Leisa Goodman is an American official of the Church of Scientology. As of 2005, she served as the Human Rights Director for the Church of Scientology International. She had previously served as a spokesperson for the Church and served as its media relations director. In her capacity as media relations director she managed Church of Scientology websites, presented the church's viewpoints about its conflict with critics on the

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...

to the media, and traveled to

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

on a six-month fact finding mission to investigate the country's treatment of Scientologists.

Career

In 1990 Goodman was a spokesperson for the Church of Scientology out of the L. Ron Hubbard Office of Public Relations in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Goodman was a spokesperson for the Church of Scientology International in 1993 and 1994. In 1995, Goodman served as the media relations director for the Church of Scientology, and in this role she managed Scientology websites, and responded to the media about the Church of Scientology's attempts to curtail the spread of their documents on the

. Jim McClellan of ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...

'' recommended Goodman's home page at www.theta.com for information about Scientology's perspective on its conflict with critics on the Internet. As media relations director she traveled to

in 1997 on a six-month fact finding mission to investigate the treatment of Scientologists in the country. She told the '' Los Angeles Daily News'' that she spoke with 200 Scientologists who said that they experienced adverse effects due to being members of the Church of Scientology including losing their jobs and having their bank accounts closed. Goodman defended the Church of Scientology's analogy to the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

s in describing Germany's treatment of Psychiatrists, saying "We know it is not a popular thing to say. But the truth isn't always popular." Goodman traveled to Clearwater, Florida along with other high-ranking members of the Church of Scientology including then-head of Scientology's

Office of Special Affairs The Office of Special Affairs (OSA), formerly the Guardian's Office, is a department of the Church of Scientology International. According to the Church, the OSA is responsible for directing legal affairs, public relations, pursuing investigation ...

Mike Rinder Michael John Rinder (; born 10 April 1955) is an Australian-American former senior executive of the Church of Scientology International (CSI) and the Sea Organization based in the United States. From 1982 to 2007, Rinder served on the board of ...

and general counsel Elliot Abelson, to attend a counter-protest and response to an organized protest by critics of Scientology held in front of the Church of Scientology's

Fort Harrison Hotel The Fort Harrison Hotel serves as the flagship building of the Flag Land Base, the Church of Scientology's spiritual headquarters in Clearwater, Florida, US. It is owned and operated by the Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization, Inc., ...

in March 1997. Critics including Jeff Jacobsen, David S. Touretzky and others were protesting the death of

Lisa McPherson Lisa McPherson (February 10, 1959 – December 5, 1995) was an American member of the Church of Scientology who died of a pulmonary embolism while under the care of the Church's Flag Service Organization (FSO) in Clearwater, Florida. Following ...

while under the care of members of the Church of Scientology, and Goodman explained to the ''

St. Petersburg Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', previously named the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It has won fourteen Pulitzer Prizes since 1964, and in 2009, won two in a single ...

'' that Scientologists who live in Clearwater did not want the critics' protest to transpire without a response: "They're not about to stand by and do nothing. They've got First Amendment rights. They take it very personally. This is their town." Goodman was the Human Rights Director for the Church of Scientology International since 1997, and as of 2002 worked out of Scientology offices in Los Angeles.

Career

See also

References

Further reading