TWO Calls On DC Mayor To Explain Why PFOX Activist Received Honor

We alerted Wayne Besen of Truth Wins Out to the Fenty/Griggs story yesterday afternoon, and shared our call on the Mayor to explain himself. Besen joins the fray with this statement:

Truth Wins Out (TWO) called on Adrian Fenty, the mayor of Washington, D.C., to quickly explain how Regina Griggs, an activist with Parents & Friends of Ex-Gays, (PFOX) received a certificate of appreciation. PFOX touted the honor in a press release and is displaying a copy of it on its website.

“We call on mayor Fenty to explain how a pusher of anti-gay propaganda and junk science received a certificate of appreciation,” said Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out. “It is outrageous and surreal that one of the most dishonest and divisive organizations in Washington would be honored.” ...

PFOX is a dangerous organization that promotes reparative therapy, a fringe practice rejected by every respected medical and mental health organization in the nation. Attempts to change sexual orientation are condemned by the American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, American Psychiatric Association and The American Academy of Pediatrics.

PFOX’s is an irresponsible organization that potentially places children in harms way. The organization’s speaker’s bureau is run by Arthur Abba Goldberg, a former Wall Street criminal mastermind who was sent to prison in 1987 for committing bond fraud. PFOX’s former President, Richard Cohen, was permanently expelled from the American Counseling Association for malpractice.

PFOX is a political front group founded by the Family Research Council in an effort to use so-called “ex-gays” to lobby in favor of discriminatory laws. The group’s first executive director, Anthony Falzarano regularly smeared gay people claiming, without supporting evidence, that, “70-percent of homosexuals are molested as children.” He also said on CBS News that, “AIDS comes directly from Satan. He uses homosexuals as pawns and then he kills them.”

“PFOX is a group that has long attracted undesirable elements who disseminate demeaning and dehumanizing anti-gay lies,” said TWO’s Besen. “It is mind-boggling that Griggs has been given this honor. Only Mayor Fenty can clarify what happened, take responsibility, and ensure this kind of grievous insult won’t be repeated.”

As of this writing, we are still waiting for a statement from the Mayor's office.