from Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
March 6, 2005

For more information, contact:
Dr. A. Dean Byrd, 818.789.4440
Email: info@narth.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.

NARTH, founded in 1992, is composed of psychiatrists, psychologists, certified social workers, professional and pastoral counselors and other behavioral scientists, as well as laymen from a wide variety of backgrounds such as law, religion, and education.

NARTH
307 West 200 South, Suite 3001
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
1-888-364-4744
Email: info@narth.com