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from Ethical Issues
Montel Williams To Deride Ex-Gay Ministries
On March 15th Show
March 13, 2007 - CBS talk show host Montel Williams will feature "Homosexuality ... Can It Be Cured?" on his March 15 program.
Williams will feature the former gay prostitute who "outed" Pastor Ted Haggard; "Lance," a youngster who says he was forced to attend a therapy camp; Alan Chambers, president of Exodus International; therapist Richard Cohen; Peterson Toscano, a gay man who says he underwent 17 years of unsuccessful therapy (now he is happily gay, he says; his website shows him dressed as a man and also as a woman) and Dr. Alicia Salzer.
Dr. Salzer, director of Montel Williams' therapeutic after-care program, is a lesbian activist and the producer of the documentary "Abomination: Homosexuality and the Ex-gay Movement." Salzer's documentary is featured at: http://www.aglp.org.
The co-directors of JONAH (Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality) were in the audience for the taping of this show. Co-directors Arthur Goldberg and Elaine Berk said they were shocked at the unbalanced program.
Berk's comments (reprinted with her permission from another web site) detailed what happened during the taping of the Williams show:
The taping of the Montel Williams show was last Wednesday. It was quite an upsetting experience, to say the least. ... it was high drama.
Montel made fun of reparative therapy the whole time even though the show was supposed to discuss reparative therapy -- the show was a set up. Exodus doesn't do reparative therapy and that's what the show was about, so it was ridiculous from the get-go.
Montel was out to demean "our side of the story" and did so at every opportunity.
One of the Exodus couples was bumped when they politely protested to Montel that he wasn't allowing the ex-gays the appropriate amount of time to speak. I give them credit.
Montel was floored that this couple had the nerve to dictate to him what they would accept from him. There was a 15-minute delay with producers and production people running out onto the stage as they decided what to do now that this couple was bumped in the middle of the taping.
Alan Chambers of Exodus, the only ex-gay up on the stage with several pro-gay activists, was not feeling well and didn't respond forcefully to the abuse given out by Montel. I don't know what happened but Montel pummeled him with words and questions. It was so sad and aggravating to see.
Then, a hero emerged!
All of a sudden Arthur Goldberg was yelling at Montel from the audience. Arthur yelled something like, "You're not being fair. You understand what he (Alan Chambers ) means, it's implied in what you read."
Montel was so shocked when Arthur yelled that he was being unfair and misinterpreting what Alan Chambers was saying that he didn't say much back. He tried to come back at Arthur but then Arthur yelled again, "This is a civil rights issue and you just don't understand." . . . and then the taping was over.
At that point...no one said anything, and everyone was hustled off stage.
Elaine Berk will be writing a more detailed report for NARTH on this program after it airs on Thursday.
Updated: 27 February 2008
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