study, Alan Bell, said a comparison is not valid because the institute did not undertake a wide ranging survey of gay sex practices." (Los Angeles Times, Feb 22, 1993). C. Recent research supports Groth and Birnbaum's view. a. Phallometric tests are used to measure changes in subjects' level of physiological arousal and is much more accurate than surveys or questionnaires because it measure physical responses to sexual stimuli (much like a lie detector would). This is especially necessary since pedophilia is illegal and no one likes to admit he is a child molester, perhaps even to himself much less an anonymous questionnaire. b. from 'Heterosexuality, Homosexuality and Erotic Age Preference', The Journal of Sex Research, 1989, Vol. 26, 107- 117. by Kurt Freund et al.: "Homosexual males who preferred physically mature partners responded no more to male children than heterosexual males who preferred physically mature partners responded to female children." IV. Choice words A. "They're getting what they deserve. Unfortunately, others are getting it too", Paul Cameron on homosexuals with AIDS B. "Whatever he does, it is not science. You just can't take data from 41 individuals and call it a national study." Gregory Herek, researcher at the University of California, Davis. V. THE AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION and so called "family" group's common ploys: A. Last minute extremist multimedia barrages. B. Use of pseudo-scientific data, referencing their data to the much criticized data and conclusions produced by the Family Institute, the Institute for the Scientific Investigation of Sexuality, and Dr. Cameron. All of the biased anti-homosexual research have been led by Dr. Cameron and generally rejected by the scientific community. C. Association of homosexuality and bisexuality with pedophilia, beastiality, necrophilia, prostitution, copaphilia, sadomasochism. D. Distortion of events and their repetitive use thereof to reinforce negative prejudices against homosexuals. E. Speculate on the unproven financial burden antidiscrimination ordinances may cause. F. Use of the fear of AIDS to panic people, incite hostility toward a scapegoat, i.e. homosexuals G. Associating AIDS patients with diseases themselves and not as people. H. Dispute the fact of homosexuals as a minority; insistence upon the use of the word "behavioral" and the orientation as a choice; produce articles of supposedly "converted" homosexuals. VI. The truths behind the "conversion therapy": A. According Birk, a supposedly sexual orientation conversionist, 38% of his patients achieve "solid heterosexual shifts". However, he states: most, if not all, people who have been homosexual continue to have some homosexual feelings, fantasies and interests. More often than not, they also have occasional, or more than occasional, homosexual outlets, even while being happily married. B. "These interventions (conversional therapies) do not shift sexual orientation at all. Rather, they instruct or coerce heterosexual activity in a minority of subjects which is not the same as reversing sexual orientation." ("Homosexuality", Haldeman) C. According to "Homosexuality", by Haldeman, based on behavioral theories that sexual orientation would take place if the homosexual behavior is replaced by heterosexual behavior, various tortures were employed by "conversion therapists". The methods employed ranged from the subjects able to avoid electrical shock when viewing slides of the same-sex nudes, to the gays and lesbians receiving "electrical shock or nausea-inducing drugs during presentation of same-sex erotic visual stimuli." Haldeman further notes, "... throughout all the claims of sexual orientation change (therapies), not one investigator has ever raised the possibility that such treatment may harm some participants ... many conversional (therapies) ascribe the treatment 'failures' to lack of patient motivation ..." D. Common "successes" that "conversion therapy" proponents often cite are works done by Master and Johnson and Joseph Nicolosi. Master and Johnson claimed that within "... 2 weeks' treatment time ... 73% of (presumably) homosexual subjects (out of 54) were considered to be 'nonfailures' in sexual orientation conversion or reversion ..." (Schwartz & Masters, 1984). The study is considered by many as being anything but remotely scientific. Many of the supposed converted homosexual clients were bisexuals and heterosexuals dealing with sexual problems to begin with. At least 83% of the subjects identified themselves on questionnaires as being predominantly heterosexuals to bisexuals ("Homosexuality", Haldeman). Some were in love with women, others were even married (Rathus & Nevid, 1991). In fact, 19 (30%) of the original 54 subjects involved "... refused to participate in a follow- up recessment. Even so, these 19 were assumed, without justification, to be among the 'nonfailure' group ..." (according to Haldeman). Haldeman noted that it is even "conceivable that the outcome (success) sample does not include any homosexual at all." Another often cited "conversion therapist" is Joseph Nicolosi, Phd, the author of "Reparative Therapy of Male Homosexuality". First of all, he admitted to not being able to treat any persons without a gender identity deficit (the lack of same-sex intimacy.) In other words, if the homosexual has no particular difficulties with male friendships, or self-assertion, no family pattern that fits description, he CANNOT treat them (that would of course leave out the majority of gays). Second, he admits that one of his most "successful" client ever, who was married and a father of three, still reported "... homosexual fantasies that lingered 'like a gnat buzzing around your ear' ..." (Buie, 1990). Thirdly, unlike the overwhelming statistics in the scientific community in regards to the existence of bisexuals, Nicolosi did not even address or even recognize the existence of bisexuals in his samples. Importantly, the Kinsey Reports on Human Sexuality, 1948 and 1953, which is still regarded as the most comprehensive study by the scientific community, cited that at least 16% of single 30 year-old men are bisexuals (Masters & Johnson, Kolodny, Scott, Foresman, & Co., 1988). It is conceivable that Nicolosi may not have so called "cured" any homosexuals at all; rather he may have had some pseudo-successes with suppressing the homosexual side of his bisexual sample. E. Other often cited "conversion therapists" who are less scientifically rigorous than those above are Fundamentalist Christian groups, such as Homosexuals' Anonymous, Metanoia Ministries, Love In Action, Exodus International, etc. (Homosexuality, by Haldeman). "Although many of these practitioners publicly promise 'change', they privately acknowledge that celibacy is the realistic goal" (Blair, 1982). In addition, there have been several documents of religious "conversion therapist" group leaders who have had sex with the clients they were trying "cure" (Homosexuality, Haldeman). One example is Colin Clark. "Clark is a pastor whose counseling program, Quest, led to the development of Homosexuals Anonymous, the largest antigay fundamentalist counselling organization in the world. "He found the Quest Ministries in Reading, and reportedly administered some "200 people through 'reorientation counselling' from Clark, his wife, and an associate." Then from this organization, came the Homosexuals Anonymous, "... a 14-step program based on Alcoholics Anonymous" ("homosexuality", Haldeman). Without permission from Clark, a sociologist, Ronald Lawson interviewed 14 clients. Not only did none of whom reported any change in sexual orientation, "... all but two reported Clark had sex with them during 'treatment', in the form of nude massage or mutual masturbation. The two clients excluded ... two received only telephone counseling. Even the couselee, however, reported that Clark had masturbated during a telephone counseling session." (Lawson) Another example was the Ex-Gay program, Liberation in Jesus Christ, founded by Guy Charles. Charles "... claimed heterosexual conversion subsequent to his acceptance of Christ. ... Charles's claim that homosexuality is a choice, and his plan to 'divest' ... homosexual desires were called into question, however, several who had sought the 'ex-gay' experience through Liberation in Jesus Christ complained that Charles was having sex with them in the context of the conversion 'treatment'. Charles was telling these seekers that the homosexual experiences they were having with him were not 'homosexual' but 'Jonathan and David' relationships. These seekers, many of whom were 'seeking' against their own will because they had been sent to Charles by a church or their PARENTS, were quite cooperative in such ... 'Jonathan and David' relationships. The Episcopal Church, which housed Liberation in Jesus Christ, kicked Charles out, convinced he was a fraud." (Blair, 1982, p. 7).