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from Press Releases
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
March 6, 2005
For more information, contact:
Dr. A. Dean Byrd, 818.789.4440
Email: nationalarth@yahoo.com
Canadian School District Suspends NARTH-Affiliated Counselor
Encino, California --
"The three-month suspension of Dr. Chris Kempling from his counseling position
with the Quesnel School District in British Columbia is a troublesome reminder
of the problems facing NARTH members in speaking out on the issue of sexual
orientation," said NARTH Science Advisor Dr. A. Dean Byrd today. "The district
has unfairly punished Dr. Kempling for his personal views on same-sex marriage
and his belief that homosexuals can change their sexual orientation. This
Orwellian event should be of major concern to free speech advocates."
Dr. Kempling was suspended without pay on April 4th by Quesnel School District
Superintendent Ed Napier. Kempling has been a school counselor since 1990 and
was a keynote speaker at NARTH's annual conference in 2003 in Salt Lake City.
The topic of this speech was "Colliding Worldviews: How to Survive as a NARTH
Member in the Public School System."
"NARTH is very concerned that this suspension of Dr. Kempling will put a
chilling effect on anyone in Canada who may believe that those with unwanted
homosexual attractions can diminish those attractions and make changes in their
lives," said Byrd. "Dr. Kempling's views on homosexuality were expressed on his
own time and were fact-based arguments in local newspapers about the medical and
psychological problems associated with homosexual behaviors. Kempling's concerns
about homosexuality stem from his attendance at a pro-gay workshop for educators
in 1996 where workshop leaders encouraged teachers to expose their alleged
'homosexual' students to pornography and to join masturbation clubs.
"NARTH fully supports Dr. Kempling's attempts to share his knowledge about
homosexuality in a public forum and we condemn the Quesnel school leadership for
censoring a legitimate viewpoint on homosexuality," said Dr. Byrd. "Dr.
Kempling's views are just as legitimate as those who believe homosexuality is a
normal variation of human sexuality. He should be free to express his viewpoint
without being punished and robbed of income. We assumed that the Thought Police
were only a figment of George Orwell's imagination. Apparently they're real in
Canada."
Dr. Byrd is available for interviews at 818-789-4440.
The National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality was founded in 1992 and is composed of psychiatrists, psychoanalytically informed psychologists, certified social workers, and other behavioral scientists, as well as laymen in fields such as law, religion, and education.
NARTH, 16633 Ventura Boulevard, Suite 1340, Encino, CA 91436-1801
Phone: 818.789.4440
Fax: 818.789.6452
Updated: 8 February 2008
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