Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays Still Offers Cohen As A Public Speaker, Even After Publicly Cutting Ties, Says Truth Wins Out
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — A Truth Wins Out investigation revealed today that Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays (PFOX) is still offering disgraced counselor Richard Cohen as one of its primary speakers. This comes after PFOX recently cut ties to Cohen, following embarrassing performances on several national television shows that included the “ex-gay’ therapist cursing and belching to show he was now heterosexual.
In the aftermath of a particularly humiliating appearance on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, PFOX scrubbed its website of references to its former board president. PFOX made the move because Cohen’ bizarre techniques were making it increasingly difficult for the organization to accomplish its goal of getting ex-gay materials into public schools.
Truth Wins Out grew suspicious that Cohen was still calling the shots at PFOX because the group’ latest sound bites and strategies sounded a lot like those proffered by the Maryland “therapist.” To find out if there was a clandestine collaboration between PFOX and Cohen, Truth Wins Out conducted a simple experiment. The organization sent PFOX a request for an “ex-gay” speaker under the screen name FamilyManMd.
PFOX first offered an African American ex-lesbian. However, when “FamilyManMd” requested a Caucasian male speaker, the screen name received a rapid e-mail from Cohen offering his services. Cohen had previously been expelled from the American Counseling Association, which he failed to mention in his e-mail prompting his services.
“PFOX can’t get into the schools if it is tied to fools, so it is concealing its tight relationship with Richard Cohen,” said Truth Wins Out’ Executive Director Wayne Besen. “We urge PFOX to come out of the closet and fully reveal the nature of its current relationship with this disgraced counselor.”
Truth Wins OUT is a non-profit organization that counters right wing propaganda, exposes the “ex-gay” myth and educates America about gay life. For more information, visit www.TruthWinsOut.org.
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