Questions Surface About YouthPride Executive Director
The future of Atlanta’s YouthPride—the resource center for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth—remains in question.
In recent weeks, problems with the organizations finances have come to light… and some claim YouthPride owes upwards of 70-thousand dollars in unpaid rent, back wages, and other unpaid bills.
New questions are now surfacing about the organization’s Executive Director, Terence McPhaul.
Some are wondering who, exactly, is Terrence McPhaul.
In this video posted to YouTube in December of 2006, McPhaul tells an unidentified group of people his job is to counsel Hollywood’s biggest stars.
“I am a mental health therapist for celebrities—exclusively,” he says.
In the video, McPhaul goes on to talk about eight global locations where his company, McPhaul Consultants and Personal Advisors, is located.
“McPhaul Consultants and Personal Advisors is a firm that has offices around the world—Atlanta, Beverly Hills, New York, Nice, Zurich, Dubai, and Kuala Lampur. As well as Sydney. Sydney was my latest office that I opened.”
There is evidence that a company using that name operates out of Atlanta—however, the address listed is for CitySide Lofts, a downtown condo development.
The other locations?
“Nope, no listing in Beverly Hills, California or surrounding areas,” says a 411 operator.
Directory assistance says there’s no record for McPhaul’s company in LA or New York.
And what about two books McPhaul authored? One, the Psychology of Hip Hop, was published by iUniverse, Inc. The Indiana-based company is a self-publish entity. Meaning, if you’re willing to pay, iUniverse is willing to print.
Likewise, McPhaul published “The Celebrity Psyche” with Publishing Associates, Inc., another self-publish outlet.
Several other press releases credit McPhaul with founding LeSerenite® Wellness Center, a high-end retreat for celebrities. In the documents, LeSerenite is a trademarked name. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has no record of that. Nor does it have records of issuing a trademark for the “Managing Success and Celebrity™ Conference,” which is also attributed to McPhaul.
WABE’s Jim Burress contacted Terence McPhaul to get his side of the story. He declined to go on tape. However, he tells Burress he “got out” of the celebrity counseling business when he came on board with YouthPride. He then closed his eight counseling centers.
He also stands by his two books. As far as the other entities,, he was confused when I asked him about LeSerenite or his trademarked conference. He says he didn’t know what I was talking about.
“I’m somewhat concerned,” says Charlie Stadtlander, who chairs a volunteer board now looking into YouthPride’s financial problems, none of it adds up.
“…that a person of what is apparently such high stature, which is struggling in a very bad way right now,” he continues.
In the meantime, McPhaul says he’s still running YouthPride. And after Inman Park United Methodist Church — YouthPride’s landlord– sued for not paying rent, McPhaul filed a counter-suit charging the church with failure to be a proper landlord.
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