So while trolling the internet today I found this terrible terrible book called Alfie's Home. It's a real book and it would be hilarious if Conan could present it on the show.

http://www.amazon.com/Alfies-Home-Richard-...n/dp/0963705806

And here's Conan...






You can see the whole book at http://dormitem.com/blog/193.

I doubt Conan would ever show this on Late Night because I don't think he'd be one to promote a book that makes fun of sexual abuse and discrimination based on sexual orientation (or discrimination, period). Not to be an uptight b.itch, but I feel kind of wrong to even allow it to fly on this message board. A lot of people have come here to tell us about this "resemblance" recently, so it's probably futile to delete it.

The book is actually not meant to make fun of any of that. Author Richard Cohen (who pretty much based the entire book around his own life) meant it to be used as an aide to help therapists and children deal with their trauma. The book itself doesn't have to be made fun of, only his resemblance to Uncle Pete.

Definitely futile to delete it if only for the fact that it reached the front page of digg.com and now thousands of people will be seeing it (I did a search to see if there were any articles about it and found none on this board, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered).

There is also a posting about this book in the "Conan Look Alike" thread located http://boards.nbc.com/nbc/index.php?s=&...t&p=2370305

Re: featuring this book on the show. Ugh. I hope not.

I sincerely thought the book was supposed to be a joke, not a tool for credible therapists to use. Frankly I'd be a little worried if a therapist thought that book would speak to or be appropriate for a child.

This was also posted in the Conan Lookalikes thread on July 31, but it's a bit buried there, so I can understand not finding it. And someone posted a link to the pictures on Aaron Bleyaert's blog (he's on the research staff), so he at least knows about it.

The creepiest thing about all of this (aside from the character's striking resemblance to Conan) is that this author, Richard Cohen, is an "ex-gay" "reparative therapist." You can read more on his Wikipedia page.

Apparently being gay can be cured by hitting a pillow, or having an "ex-gay" man hold you. (So, like Conan says, it's like the flu, you get over it.)

I doubt that the show will acknowledge this. But people do have the right to post this here, I suppose.

IN-A-PPROPRIATE!

FuSoYa

Ok... that sheds a whole new, very scary light on this book. I had no idea the book was meant to be taken seriously or that it's intended to aid in "curing" homosexuality in young boys or explaining how this "disorder" comes to be. Scary! Even Late Night has made jokes about the idea some people have that homosexuality can be magically "cured" or "corrected". That's like telling me it's possible that one day I'll wake up not liking or wanting d.ick. It's just not plausible.

This guy is obviously really disturbed by liking men (I'm sure he still does no matter how "ex-gay" he claims to be) and fails to realize not everyone who's gay thinks it's a problem or has whatever unfortunate, narrow-minded view he has. I can guarantee that hetero relationships can be as depraved and loveless as he probably thinks homosexual relationships are.

The reason I thought it was inappropriate for this board is because this board is supposed to be a non-discriminatory atmosphere, and the book (and author) are clearly really discriminatory against homosexuality.

Who knew a book could jump from "freaky molesting uncle creepy" to "uber creepy" so quickly? Ugh. I need a shower.

I personally know a guy who was as a kid molested by another man, someone who he thought to be his friend.
He was so ashaimed and didn't tell it to anyone until he was in his twenties (he's 25 as I speak). He always thought that he was gay (not gay as in homosexual but gay as in unable to attract and satisfy a woman) and so he thought he'd NEVER EVER get married or have kids. He gave his life to Jesus when he was 15 and married when he was 22. Jesus healed his broken self-image.

I also know someone who used to be gay (this time as in homosexual). He was a woman-hater. He despised everything female, especially his mother. Then one day some things let to another, and he also gave his life to Jesus. Soon after he had done that, he noticed he no longer could find other guys attractive. He didn't know why. He also noticed he no longer hated women, in fact, he got interested in them. Today he is married to a woman and couldn't be happier. So I don't understand what "creepy" is in a guy who is an ex-gay, since it IS possible ?

The book I suppose is something this Cohen -guy felt he needed to do. I hope it really helps people.

One of the creepy things about Cohen is that he sees preaching about how he can "cure" homosexuality as a commendable, worthy cause. Just allow people to be who they are, as they are. What really bothers me is I think his work is somewhat intended for parents who fear their child may be gay to help "make" them straight. Is there a more horrible offense you could commit as a parent than to basically reject your child's identity and take it upon yourself to change it?
I think people like Cohen who think they "want to be straight" don't realize one sexual orientation isn't necessarily going to be better or more fulfilling than another. If a guy really wants to be with a woman, he will be. He won't marry a woman, have two kids with her, and have a secret affair with a guy in the meantime. That's not being fair or true to anyone involved. And themes of sexual molestation and derogatory words for gay people are not appropriate in a children's book, period.

Oh dear god. The local library has this book in the children's section. Thankfully it's not checked out right now. Would it be wrong to check it out and then burn it?

Is it wrong that every time I see the creepy child-molesting uncle Pete in the picture in the first post I keep hoping the cartoon police will bust in and drag him off to cartoon jail?

That pic really skeeves me out.

Well, this IS actually a legit children's book (as ridiculous as that seems). Written by someone who has repeatedly violated his professional code of ethics, but a legit book, no less. I think the Kama Sutra would actually be alot less psychologically damaging than this book. I guess I could explain that it's inappropriate... though that would be really awkward and the people at the library might worship the Baby Jesus and think I'm a lover of immoral bears.

It's kind of scary to hear people who have kids these days talk about all the stuff that's out there to contend with. It's pretty much overwhelming, with the internet, especially, and people ultimately have less control over what their kids are exposed to than ever. I truly hope something annihilates website like myspace before I have kids. Well, my kids would probably be anti-establishment and have no desire to join those sites anyway.

I'm sorry but I have to disagree in some parts.
If someone wants to be gay, fine. If someone doesn't want to be gay, even anymore, fine!

(I forgot to add that I also once saw a documentary, and there was this guy who was one of the gayest guys I know (and a transvestite) and he told there he became that way because some man molested him as a child. Although the documentary wasn't about this, it was in there.)

To be honest, I believe there's A LOT more damaging material in the library. So go on, burn the book. But burn all the other books too while you're at it.
that's all.
[/just woke up and tired]

I'd better stop before I say someting I regret..

I agree. I just don't agree with the premise that this book is based on: that homosexuality is a disease or abnormality that can/should be "healed", cured, or corrected. I'm sorry but that's too discriminating and dehumanizing.

WTF!

It makes perfect sence that a therapist would use this as a tool to help a child deal with a traumatic experience. If a child experienced it then it needs to be talked about and the kid should never feel as if they are an outcast or anything and one of the best ways to help a child feel as if they are "normal" is to read a children's story that would help them understand and comprehend what happened to them. I knew right away that this wasn't a joke. There are a lot of demented children's stories out there for kids who have lead less then perfect lives as sad as that is to say.

Okay this is wrong on so many levels. Being molested as a child has nothing to do with being gay. Second there is no way to "cure" homosexuality. There are books like this out there created by sane therapist to help kids, but this one is an exercize in futility and is just wrong.

I have to be honest with you guys that from what I have read from these two pages I don't see any anti-gay agenda and I wouldn't trust wikipedia since it is not a credible source and can't be used as a source in any research paper. To me this looks like a theraputic tool to help children who have been molested cope with their situation. The only thing that is f'ed up is that as a society this is something that kids read and and can understand and empathise with. From the two pages I see there is nothing wrong with this book.

Haynie you are lumping a lot of different things into the category of being gay. The people that you are describing I think the least of their problems is that they are gay. There is nothing wrong with being gay and being gay has nothing to do with being molested as a child. In some cases there are kids who have been molested and are gay just like there are cases where there are straight people who are molested and are straight. Molestation has to do with the balence of power and nothing to do with sexual orientation. If this book was written well then it would address this issue and let the child know for one it is not their fault and two the kid is free to be who ever they are and this happening has nothing to do with their sexual orientation.

I feel like I'm beating a dead horse, but yes, the book is clearly anti-gay.
It tries to say: the kid is molested by his uncle --> doesn't develop good relationship with father --> thinks he's gay/seeks affection from boys ("turned gay"). Boy goes to counselor who immediately says he's not gay; he was just molested and doesn't have a close relationship with his father and falsely believes that he's gay. I'm pretty sure a respectable, non-homophobic counselor wouldn't tell someone who thinks they're gay that they're not gay and explain why. If someone who was gay read this book I'm pretty sure they'd be somewhat offended (and rightly so) by this attitude.

This is the dude's website: http://www.gaytostraight.org/
He does have a book called "Gay Children, Straight Parents: A Plan for Family Healing" -- "In this book, parents share wonderful stories of restored relationships and family healing as they help their SSA (same-sex attraction) sons and daughters realize their heterosexual potential." Realize their heterosexual potential??? How much more intolerant can we get?

Apparently, the guy is also a media wh0re and has even appeared on shows like the Daily Show where he obviously gets torn apart. This is a link to him on Howard Stern in September 2005: http://www.exgaywatch.com/wp/2005/09/exgay-richard-c/

Cohen: For me it was I didn't bond with my dad.
Stern: Right.
Cohen: He and I weren't... [cut off]
Howard: Join the club.
Cohen: Right.
Howard: And I'll bang any chick in this room.

hehe... I you, Howard Stern.

Okay I am wrong the man is a freak and Howard is awsome. All I said was in the TWO pages that I read that was it. I never said that it was an educated decision or that I read the whole book. This man is a freak.

*BIG SIGH*

I know that none of you is probably with me but I have my opinions and they're all based on facts. And sadly..all facts are based on opinios. I've studied this and sadly found it out to be true (this applies on basically everything). I could write a doctorine about this. Anyway, this has nothing to do with the topic so I'll let it be [Gah how weird I put this out... Well anyway.]


All I was saying that being molested as a child changes tramatically how they feel about themselves, their sexuality and so on. The 3 guys I described earlier (2/3 molested by another man as a kid) are real. All of them had false sub-conscious information of themselves. Two of them later on experienced an awakening. Another one of them realised spontaneously that he wasn't gay anymore [I have to clarify that he realised it all by himself, and nobody had said to him that "he shouldn't be gay" or anything similar]. The another one was straight all the time but thought he could never be appealing to a woman nor please her in any way. God Himself healed his broken self-image step by step in time, this guy never went to councelling. The third guy is a gay transvestite even today, not religious in any way, but admitted hands down that being molested as a kid made him who he is. He said there was no question about it.

I know this is a sensitive topic and I'm sorry that I can't agree with you on everything...I've studied this quite a while to suddenly change my mind. I want to clarify that I am NOT anti-gay (gay people are awesome and luvable). But I want to keep myself in the golden middle-line if you please. This is me, don't judge. Please. Everyone has a right to their opinion, it's called "freedom of speech" and it's almost like a holy cow around here where I live.
In the name of love and peace I kept my message short this time.

And I know that I'm a nobody, you don't need to remind me.


[forgive me, I'm currently in going through a horrible physical pain]

I agree with that. And nobody thinks you're a "nobody". I'm sure it might be possible to "convert", although I don't quite understand it, probably because I'm a godless sodomite (in the words of Stephen Colbert).

What I don't like is all the hinting by this author that being gay is somehow inferior, less desirable, or makes one a lesser person than a heterosexual.

Haynie following that logic you are basically saying that being gay has either a pathology or is a mental illness. Which if you look in the DSM 4 there is nothing in there talking about homosexuality as anything of the sort. I just want to say Haynie that gay marriages in a church can occur and are looked at the same way as marrying a divorced couple. Being molested as a child would make the child question their sexuality of course but it would not "make them gay." Like I said before the people who you are talking about have issues with woman, most gay men like women and feel comfortable around women and share like interests with women. Transvestites can be straight. Just because someone says something about them selves doesn't make it so. There is an old adage in the psycholgical community that goes something like going "only an idiot would take what is being said as the truth" of couse I am paraphrasing but the use of the word idiot was used. It means that when you are dealing with people who have issues with different sexes and such and hate themselves and all that jazz there is much more that meets the eye that they are not sharing. THat there is a lot subcouncious stuff occuring. I also just want to say that there is nothing wrong with being gay, the bible preached against sexual deviantcy not being gay and there is plently of deviantcy in heterosexual relationships. Being gay is not a choice it is something that you are born with and there is nothing to be ashamed of. It is the way God made that person. God loves gay people and so do I.

I just want to also say how mutually exclusive being gay and being moested are. Being gay is somthing that a child is born like, like blue eyes and being left handed. Just being different is all and adds a little paprika to the world. Being molested is something that can propgate child molesters not being gay. Gay people are the least likely to be child molesters in fact. I hate how people are mutling two completely different subjust to make them seem as one.

*EVEN BIGGER SIGH*

you're apparentally not even *trying* to understand what I was trying to say.






(Silence is gold. /old Finnish proverb)

Environment tends to have an equal or sometimes even greater weight in attribute determination than genetics. Genes typically just put you at higher risk for things. Some people in a certain home might become gay, the same clone in a different environment would not. So really, you're all right...and wrong.

The classification as gay as a disease/defect is another story all together.

It's not a choice. Trying to change a gay person straight is like trying to change an evil left-handian right. God likes the gays because he created them. Why would God create something only to have it be destroyed? How would you feel Haynie if there were advancements in science so much so that a man could have a sugery so that he would have a working uterus and and all the correct plumming and could have a baby. We already can have a man nurse a child due to the wonders hormones. Ask your self if it is a commited relationship bound by love who is it hurting. What is the difference between a gay couple that can't have a baby and a heteral-sexual couple that can't have a baby. I think you are using the logic that if there is no way that a baby can be created then it is bad I say tack science on to that and then what do you have. Now what I describe is not a gay man but a transgendered man someone who would want that surgery is someone who wants to be a woman and actually was born with the mind of a woman. A gay person likes there gender and is sexually attracted to their same gender and feel no need for science to intervien. Now if it is a monogomous relationship who is it hurting? Molestation causes confusion and unfortunately society only perpetuates it. No one is made gay, that is ridiculous. Any legitimate psychologist would tell you that. The logic that you all are using is that being gay is something that could be found in the DSM4 and look all you want it is not there. I just want to add something about God he is creative, makes beautiful, beautiful things all day and yet he's not married.

I want to add the over whelming majority of gay people who have not been touched in anyway inappropiately in their life and knew they were gay. I guess out of all the wrong things we are capable of in this world I don't think that loving a consenting adult should be one of them.

*THE MOST BIG SIGH EVER*

you're still not getting what I meant earlier. What are you talking about??

when will you please just be quiet and listen to others?? You shoot before you ask! With that kind of attitude, you'll kill all people around you, including your friends, and then there's nobody left around you to help you as the real enemy comes ahead of you! Guess what happens then? They kill you.
What kind of army works like this?? The one who loses the war!

I'm sorry.

Next time, please think before you act.


I wonder what is it...why people seem to misunderstand me intentionally...

I'm not saying I agreed on everything with you, Sissarui, but please. There's A LOT more important things out there to do than picking on eachother in here.

better is a thin harmony than a fat argument
/another old Finnish proverb

I love you, Sissarui. Remember that. <3

Heinsters,

I don't see anything confrontational in what I am saying. If I could read this to you it would be in my kindest sincere voice I could muster. This is truly what I believe. There is no sarcasim or anything like that. I am asking you to literally imagine what I am supposing to you in every aspect of what I say. Presbertian churches have married gay people in a church of God. Every thing I have written has what I would say is merit and is thought out unfortunate as that may be. I am taling about the fact that as I see it from your perspective in what you have said previous that there is this notion that gay people have been influenced by society to be that way. I say no then I gace my philosophy and theology on this matter. I get the feeling that you hold the belief being gay is a sin and I am asking you to analyse that and tell me if it is a loving monogomous couple what makes it a sin. Judge the tree by it's fruit, is all. Doctrine on the Bible has changed over time. Did you know that in 1960 was the year that the Catholic Church finally acknowledged women as part of the human race. That is a fact. Men nurse a baby if given hormone injections that is a reality. I am asking what is it that makes us human, and what makes us fall from grace. Where does God stop and man begin. I am a Christian Hieni and I am being completely sincere in every thing that I am saying here. I guess I don't know what you are talking about.

All I am saying that you originally misunderstood me and started to talk about something that had pretty much nothing to do with it. I never claimed anything you claimed me to have claimed, at least I didn't mean so.. just let it be, ok?

We're walking on fragile ice here. I have my opinions, but am not gonna share them here. I think it's better that way...in the name of love and peace. Silence is gold, as I said.

Haynie,

I sympathize with you on the above statement.

Listen, you have every right to believe as you do and there are many others out there that also feel as you do in this regard. MANY!

I tend to believe more like what my friend Sisarui330 expressed but I used to think more like you.

Anyway, the important thing to me is that you don't feel hate or a dislike towards homosexuals etc...

I am not into debating this issue so, I'll leave it at that.

*I do worry about your 'physical pain'. Are you ok?

Haynie,
I completely agree with every thing stated in the below about your right to believe how you do. I agree that the important thing is that there is no hate in you and that is beautiful. How are you? You can PM if you want to talk and I respect your silence. It scares me aswell that you have a physical pain.

Your Friend with so much carrots about you,
Kilee

thanks guys. I'm better already, nothing serious. I get these in a regular basis...

Glad to hear you are feeling better.

Also, glad you're feeling better.

If you want to discuss religion again, just post it and I will answer. O.K.?

*smile*