Psychologist Sues Magazine for Spreading ‘Lies’ of LGBT Political Activists

A California psychological organization is suing the authors of a medical journal article in order to combat the spread of dangerous health misinformation by LGBT political activists. Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, Jr. is the originator of Reintegrative Therapy®, a specific form of psychotherapy which treats traumas, yet has also been shown to trigger spontaneous sexuality changes as a byproduct.

Nicolosi is suing the authors for making false and defamatory statements that improperly characterize such voluntary treatments as coercive “conversion therapy,” misleading the public and policy makers on the topic of sexuality change. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in California by the Thomas More Society on behalf of Nicolosi and the Reintegrative Therapy Association, charges Dr. Travis Salway and David Kinitz with defamation and libel per se.

“These political activists need to be held accountable. They are masquerading as objective scientists and deliberately misleading the public by presenting lies as scientific truth,” explained Paul Jonna, Thomas More Society Special Counsel and partner at LiMandri & Jonna, LLP. “By falsely misrepresenting Reintegrative Therapy® and the Reintegrative Therapy Association in an open-access medical journal, they have defamed and injured the practice of this evidence-based treatment. Reintegrative Therapy® clients deserve the same rights and freedoms as anyone else—to have access to accurate medical information, and to have therapists who understand them and support them in their journey.”

“Contrary to the false claims made by Salway and Kinitz, Reintegrative Therapy® uses evidence-based interventions which treat traumatic memories,” shared Nicolosi.

Newly released long-term evidence indicates this treatment is both safe and effective. The treatment methods utilized in Reintegrative Therapy® are the same regardless of whether the client is a female client with a binge eating disorder or a male client with sexually compulsive behaviors. Resolving a person’s psychological trauma through Reintegrative Therapy® has a variety of secondary impacts on the individual’s psychological dynamics, which sometimes include impacts on a person’s sexuality. Reintegrative Therapy® does not have as its treatment goal changing a person’s sexual orientation.

Regarding the activists who published the false information, Jonna summarized, “Their so-called research either deliberately obscured the facts or was so sloppy as to not be submittable for publication. This is both irresponsible and reprehensible.”

Read the Complaint for Defamation (Libel) and Injunctive Relief filed by attorneys of the Thomas More Society on behalf of the plaintiffs in Reintegrative Therapy Association and Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, Jr. v. David J. Kinitz and Travis Salway on July 20, 2021, in the United States District Court—Southern District of California here (thomasmoresociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Nicolosi-Complaint.pdf].

Read the report, “Pela, C., & Sutton, P. M. (2021) Sexual Attraction Fluidity and Well-Being in Men: A Therapeutic Outcome Study” published October 1 2021, in the Journal of Human Sexuality.

The Thomas More Society is a national not-for-profit law firm dedicated to restoring respect in law for life, family and religious liberty. Headquartered in Chicago and with offices across the country, the Thomas More Society fosters support for these causes by providing high quality pro bono legal services from local trial courts all the way up to the United States Supreme Court. For more information, visit thomasmoresociety.org.

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