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from About NARTH
Two Differing Obituaries for
Dr. Charles Socarides
By Frank York
Deceased psychiatrist was leader in battle for freedom of choice in therapy
January 12, 2006 -
Dr. Charles Socarides, a co-founder of NARTH with Dr. Joseph
Nicolosi and Dr. Benjamin Kaufman, passed away on Christmas
Day at the age of 83. He is survived by his wife Claire and four children.
In a somewhat unflattering obituary published by the New York Times
(12/28/2005), the paper quoted Gilbert Herdt, an anthropologist who is director
of the National Sexuality Resource Center in San Francisco. Herdt said of Dr.
Socarides: "Socarides outlived his time. He became a kind of anachronism, and a
tragic one in the sense that he continued to inflict suffering on the lives of
some gay and lesbian individuals and the L.G.B.T. community in general." Herdt's
quote or similar statements have been used in other newspapers throughout the
U.S., including the Los Angeles Times.
The New York Times and Los Angeles Times failed to mention that Gilbert Herdt is
a well-known advocate of adult/child sex and has published numerous books and
articles on the value of older gay males serving as "coaches" and "guides" to
boys who are questioning their sexuality, helping them overcome their parents'
values -- which the boys come to see, Herdt says, as "a constant source of
exasperation and amusement." In an interview in PAIDIKA, the Dutch pedophile
journal (Winter, 1993), Herdt said that the category of "child" is "a rhetorical
device for inflaming what is really an irrational set of attitudes" against the
sexuality of children.
NARTH Leader Responds to News
Dr. Sander Breiner, a NARTH Scientific Advisory Committee member, responded
quite differently to news of Dr. Socarides' death. He said:
Dr. Socarides reported extensively on the clinical observations and dynamic
evaluations of individuals with gender identity problems. These writings were
clear, succinct, and carefully stated. Not only did he clearly explore the
complex symptomatology related to homosexuality; he also indicated therapeutic
avenues that could be available for those with this symptomatology. In addition
to his scientific contribution he also had enormous courage.
As it became more and more difficult socially and professionally to explore
homosexuality as an expression of unresolved conflicts, he stood even taller and
more forthright in communicating his understanding. In the later years of his
life when other psychoanalysts would reduce their activity, he increased his in
this important therapeutic activity. In helping to found NARTH he expressed
clearly his life dedication to solving and helping people with this difficulty.
When I wrote to him concerning the distortion by the homosexual community of the
concept of homophobia, he strongly agreed. He was adamant about the term
homophobia; that it should be eliminated from any discussion by the homosexual
community; in fact, he wanted to eliminate the word completely from the
vocabulary.
A man of his abilities and understanding and courage has made a major
contribution and will be sorely missed; especially since there is none who can
ever take his place. Those in the homosexual community who have attacked him do
not realize what a friend they have lost.
Sander J. Breiner, M.D.
Dr. Socarides, an early advocate for client self-determination in therapy,
became increasingly concerned over the dominance of the gay-activist movement in
the mental health profession. He helped found NARTH in 1992 to provide
science-based research and therapy for individuals who do not believe their
same-sex attractions express their true identity.
He wrote extensively on the importance of therapy for SSA individuals and
against the political correctness that had crept into the mental health
professions.
His book, Homosexuality: A Freedom Too Far, describes his views on homosexuality
and the imposition of gay political agendas into psychiatry and psychology.
NARTH reprinted Dr. Socarides' history of how the American Psychiatric
Association removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders in the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
Updated: 8 February 2008
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