Rachel Maddow Shuts Down Gay-Cure Advocate

Richard Cohen, an unlicensed psychotherapist who advocates a way for gay men and women to “come out as straight” and leave their lifestyle behind, made the mistake of going on Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC show last night to defend himself. Maddow has been going after him of late for his links to a group in Uganda that is trying to pass a bill against gay citizens that would include a death penalty for “serial offenders.” The group uses Cohen’s book Coming Out Straight as a basis for their belief. (They’re also linked by Maddow to the influential conservative Christian group the Family.) In this seventeen-minute clip, Maddow pretty much makes mincemeat of the guy on several levels — most prominently, the level where Cohen is not accredited by any agency in any state or country.