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{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{otherpersons2|Richard Cohen}}
{{Infobox person
'''Richard Cohen''' (born 1952) is a writer and ]<ref name="post" />, assisting men and women<ref name="newstatesman2007">{{cite web
| honorific_prefix =
|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/200707200001
| name = Richard A. Cohen
|title=Born gay? No way!
| image =
|accessdate=2007-08-27
| caption = Cohen in 2023
|last=Cohen
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1952}}
|first=Richard
| birth_place = ], ], USA
|date=2007-07-20
| alma_mater = ]<br />
|work=]}}</ref> with unwanted same-sex attractions.<ref name="post" /> He has been called one of America's leading practitioners of conversion therapy.<ref>, ] Foreign Correspondent, 08-22-2006. Retrieved 04-07-2007.</ref> Cohen gives lectures and runs seminars and workshops where he sells his books. <ref name="amazon-gcsp">{{cite web
]
|url=http://www.amazon.com/dp/0830834370/
| occupation =
|title=Gay Children, Straight Parents: A Plan for Family Healing: Books: Richard Cohen
| spouse = Jae Sook Cohen (1980–present)
|accessdate=2007-10-22
| children = 3
|publisher=Amazon.com}}</ref> Cohen's theories differ from mainstream medical views of sexual orientation. <ref name="apa">, ], et al., 1999. Retrieved on 2007-02-23.</ref> The National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) strongly opposes the use of holding techniques.<ref>, ], 06-05-2006. Retrieved on 04-07-2007.</ref>
| website =
}}
{{other people||Richard Cohen (disambiguation)}}'''Richard A. Cohen''' (born 1952) is a Christian psychotherapist and author associated with the ]. He is a co-founder of Positive Approaches to Healthy Sexuality (previously ])<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 2, 2015 |title=PATH |url=http://www.pathinfo.org/index.html |access-date=August 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150302174303/http://www.pathinfo.org/index.html |archive-date=March 2, 2015}}</ref> which offers discredited ] practices purporting to change a person from homosexual to heterosexual.<ref name="post">{{Cite news |last=Boodman |first=Sandra G. |date=August 16, 2005 |title=A Conversion Therapist's Unusual Odyssey |language=en-US |newspaper=] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/wellness/2005/08/16/a-conversion-therapists-unusual-odyssey/8e1a190d-edc8-4914-b847-310098afed61/ |access-date=August 5, 2020 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=April 17, 2013 |title=Richard Cohen's Cynical Makeover |url=https://fcnp.com/2013/04/17/richard-cohens-cynical-makeover/ |access-date=September 18, 2020 |website=] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Besen |first=Wayne R. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ornnFZ6uffgC&pg=PA164 |title=Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-gay Myth |date=2003 |publisher=] |isbn=978-1-56023-446-3 |location= |pages=164 - 167 |language=en}}</ref> In 2002, Cohen was expelled from the ] for multiple violations.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />


He is author of ''Alfie's Home'', a children's book which depicts homosexuality as a reversible condition.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Blue |first=Miranda |date=February 1, 2013 |title=Will the Supreme Court read the most horrific children's book of all time?|url=https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2013/02/will-the-supreme-court-read-the-most-horrific-childrens-book-of-all-time/ |access-date=September 28, 2020 |website=]}}</ref> He gained media attention after demonstrating his ex-gay touch therapy on '']'', which included cuddling with men and beating a pillow.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=August 2, 2011 |title=Cuddling the gay away |url=https://www.salon.com/2011/08/02/ex_gay/ |access-date=August 9, 2023 |website=] |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=July 28, 2014 |title=Richard Cohen |url=https://www.glaad.org/cap/richard-cohen |access-date=March 28, 2019 |website=] |language=en}}</ref>
Cohen lives in ] with his family.<ref name="meet" /> He offers commercial teleconferencing classes on topics such as "assist help their children who experience same-sex attractions... heal and fulfill their innate heterosexual potential" and "present... a clear and comprehensive plan for transitioning from a homosexual to a heterosexual orientation."<ref>. Retrieved on 04-11-2007.</ref> He also travels on a lecture circuit discussing similar topics.<ref>. Retrieved on 04-11-2007.</ref>


==Biography== ==Biography==
Cohen was born into a Jewish family in ]. During adolescence, Cohen reportedly spent "years in intensive psychiatric treatment unsuccessfully trying to become straight".<ref name="post" />
A family friend repeatedly molested Cohen when he was 6 years old.<ref name="post"/> Cohen said that this provided the affection he craved from his father, and that he ] of molestation until he was 30 and in therapy. He was ] and actively gay while attending ] as an undergraduate, but spent years in intensive psychiatric treatment trying to change his sexual orientation,<ref name="post"/> beginning psychotherapy twice weekly with a traditional Freudian psychoanalyst.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.peoplecanchange.com/About_Us_Cohen.htm|title=Richard Cohen's story: "Coming Out Straight"|accessdate=2007-07-27|last=Cohen|first=Richard}} excerpt from the book, ''Coming Out Straight: Understanding and Healing Homosexuality'' by Richard Cohen</ref>


Cohen identified as gay during his undergraduate years at ]. He sought counseling for his unwanted same-sex attractions. He became an ], and later joined the ].<ref name="post" />
For 20 years Cohen was a member of the ]<ref name="post"/>, which has very negative views on homosexual behavior: <ref> B.A. Robinson, ] 2005</ref> Cohen married a woman of the same religion in 1982.<ref name="post"/> He left the Unification Church in 1995,<ref name="meet">. Retrieved on 04-07-2007.</ref> and has said that "If someone wants to live a gay life, that needs to be respected. If someone wants to change and come out straight, that too needs to be respected. Let us practice true tolerance, real diversity, and equality for all."<ref name="newstatesman2007"/>


In 1980, Cohen married Jae Sook, a ] woman, and in 1995, Cohen and his family left the Unification Church.<ref name="post" /><ref name=":3" /> Cohen had affairs with men, often leaving his wife and children for long periods of time.<ref name=":4" />
After two of his three children were born, Cohen began an ] with a man in ] whom he described as his "]" and whom he frequently traveled to see. The affair lasted three years.<ref name="post">{{cite web
|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/15/AR2005081501063.html
|title=A conversion therapist's unusual odyssey
|accessdate=2007-08-30
|last=Boodman
|first=Sandra G.
|date=2005-08-16
|work=]
|pages=HE04}}</ref> Cohen references this time as a period of turmoil that led him to pursue healing from his past.<ref>Cohen, R. . Retrieved on 04-07-2007.</ref> He states that he changed his sexual orientation from gay to straight and cites his own experiences as proof that a person's sexual orientation can change and that gay people are not born that way but rather become so through complex life experiences.


According to The Washington Post, Cohen he "overcame homosexuality" in 1987 through an "intense but platonic relationship" with a straight man who "gave me the warmth of my daddy's love."<ref name="post" />
==Education==
Cohen earned a ] from Boston University, and a ] degree in counseling psychology from ].


Cohen received a ] degree from Boston University and a ] in ] from ].<ref name="post" />
==Work==
Before practicing conversion therapy, Cohen worked in child abuse treatment services, family reconciliation services, and as an ]/] educator for the ].<ref name="meet" />


He is author of ''Alfie's Home'', a children's book which depicts homosexuality as a reversible condition.<ref name=":2" /> He served as the president of ] (PFOX), a group which promoted reparative therapy.<ref name=":1" />
According to Cohen he works under the auspices of the International Healing Foundation, a nonprofit and tax-exempt organization founded by him in 1990 to treat same-sex attraction.<ref name="post" />


===Expulsion from the ACA===
He is not licensed as a therapist, because he said he "didn't want to jump through the hoops and deal with the heterophobia and anti-ex-gay attitudes." Cohen avoids State licensing requirements by asking for donations to his foundations instead of payment.<ref name="post" />
In 2002, Cohen was expelled from the American Counseling Association (ACA) for violating its policies on advertising, engaging in ] involving clients and counselors, and compromising client welfare.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Notification of Results Letter |url=http://www.rawprint.com/besen/012504_aca_letter.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070103080104/http://www.rawprint.com/besen/012504_aca_letter.php |archive-date=January 3, 2007 |access-date=January 3, 2007}}, ]. Retrieved July 4, 2007.</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Potok |first=Mark |date=2016 |title=Quacks: 'Conversion Therapists,' the Anti-LGBT Right, and the Demonization of Homosexuality |url=https://www.splcenter.org/sites/default/files/splc_report_on_conversion_therapy_small.pdf |website=] |pages=40–41}}</ref> He did not appeal the ACA decision.<ref name="post" />

===Permanent expulsion from the American Counseling Association===
In 2002 Cohen was permanently expelled from the ] for six violations of its ethics code, which bars members from actions which "seek to meet their personal needs at the expense of clients, those that exploit the trust and dependency of clients, and for soliciting testimonials or promoting products in a deceptive manner."<ref name="post" /><ref>, ]. Retrieved 04-07-2007.</ref>

Cohen said he believes the expulsion was for his efforts in the ex-gay movement, specifically for the book ''Coming Out Straight'', and for one complaint. He did not appeal, calling the ACA "a biased organization"<ref name="najafi2005">{{cite web
|url=http://www.washblade.com/2005/3-4/news/localnews/activist.cfm
|title=Activist calls ex-gay leader "dishonest". Besen criticizes PFOX president for not disclosing past
|accessdate=2007-08-30
|last=Najafi
|first=Yusef
|date=2005-03-04
|work=]
|publisher=]}}</ref> and "gay-affirming club."<ref name="post"/>


===Media appearances=== ===Media appearances===
Cohen was interviewed by ] on the March 19, 2007, episode of ''The Daily Show''.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |url=http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-march-19-2007/diagnosis--mystery-pt--2 |title=The Daily Show with Trevor Noah |date=March 19, 2007}}</ref> He gained media attention for demonstrating cuddling with men and hitting pillows as a method for curing homosexuality.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":5" /> After the appearance, PFOX scrubbed mention of Cohen's name from its website.<ref name=":1" />
Cohen debated ], a ] advocate, on television in ]. Cohen later advanced his theories on ]'s show '']'',<ref>. Retrieved on 04-07-2007.</ref> on shock jock ]'s radio program,<ref>, Ex-Gay Watch, 08-16-2005. Retrieved on 04-07-2007.</ref> and on ]'s CNN program (see image). Following his appearance on Paula Zahn, ] issued a statement opposing "holding therapy" as a therapeutic approach.<ref name=Holding>. Retrieved 2007-02-23.</ref>


Cohen was on '']'' on June 28, 2006, was interviewed on '']'' on December 8, 2009,<ref>{{cite news |title='The Rachel Maddow Show' for Tuesday, December 8, 2009 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna34345821 |access-date=December 31, 2023 |work=NBC News |date=December 9, 2009 |language=en}}</ref> and was on ''The ] Show'' on the ] radio network on April 17, 2010.
Cohen was then interviewed by ] on the March 19, ] episode of ''].'' Cohen was, for a time, the president of PFOX.<ref>. Retrieved on 04-11-2007.</ref>


== Selected works ==
==Beliefs about sexual orientation==
]
Cohen's 2001 book ''Coming Out Straight'' calls ] a "same-sex attachment disorder" and details his methods of sexual reorientation therapy, including his theory of the causes of same-sex attraction, his methods of changing sexual orientation, and stories of people who have undergone his therapies.


# ''Coming Out Straight'', Oakhill Press, Winchester, VA, 2000, {{ISBN|978-1-886939-41-7}} *
Cohen describes the "hidden meanings" of same-sex attraction as:
# ''Gay Children, Straight Parents'', 2007, InterVarsity Press, {{ISBN|978-0-8308-3437-2}} *
#need for same-sex parent's love
# ''Being Gay: Nature, Nurture or Both?'' PATH Press, 2020, {{ISBN|978-1-7338469-2-9}} *
#need for gender identification
# ''Understanding Our LGBTQ+ Loved Ones'', 2022, PATH Press, {{ISBN|978-1-7338469-8-1}} *
#fear of intimacy with the opposite sex<ref>. Retrieved on 04-07-2007.</ref>
# ''Healing Humanity: Time, Touch & Talk'', 2018, TTT Press, USA, {{ISBN|978-1-7338469-6-7}} *
# ''A Therapist’s Guide: Assisting Our LGBTQ+ Loved Ones'', 2024, PATH Press, {{ISBN|979-8987026090}}


<nowiki>*</nowiki> Published and reviewed in multiple languages
Cohen claims several root causes of same-sex attraction including heredity; temperament; family dynamics; "wounds" from a parent or sibling; social, peer, or cultural "wounds"; body image "wounds"; and sexual abuse. Cohen employs as many as 22 techniques including ], ], ] and ]s, "] healing," and ].


== References ==
Cohen uses a technique called ], which involves physical exercises that is purported to facilitate the resurgence of repressed feelings. The International Institute for Bioenergetic Analysis states that this activity allows the client to confront and process these feelings, working towards forgiveness and reconciliation.<ref name="post" /><ref>Cf.
{{Reflist}}
What is Bioenergetic Analysis?], The International Institute for Bioenergetic Analysis. Retrieved on 04-11-2007.</ref> He demonstrated this by smashing a tennis racket into a pillow while screaming "Mom! Why did you do that to me?". Cohen also uses holding therapy, which involves cuddling and repeating affirming words to attempt to establish healthy, non-sexual male bonding that may have been absent during childhood.<ref name=Agape>Brown, J. , Agape Press, 06-20-2006. Retrieved on 04-07-2007.</ref>


==External links==
===Mainstream medical view of conversion therapy===
{{Wikiquote}}
{{main|Conversion therapy#Mainstream medical view on changing sexual orientation}}
{{Portal|LGBTQ|Biography|United States}}
The medical and scientific consensus is that conversion therapy is potentially harmful and that there is no evidence it is effective.<ref name="yoshino">{{cite journal
|last=Yoshino
|first=Kenji
|date=2002-01
|title=Covering
|journal=Yale Law Journal
|volume=111
|issue=4
|pages=179 et seq.}}</ref><ref name="apa">, ], et al., 1999. Retrieved 2007-02-23.</ref><ref name="PsychNews">, Psychiatric News (news division of the ]), 01-15-1999. Retrieved 04-06-2007.</ref> No mainstream medical organization endorses conversion therapy.<ref name="apa" /> The ethics guidelines of these organizations discourage, and sometimes prohibit, its practice.<ref>See ].</ref> ], a mental health organization, disputes the mainstream view.<ref name="yoshino" />


{{Authority control}}
==Books written==
*Cohen, R. ''Alfie's Home'' (1993) ISBN 0-9637058-0-6, ].
*Cohen, R. ''Coming Out Straight'' (2001) ISBN 1-886939-41-1, Oakhill Press, equity publisher<!--What does this mean?-->.
*Cohen, R. ''Gay Children, Straight Parents: A Plan for Family Healing'' (2007) ISBN 978-0830834372, ].

==Further reading==
See generally Besen, W. '']: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies behind the Ex-Gay Myth'', Harrington Park Press. ISBN 1-56023-445-8

==References==
<div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; column-count:2;"><references/></div>

==External links==
* - An organization Richard Cohen founded
<!-- HIDING THIS BECAUSE THE VIDEO IS NOT AVAILABLE!!! CAN SOMEONE FIND ANOTHER COPY? * -->


{{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, Richard A.}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Cohen, Richard A.}}
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Latest revision as of 00:56, 3 October 2024

Richard A. Cohen
Born1952 (age 72–73)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Alma materBoston University
Antioch University
SpouseJae Sook Cohen (1980–present)
Children3
For other people with the same name, see Richard Cohen (disambiguation).

Richard A. Cohen (born 1952) is a Christian psychotherapist and author associated with the ex-gay movement. He is a co-founder of Positive Approaches to Healthy Sexuality (previously Positive Alternatives to Homosexuality) which offers discredited conversion therapy practices purporting to change a person from homosexual to heterosexual. In 2002, Cohen was expelled from the American Counseling Association for multiple violations.

He is author of Alfie's Home, a children's book which depicts homosexuality as a reversible condition. He gained media attention after demonstrating his ex-gay touch therapy on The Daily Show, which included cuddling with men and beating a pillow.

Biography

Cohen was born into a Jewish family in Philadelphia. During adolescence, Cohen reportedly spent "years in intensive psychiatric treatment unsuccessfully trying to become straight".

Cohen identified as gay during his undergraduate years at Boston University. He sought counseling for his unwanted same-sex attractions. He became an evangelical Christian, and later joined the Unification Church.

In 1980, Cohen married Jae Sook, a South Korean woman, and in 1995, Cohen and his family left the Unification Church. Cohen had affairs with men, often leaving his wife and children for long periods of time.

According to The Washington Post, Cohen he "overcame homosexuality" in 1987 through an "intense but platonic relationship" with a straight man who "gave me the warmth of my daddy's love."

Cohen received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Boston University and a Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology from Antioch University.

He is author of Alfie's Home, a children's book which depicts homosexuality as a reversible condition. He served as the president of Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX), a group which promoted reparative therapy.

Expulsion from the ACA

In 2002, Cohen was expelled from the American Counseling Association (ACA) for violating its policies on advertising, engaging in dual relationships involving clients and counselors, and compromising client welfare. He did not appeal the ACA decision.

Media appearances

Cohen was interviewed by Jason Jones on the March 19, 2007, episode of The Daily Show. He gained media attention for demonstrating cuddling with men and hitting pillows as a method for curing homosexuality. After the appearance, PFOX scrubbed mention of Cohen's name from its website.

Cohen was on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on June 28, 2006, was interviewed on The Rachel Maddow Show on December 8, 2009, and was on The Michelangelo Signorile Show on the Sirius radio network on April 17, 2010.

Selected works

  1. Coming Out Straight, Oakhill Press, Winchester, VA, 2000, ISBN 978-1-886939-41-7 *
  2. Gay Children, Straight Parents, 2007, InterVarsity Press, ISBN 978-0-8308-3437-2 *
  3. Being Gay: Nature, Nurture or Both? PATH Press, 2020, ISBN 978-1-7338469-2-9 *
  4. Understanding Our LGBTQ+ Loved Ones, 2022, PATH Press, ISBN 978-1-7338469-8-1 *
  5. Healing Humanity: Time, Touch & Talk, 2018, TTT Press, USA, ISBN 978-1-7338469-6-7 *
  6. A Therapist’s Guide: Assisting Our LGBTQ+ Loved Ones, 2024, PATH Press, ISBN 979-8987026090

* Published and reviewed in multiple languages

References

  1. "PATH". March 2, 2015. Archived from the original on March 2, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  2. ^ Boodman, Sandra G. (August 16, 2005). "A Conversion Therapist's Unusual Odyssey". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  3. "Richard Cohen's Cynical Makeover". Falls Church News-Press. April 17, 2013. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  4. ^ Besen, Wayne R. (2003). Anything But Straight: Unmasking the Scandals and Lies Behind the Ex-gay Myth. Psychology Press. pp. 164–167. ISBN 978-1-56023-446-3.
  5. ^ "Notification of Results Letter". Archived from the original on January 3, 2007. Retrieved January 3, 2007., American Counseling Association. Retrieved July 4, 2007.
  6. ^ Potok, Mark (2016). "Quacks: 'Conversion Therapists,' the Anti-LGBT Right, and the Demonization of Homosexuality" (PDF). Southern Poverty Law Center. pp. 40–41.
  7. ^ Blue, Miranda (February 1, 2013). "Will the Supreme Court read the most horrific children's book of all time?". LGBTQ Nation. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
  8. ^ "Cuddling the gay away". Salon.com. August 2, 2011. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  9. ^ "Richard Cohen". GLAAD. July 28, 2014. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  10. ^ "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah". March 19, 2007.
  11. "'The Rachel Maddow Show' for Tuesday, December 8, 2009". NBC News. December 9, 2009. Retrieved December 31, 2023.

External links

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