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10 Dec 2009

Uganda "Kill the Gays" Bill: Rachel Maddow thrashes US ex-gay promoter Richard Cohen

Uganda’s “Kill the gays” bill is said to be inspired by an American ex-gay activist and author of Coming Out Straight who claims he has helped thousands of gays “become” straight.


Author of Coming Out Straight Richard Cohen appears as
a guest on The Rachel Maddow Show on Dec 8, 2009

Rachel Maddow, the openly lesbian news and opinion TV show host, quotes and thrashes the arguments made by Richard Cohen, author of Coming Out Straight. His “arguments” and book have been used by Ugandan lawmakers who have proposed legislation that punishes “aggravated” homosexuality with the death penalty. The law also proposes incarceration for those who know about a gay relationship but fail to report it to authorities within 24 hours. 

"I realise I was taking the risk of helping promote you and the way that you think about these things by putting you on the air," Maddow told viewers. "But I do think that you've actually got blood on your hands." 

"Just in case this gets heard in Uganda," she added. "Richard Cohen is not licensed by any American or any other licensing body whatsoever."

When grilled about having the appropriate license to practise as a therapist, he insisted that he practiced psychotherapy "under the requirements of every state that he had practiced in" and has helped thousands of men and women "come out of homosexuality" before conceding that he didn't have the relevant credentials or qualifications to do so.

When Maddow mentioned that he was kicked out of the American Counseling Association in 2002 or 2003 due to ethical concerns, he attempted to paint himself as a "victim of a hate crime" and that the organisation was being intolerant of his views. To which Maddow replied, "I will say that the ACA kicked you out because of ethical concerns about your financial relationship with your clients and using them to promote yourself ... not because that you‘re anti-gay."

This is MUST-SEE TV.

 


 

The following is an extract of the transcript of Rachel Maddow's recent interview with controversial "ex-gay" therapist Richard Cohen on MSNBC. 

Maddow: Let me try to make more comprehensible to you. The legislator who sponsored the bill told the Associated Press today, that he insists these strict measures, which I know you abhor -

Cohen: Yes.

Maddow: But these strict measure they‘re proposing, including execution, are necessary in their country to prevent homosexuals from recruiting school children.

Cohen: Yes.

Maddow: Let me ask - I‘ll just read from your book, OK? Page 49, “Homosexuals are at least 12 times more likely to molest children than heterosexuals. Homosexual teachers are at least seven times more likely to molest a pupil. Homosexual teachers are estimated to have committed at least 25 percent of pupil molestation; 40 percent of molestation assaults were made by those who engage in homosexuality.”

This is the claim that you make in your book that exactly feeds these folks who want to execute people for being gay, what they need in order to justify that. Do you stand by what you said in your book?

Cohen: Actually, you know, that one particular quote, when I do republish it, reprint it, we will extract that from it, because we don‘t want such things to be used against homosexual persons.

Maddow: That quote is cited - you cite somebody named Paul Cameron as the source of that book.

Cohen: Yes.

Maddow: Paul Cameron has been kicked out of the American Psychological Association, the Nebraska Psychological Association, and the Canadian Psychological Association.

Cohen: Yes. Right.

Maddow: Then, he tried to make himself a sociologist. He got kicked out of the American Sociological Association. This is - I know you say you‘re not going to include it in edition three. I‘m reading from the second edition here.

Cohen: Right.

Maddow: But this is made-up information, fake authoritative stuff that, in other countries, is being taken as science and used to justify quite literally killing gay people. Do you see now why you‘re being used in a political context here? 

A full transcript can be read here

Reader's Comments

1. 2009-12-10 21:33  
Richard Cohen is a delusional gay man who thinks he's 'straighten out' now just because he whacks pillows with a racket and marries an asian woman and have kids. The whole charade is laughable.
2. 2009-12-10 21:41  
Never seen Rachel Maddow before, but I want more.

That fool got OWNED!!!
3. 2009-12-10 23:26  
I love Rachel Maddow so much... this was revolting on SO many levels, though. I'd like to laugh at him, but somehow I feel more scared than anything.
4. 2009-12-11 07:24  
Wow Fridae, thank you for posting this information. I am so so impressed with Rachel Maddow and he firm but fair journalism. I actually feel quite sick when I hear of this Ugandan legislation and the fearful anti gay movements around the world. It challenges me to be inclusive of all people, including within our own gay/les/bi/transexual communities.
Peace.
Ben
5. 2009-12-11 11:43  
heard so many theories on why someone would be straight or gay... and it's boring me to death... can't they just accept people as who they are, gay or straight :|
6. 2009-12-11 15:50  
Does my race make me gay? It is totally absurd. Being gay is my personal will and it has nothing to do with anyone or anything.
7. 2009-12-12 11:17  
What was she referring to at the end when she said Cohen is still engaging in gay liaisons post hetero marriage? Where did she get that? This man has this Karl Rove poker look in his face it's cringe worthy.

EDIT: My, I guess his "wife" is Asian. I really am hoping that she is a lesbian and they are indeed in a marriage of convenience, otherwise, it'd just be so sad.
Comment edited on 2009-12-12 11:22:48
8. 2009-12-12 11:37  
stupid! totally ridiculous, i hate that Rachel Maddow~~such a shame that he was gay before, we dont need this kind of people
whats the matter of being gay?should everyone become straighi n the world, come on grow up , he is just like thos cunt in the church who anti gay and want to kill gay people because of their sexual orientation only but not the way they do right or wrong in life.
i feel empathy on gay people living in Uganda and good that i stay in Hong Kong so far we dont have such stupid law if so i will move surely!
sucker Rachel Maddow~
9. 2009-12-12 15:17  
i have a crush on Rachel Maddow now. its incredibly hard to stay so calm when debating someone as willfully delusional as Richard Cohen. i love how she lets him go on a tangent, giving him enough rope to hang himself then, then clobber him with a timely reminder that he is not accredited, meaning whatever he has just sprouted could and should be taken with a pungent whiff of bs.
10. 2009-12-12 17:54  
People are born gay and figure it out at some point some earlier and some later. Rachel Maddow is fantastic for holding this guy to the fire and making him justify some amazing mis-information.

This guy is making living by teaching misinformation and by inference hate and bigotry. How sad. He is so gay and he is either in denial or just plain dishonest.
11. 2009-12-13 11:10  
Well done, Rachel! I wished you had also shown the evidence (e.g. letters from the licensing professional bodies) of this liar and Cameron being kicked out of the professional communities. These 2 shameless liars deserve to be denounced. A video clip of this program should be sent to each of the MPs of the ruling party of Uganda, which is likely to pass a Bill to kill people for certain kinds of gay sex. Also, it's even more important for the Uganda's misguided MPs to be deprecated by the international community. Gay politicians around the world, and especially of Uganda's major trading partners, should be urged to take whatever actions that may be within their means to force this misguided government to withdraw. Gay organisations like Fridae should write letters to influential gay people like the Prime Minister of Iceland, the Foreign Minister of Germany and Lord Peter Mandelson, the former Trade Commissioner of EU and present President of the Board of Trade of the United Kingdom. The Uganda ruling party deserves a tight slap in the face.
12. 2009-12-13 11:57  
Somebody needs to GPS his ass and catch him still having gay sex. Who's buying it that he's no longer gay?
13. 2009-12-13 14:11  
Is it really achievable? Whether you can change or not, in the end, you just have to be honest with yourself.


Still, can't help but being curious
Comment edited on 2009-12-15 13:28:38
14. 2009-12-13 15:27  
Go Rachel. What a complete and utter idiot of a man, who doesn't even know what his books are doing to the world.

Integration is the key, not segregation.

15. 2009-12-13 17:44  
Why are christains so evil?
16. 2009-12-13 22:28  
It's much worse in Islamic countries such as Somalia and Nigeria -God help them there!!
Comment #17 was deleted by its author on 2009-12-14 00:17
Comment #18 was deleted by its author on 2009-12-17 08:03
19. 2009-12-14 00:45  
I love watching Rachel Maddow! She's one smart fast talking cookie!
20. 2009-12-14 06:00  
#19: Yes, Rachel is extremely entertaining, humorous and smart. Anyway, she grad from Stanford and got a scholarship to do her DPhil (PhD) at Oxford, in Politics.
21. 2009-12-14 15:33  
Cohen is a douchebag + period.
Christianity is just as evil as douchebags + period.

I mean, that was motherfucking contradicting?
22. 2009-12-14 16:41  
Sheesh he just makes me sick! Unfortunately there still exists tons of such douchebags all around the world!

Kudos to Rachel for standing up to him!
23. 2009-12-14 19:50  
Religiosity is not a licence for dishonesty.
24. 2009-12-14 22:53  
i love Racheal Maddow, met her last year for drinks, she is smart and really down to earth and has a crush on me, I think she shouldn't even have this guy on her show or give him a chance to see day light, big mistake or her part, I am proud of the cool lesbians we have in the USA and our new Mayor in Houston who is first class capable and oh yeah I happen to be a lesbian too
25. 2009-12-14 23:16  
to post no.08. I believe u are referring to richard cohen, and not Racheal whom u have falsely accused.
26. 2009-12-15 04:12  
Oh, man........ I can't tell you how much I wanna see That guy get interviewed by one of my heroes, Jeremy Paxman. No doubt Paxo would interview him in the exact same way he's been interviewing people for 20+ years (basically: 'I think you are a lying piece of shit, you bastard, and I am going to destroy you'). Sadly, too many people like This guy know how to Play The Game, and avoid any show where they're genuinely put on the spot. As such, his nonsense about 'curing' gay people is likely to continue... At least in Uganda...
27. 2009-12-16 02:20  
Rachel, thank you for exposing these frauds.

This is an insult to Uganda, a wonderful country and people.

Re Christianity and some comments above, and regarding the "true Christian" belief about gay people and ALL people, as a Jesuit priest told me many years ago, "Jesus taught us to "love our neighbor", he did not say, some neighbors, but ALL. so therefore no one can doubt that Jesus loves gay people and urges all others to love their neighbors, all their neighbors." That is enough, pretty simple.
28. 2009-12-16 02:21  
Rachel, thank you for exposing these frauds.

This is an insult to Uganda, a wonderful country and people.

Re Christianity and some comments above, and regarding the "true Christian" belief about gay people and ALL people, as a Jesuit priest told me many years ago, "Jesus taught us to "love our neighbor", he did not say, some neighbors, but ALL. so therefore no one can doubt that Jesus loves gay people and urges all others to love their neighbors, all their neighbors." That is enough, pretty simple.
29. 2009-12-16 11:04  
It's ok - there is an express line in hell reserved for these people.
30. 2009-12-17 06:01  
That dreadful man, what a jerk! No is gay and turns staight. People are born with a gene that makes you gay...... he is a total lie.
Uganda,, the government should be shot for such things. It is 2009 for gods sake. Canada, has total same sex rights. Our country has not crumbled. Our own Prime minister told G W Bush... before the vote on gay rights, go home, we are a Sovereign nation, go HOME.
Uganda should have an embargo agaist it. How horrified the gay men and women must be who live there.
I am sure the people of Uganda are not with the government on this, they are too scared to speak out......
Uganda............. FUCK U
31. 2010-01-05 09:27  
Amazing what influence one lunatic can have.

This bloke hasnt got both oars in the water.

He should try and organise and live his own life the best he can and leave the rest of the world alone!

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