FRC Member Compares Robin Williams' Struggles to Homosexuality

The Family Research Council has reached a new low.

A member of the anti-gay Southern Poverty Law Center designated hate group is making headlines this week after writing a blog post where he used Robin Williams' death to promote ex-gay therapy, claiming that the struggles that led to the actor's suicide are similar to homosexuality, On Top News reports.

In his Monday blog post, Peter Sprigg, a senior fellow for policy studies at the ultra-conservative / Christian FRC, said Williams' issues with addiction and depression are comparable to individuals who struggle with coming to terms with their sexuality.

Conversion therapy, which some believe can turn a gay person straight, has been banned in California and New Jersey among minors. Major American psychological institutions have also dismissed the controversial treatment, saying it is actually harmful.

But in his blog, Sprigg asks why liberals aren't "trying outlaw rehab?"

"I ask the question because such activists are trying to ban a form of mental health treatment - not drug and alcohol rehabilitation, but 'sexual orientation change efforts' (SOCE), also known as 'sexual reorientation therapy.' Such therapy involves assisting people with unwanted same-sex attractions to overcome them," Sprigg wrote.

He goes on to say:

Why would someone want to change their sexual orientation? Some such individuals are simply disillusioned by their experiences in homosexual relationships. Some have a legitimate concern about the well-documented health problems associated with homosexual conduct (especially among men), such as high rates of sexually transmitted diseases, of which HIV/AIDS is only one example. Others may seek help in conforming their behavior and lifestyle to the teaching of the religious faith to which they are committed. Some may aspire to a traditional family life, raising children in a home with both their mother and father present.

Whatever the motivation, there are those who have simply made a choice to walk away from the homosexual lifestyle, without clinical help - much like how Robin Williams simply stopped using drugs and alcohol in the 1980's. Others have sought professional help, perhaps at the urging of family members, in the form of 'sexual reorientation therapy' - much like when Williams entered a formal alcohol rehab program in 2006. Whether simply through personal development, religious counseling, or with the help of a licensed or unlicensed counselor, thousands (if not millions) of people have experienced significant changes in one or more of the elements of their sexual orientation (attractions, behavior, or self-identification).

Obviously, Sprigg's arguments are a reach. Williams' struggle with substances and his depression are nothing like an individual's issues with sexuality.