Recently there has been much talk of 'reparative therapy' or 'conversion therapy'. This the concept that with therapy a person can change their sexual orientation. Become an 'ex-gay'. And many people believe in this method and practice. Those that have studied it see it as unfounded in research, based on assumptions, and useless.
I will address the issue in a simple Q and A style essay.
What methods were used before reparative therapy?
Reparative therapy originated in the 1970's. Before that the techniques and practices used to 'convert' gays to straight was nothing less then medical torture. These 'procedures' included aversion therapy, nausea producing drugs, castration, electric shock, brain surgery, breast amputations, drug therapies that used everything from cocaine to heroin, crude sex change operations, hysterectomies, and actually having men rape lesbians, clitoral amputations, exorcisms, and impregnating lesbian/bisexual women.
How did Reparative therapy come into existence?
It was mostly based on the theories of Elizabeth Moberly a conservative Christian theologian. She claimed that homosexuality is caused by environmental factors. A man becomes homosexual if his father an absent role model while the mother is strong and controlling. A weak mother and strong father cause lesbianism.
Was her idea based on research?
Nope, She was a theologian, not a mental health professional. She did NO clinical work or research to support her theory. She made it up, and called it good enough.
Was it good enough?
Nope, it doesn't comply with society. During WWII many boys had an absent father figure while the mother raised the child. These children did not grow up with a large percentage as homosexual. The percentage of homosexuals remained constant to children who's fathers figures were not absent. Also a large percentage of women during the early parts of the 1900's grew up in a household that would have caused lesbianism according to Moberly's theory. But once again no drastic surge in the lesbian population. There is a larger percentage of African American children then white children that grow up in a single mother family. There are not more homosexual black men then white men. Moberly's theory just doesn't hold water.
Is reparative therapy based on psychological principles?
Absolutely not, psychology forbids reparative therapy. The American Psychological Association declared that it was not a disorder in 1975. The World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses in 1981. The American Medical Association (AMA) released a report in 1994-DEC which calls for "nonjudgmental recognition of sexual orientation by physicians." They suggest that psychotherapy be directed help homosexuals "become comfortable with their sexual orientation." The Academy of Pediatrics and the Council on Child and Adolescent Health have stated that homosexuality is not a choice and cannot be changed. The psychological views on homosexuality and bisexuality are very simply summed up in this statement made by the APA.
"The research on homosexuality is very clear. Homosexuality is neither mental illness nor moral depravity. It is simply the way a minority of our population expresses human love and sexuality. Study after study documents the mental health of gay men and lesbians. Studies of judgment, stability, reliability, and social and vocational adaptiveness all show that gay men and lesbians function every bit as well as heterosexuals. "
"Nor is homosexuality a matter of individual choice. Research suggests that the homosexual orientation is in place very early in the life cycle, possibly even before birth. It is found in about ten percent of the population, a figure which is surprisingly constant across cultures, irrespective of the different moral values and standards of a particular culture. Contrary to what some imply, the incidence of homosexuality in a population does not appear to change with new moral codes or social mores. Research findings suggest that efforts to repair homosexuals are nothing more than social prejudice garbed in psychological accouterments."
Is reparative therapy effective?
Nope. There has never been any published scientific evidence that supports reparative therapy as a treatment. There is no research or studies that have been published in a peer-reviewed journal nor has there ever been any follow studies on the clients that complete these therapies. Those that have gone out and did follow up studies find out that these people never changed or weren't changed for very long.
It worked for some...didn't it?
Nope. No homosexual or bisexual has ever been transformed into a heterosexual with these methods. What they HAVE been able to do though is convince bisexual people to only pursue a heterosexual relationship. But the person is STILL bisexual. Some homosexuals are convinced to choose a life of celibacy. But the person is STILL homosexual, just not sexually active with ANYONE. Some homosexuals complete therapy and enter into heterosexual relationships but within time the belief that they are heterosexual fades away. These people are still homosexual. Some homosexuals have been documented as changed. But when one goes and checks these people out they deny being an ex-gay, most have become an ex-ex-gays.
Are these reparative therapy clinics using psychological treatments?
Nope. A simple viewing of their own statements makes it completely apparent. "Exodus upholds redemption for the homosexual person as the process whereby sin's power is broken, and the individual is freed to know and experience true identity as discovered in Christ and His Church. That process entails the freedom to grow into heterosexuality". Exodus International's statement of belief. "Relationship with Jesus Christ and a life of prayer are the keys to changing homosexual desires and fostering the development of healthy, non sexual intimate relationships." Martha Kleder, Focus on the Family. Do those sound like medical based concepts?? NO, it's based on religious ideology and nothing more. It be no different then if one sacrificed a dove in an attempt to cure leprosy or performed an exorcism to cure an epileptic.
When it comes down to it, reparative therapy is nothing more then homophobia posing as a doctor. The ex-gay movement is nothing more then cheap parlor tricks with peoples' lives. It is a baseless, unsupported, and unscientific myth. No psychologist worth his salt would advocate changing one's sexuality. We have a term for 'doctors' like this -- quacks.
