The National Association for the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality has announced the death of its former president, Dr A Dean Byrd.

A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Byrd was the foremost proponent of reparative therapy among Mormons, and as a leading member of NARTH he was, according to the organization

… a true clinical pioneer paving the way for many others in the treatment of unwanted homosexual attractions. He had been a member of the NARTH Board of Directors for more than a decade and made a tremendous contribution to the early work in establishing NARTH as a reliable scientific and research organization.

He was born in 1948 and died on April 4, 2012, of cancer.

NARTH was founded in 1992 to promote psychiatric therapy to treat homosexuality. Although it promotes itself as a professional organization, less than a quarter of its 1,000 members are mental health professionals. A recent report by the Southern Poverty Law Center described NARTH as the “main source of anti-gay ‘junk science.'”

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