澳彩开奖

"Joe was certainly a larger-than-life, one-of-a-kind guy. Never worried about political correctness, he was happy to swim against the cultural tide when he was sure the culture was going in the wrong direction,鈥� his wife, Linda Nicolosi, wrote in the announcement.

鈥淭hat got him into trouble quite a few times,鈥� she added.

Considered the father of conversion therapy, also known as 鈥渆x-gay鈥� or 鈥渞eparative therapy,鈥� Nicolosi believed a person could change their sexual orientation through a barrage of bizarre 鈥撯�� and often severe 鈥撯�撀爌sychological treatments.聽But, as his wife noted, that belief was increasingly at odds with both science and culture. His beliefs were dismissed by almost every major medical and psychological authority, and many expressed concern that conversion therapy caused harm.

Most strikingly, in 2006, the American Psychological Association (APA) stated, 鈥淭here is simply no sufficiently scientifically sound evidence that sexual orientation can be changed.鈥� The APA added, 鈥淥ur further concern is that the positions espoused by NARTH and Focus on the Family create an environment in which prejudice and discrimination can flourish.鈥�

Nicolosi聽had a long history of defending the discredited therapy.

In 1992, he founded the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) with and Benjamin Kaufman, themselves controversial figures. The three doctors claimed he were starting NARTH because, they believed, the American Psychiatric Association鈥檚 declassification聽of homosexuality in 1973 was due to political correctness and avoided an honest discussion of the topic.

Based in Nicolosi鈥檚 Thomas Aquinas Psychological Clinic in California, NARTH claimed its work was based on scientific facts, and treated many members of the LGBT community. But as the law began to slowly acknowledge LGBT rights, and the U.S. Supreme Court recognizing same-sex marriage in 2015, Nicolosi and conversion therapy came under scrutiny.

The 澳彩开奖,聽along with other attorneys, brought a聽聽consumer fraud lawsuit聽against Jews Offering New Alternatives for Healing, or JONAH (formerly known as Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality). During the trial聽a superior court judge barred six experts from testifying, including Nicolosi. 鈥淸T]he theory that homosexuality is a disorder is not novel but like the notion that the earth is flat and the sun revolves around it instead is outdated and refuted,鈥� Superior Court Judge Peter F. Bariso Jr. said.

While the anti-LGBT movement, which defended conversion therapy as justification for their opposition, was largely silent in response to Nicolosi鈥檚 death, opponents of conversion therapy took to social media to respond with anger and pain.

鈥淛oseph Nicolosi died the way he lived: in sadness. It鈥檚 a pain many of us know all too well. He managed to turn his into a multi-million dollar industry of self-hatred, from which the casualties are too many to count,鈥� Twitter user . 鈥淭here is no part of this story that is not heartbreaking.鈥�

Ames continued, 鈥淭onight, I鈥檒l be lighting a candle for every person this man hurt, turned against their own heart, or made to believe was born anything other than perfect 鈥� starting with himself. May his unhappy ending be the last of its kind.鈥�