Conversion
Therapy
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6:10 |
8:22 |
7:47 |
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18:36 * |
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Teens who say they were sent away because they were gay |
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* The book with lots more info like this :) https://goo.gl/9zXFpw The Free book at https://goo.gl/Gerie7 |
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32:41 |
7:18 |
6:44 |
5:55 |
6:44 |
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Organizations to Watch Out For: American Anglican Council, Desert Stream Ministries, Exodus International, Focus on the Family, Life Ministries International, Love in Action International, the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) and Redeemed Lives Ministries (RLM).
- "There is no published scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of 'reparative therapy' as a treatment to change one's sexual orientation". American Psychiatric Association's 1997 Fact Sheet on Homosexual and Bisexual Issues.
- "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, nonsexual intimate relationships." Martha Kleder, Focus on the Family. 33
- "There is no documentary evidence showing someone’s sexual preference can be changed by therapy. There is only anecdotal evidence, mostly from the therapists themselves, claiming that what they do works. That’s not very scientific. On the other hand, there’s no scientific evidence to show that this is impossible...It hasn’t been studied." Dr. Robert Spitzer, professor of psychiatry at Columbia University. In 2001, after he made this statement, he reported on a study that he had made. It indicated that reparative therapy has as a failure rate on the order of 99.98%
The term "reparative therapy" has multiple definitions:
- Some define it as a specific secular counseling technique. It involves helping a gay or lesbian bond in a close, intimate but non-sexual relationship with an adult member of the same gender. This is supposed to substitute for the bond between the client and their same-sex parent which therapists allege did not properly form during childhood.
- Others define the term reparative therapy more inclusively to be any formal attempt to change a person's sexual orientation -- typically from homosexual to heterosexual. It thus includes attempts by conservative Christian transformational ministries to use prayer, religious conversion, one-on-one and group counseling, etc. to change a person's sexual orientation.
The term "conversion therapy" is sometimes used as a synonym for reparative therapy.
A person's "sexual orientation" is normally defined by the gender of those to whom the person is sexually attracted; homosexuals are attracted only to members of the same sex; bisexuals are attracted to both men and women, but not necessarily to an equal degree. However, promoters of these therapies often define "sexual orientation" in terms of sexual behavior.
The effectiveness of these therapies has yet to be properly evaluated. They may be found to be helpful; it may turn out to be useless; they may be eventually recognized as ineffective and potentially harmful. Many information sources do agree that:
- No research into the effectiveness of reparative therapy has ever been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
- No accurate, longitudinal survey has been conducted to track the outcome of clients who have completed these therapies.
Although there have been a few studies, all have serious deficiencies. Some anecdotal evidence is available -- both negative and positive.
Therapists who engage in these therapies are exposing their clients to an unproven, experimental treatment. Clients should realize that little is known about the potential benefits or dangers of these therapies. Dr. Jack Drescher, a medical doctor who works extensively with homosexuals stated: "It is not clear...if reparative therapists ever provide informed consent to explain these substantial risks to the patients they treat, or even if they are fully aware of the costs to the unrepaired."
Many recent, experimental forms of therapy have proven disastrous to the quality of life of the client-victims. Recovered memory therapy was one; another is multiple personality disorder therapy (a.k.a. dissociative identity disorder). Both triggered many suicides and caused a great deal of pain, at both the personal and family level. Therapies which attempt to change sexual orientation may be similarly dangerous.
There are two "solitudes" within society dealing with homosexual issues:
- Many conservative Christians individuals, therapists, ministries, and groups believe that homosexual behavior is abnormal, unnatural, chosen and sinful. They promote these therapies as helpful and safe techniques to "cure" homosexuality.
- Essentially all gays, lesbians, mental health professionals, human sexuality researchers and religious liberals accept that a homosexual orientation is normal and natural for a minority of people. They believe that sexual orientation cannot be changed. They generally believe that both heterosexual and homosexual behavior can be either sinful or not, depending upon the circumstances. They regard these therapies to be non-productive and potentially dangerous.
Each of these groups assigns different meanings to common English words and phrases. This is not unique. The same phenomenon occurs in the field of abortion, corporal punishment and other areas of social debate. It makes dialog and communication very difficult.
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Christian usage |
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Homosexuality is a behavior. |
Homosexuality is an orientation |
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Homosexuality is what one does. |
Homosexuality is what one is. |
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Sexual preference |
Sexual orientation |
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"I am cured of homosexuality" OR "I am an ex-gay." |
"I was a sexually active homosexual; I am now homosexual who has chosen to be celibate." |
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"I was once in the homosexual lifestyle, but I am a heterosexual now." |
"I was a bisexual who engaged in same-sex relationships. My orientation is still bisexual, but, I now choose to have only relationships with the opposite gender." |
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A person involved in the homosexual lifestyle |
A person with a bisexual or homosexual orientation who is sexually active with members of the same gender. |
In the past, researchers attempted to change sexual orientation through psychotherapy, aversion therapy, nausea producing drugs, castration, electric shock, brain surgery, breast amputations, etc. All failed. These methods were largely abandoned by the mid-1970's. Reparative therapy and transformational ministries emerged in the early 1970's.
The source of modern-day secular reparative therapy can be traced back many decades to the research of Irving Bieber, Lawrence Hatterer and Sigmond Freud. Their conclusions about homosexuality had long been abandoned by almost all mental health professionals. However, Elizabeth Moberly, a British, conservative, Christian theologian studied those works and developed a new theory of the cause of homosexuality. She believes that it is solely caused by environmental factors -- incompetence on the part of the parent of the same gender. She also developed a technique in the early 1980's which attempts to change the sexual orientation of homosexual adults. She has done no clinical work to support the validity of her theory or the effectiveness of her therapeutic technique. She is a theologian, not a trained mental health professional. Her book "Homosexuality: A new Christian ethic" is still in print and is widely circulated among conservative Christians. 1
She abandoned "Freud's emphasis on the domineering mother and focused on the effect of the 'passive' or 'distant' father. Moberly determined...that the homosexual men in the studies were suffering from what she termed 'defensive detachment' and 'same sex ambivalence.' The theory presumes that the young boy, for any of a variety of reasons, did not bond with his father in a meaningful way." 2 Lacking a positive relationship with his father, the boy "defensively detaches" from any potential friendships with other boys his own age. After puberty, he redirects his longing for a close relationship with his father and other males into a search for love. He sexualizes the longing, feels attraction to other men, and becomes an active homosexual. (We have used a male example here because almost all reparative therapy is done on men).
During therapy, the gay client is encouraged to enter into an emotionally close, non-sexual, non-erotic relationship with another male adult. Once he achieves this, heterosexual feelings are expected to emerge over time and homosexual feelings are expected to fade.
As mentioned above, no peer-reviewed study has been published on reparative therapy. No longitudinal study has ever been conducted into its long-term effectiveness and hazards. However, many of the larger conservative Christian organizations, like Coral Ridge Ministries and Focus on the Family claim that this and other therapies have a high cure rate. Meanwhile many psychiatrists who do not support this therapy report anecdotal evidence of gays and lesbians who have become seriously depressed after the inevitable failure of their therapy; some have committed suicide.
Is a change in sexual orientation possible?
These conversion therapies are based on the belief that the "cause(s)" of homosexuality are found in the environment -- specifically from the parenting incompetence of the father while the boy is young. We have found six types of studies into the nature of homosexuality that appear to indicate that this is not true:
The first type appears to show that inadequate or non-existent fathering is not a factor in sexual orientation:
- Society itself is an excellent testing laboratory for many social theories. There is a near consensus among mental health and human sexuality professionals that the incidence of homosexual orientation is fairly constant across societies and eras. However, if Ms. Moberly's theory on incompetent fathering is correct, then one would expect to observe two factors:
- A drastic increase in homosexual orientation among children born shortly before World War II. British, Canadian and other forces were engaged in combat from 1939 to 1945; Americans were involved from 1941 to 1945. Many boys were deprived of their fathers during their formative years. The ultimate "distant" father is one who is fighting a war on another continent. We have been unable to find evidence of any such massive surge in the incidence of homosexual orientation among men who are now in their early 60's.
- A much larger percentage of African-American children than white children are brought up in a single-parent family in which a resident father is absent. If Moberly's theory were correct, then one would expect a much higher incidence of homosexuality among African-American adult males than among the general population. Again, there appears to be no evidence that this is true.
Five other studies appear to indicate that sexual orientation (at least for males) is largely genetically determined:
- Pedigree studies of the sexual orientation of the ancestors of gay males indicates that homosexual orientation is largely genetically determined and is passed by the mother via one or more genes on a specific chromosome.
- Studies of identical twins who were separated at birth and raised in isolation from each other also show that homosexual orientation is primarily genetically determined.
- Studies of twins who are born into and raised in the same family support the data from the previous study.
- Studies of fingertip ridges shows a difference between homosexual and heterosexual males. (Fingerprints are fully formed by the 17th week of pregnancy).
- Studies of index and ring fingers show that
homosexuals and heterosexuals generally differ in the
ratio of the length of their fingers. The relative size
of a person's fingers is also determined before
birth.
Acceptance of conversion
therapies
Within the mental health community there are two schools
of thought about these therapies:
Many hundreds of conservative Christian therapists and ministries promote them as effective and safe. These therapies mesh well with their fundamental religious beliefs: Starting with three fundamental religious beliefs common to most conservative Christians, that:
- The Bible condemns homosexual behavior
- God hates homosexual acts.
- God is involved in every life event, including fertilization of ova.
Then it would appear irrational for God to create about 5% of the embryos as homosexual. Thus, sexual orientation cannot be genetically predetermined.
Starting with another two fundamental religious beliefs:
- God is omnipotent, and thus has the power to change a person's sexual orientation.
- God has promised to answer the sincere prayers of born-again believers.
Then, sexual orientation must be changeable, at least for born-again believers, through effort, counseling, and prayer.
Almost all of the hundreds of thousands of remaining mental health professionals feel that therapy is:
- incapable of changing a person's sexual orientation,
- is contraindicated,
- may be damaging to the client, and
- has the potential to cause serious depression
- triggers suicide in some cases.
Within medicine, there are strong governmental controls that govern the introduction of new medications and treatment regimens. But mental and physical therapies are largely unregulated. Anybody can introduce and promote a new, totally unproven, form of experimental therapy. If it catches on, thousands of therapists may adopt the concept and start treating their patients. Over the last two decades we have seen treatments based on therapists' beliefs in: abuse of patients during former lifetimes, abuse during UFO visitations, facilitated communication for autistic children, indwelling demonic spirits, mind control within religious Cults, multiple personality disorder/dissociative identity disorder, recovered memory therapy, ritual abuse in day care centers, Satanic ritual abuse, and therapeutic touch.
All of these treatment methods have a few points in common:
- None are currently accepted by most therapists.
- None were accepted by most therapists at any time in the past.
- All are, or have been, widespread forms of therapy by a minority of therapists and clergy.
- None have been meaningfully researched and shown to be helpful.
Most of these have been shown to be frauds; all might eventually prove to be ineffective. Many generate a trail of devastated lives; some have been shown to trigger deep depression and suicide.
No consensus exists on the safety, effectiveness, and possible adverse consequences of conversion therapies at this time. We urge extreme caution.
Effectiveness of these therapies:
From our study of reparative therapy, we suspect that:
- Many bisexuals have been convinced, during therapy, to confine their relationships to the opposite gender. This is commonly referred to by therapists and Evangelical Christian ministries to gays and lesbians as "leaving the homosexual lifestyle," "changing their homosexuality," "becoming an ex-gay," "set free from the addiction of homosexuality and lesbianism," "seeking freedom from homosexuality," "called...to a new kind of life," "being a recovered gay," "redeem their lives from the pit," etc. Note that their sexual orientation is unchanged; they simply decided to behave differently -- to only become romantically involved with members of the opposite gender.
- Some homosexuals have been convinced during therapy to choose celibacy. Therapy promoters generally use the above terms to describe this group as well. Note that their sexual orientation is unchanged; they remain homosexual; they simply decided to not act on their sexual longings -- to not have a sexual partner, and to accept a life of loneliness.
- Some homosexuals have completed therapy in a temporary euphoria. They believe that they have changed their sexual orientation. Some are even able to engage in sexual intercourse with members of the opposite gender, by closing their eyes and fantasizing that they are actually making love to a person of the same sex. The belief that they are now heterosexual always, or almost always, fades with time.
- Some have entered therapy with great anticipation that they will be able to change their sexual orientation.
When it proves unsuccessful:
- Many become severely depressed. Some of these have attempted or actually committed suicide.
- Some have the opposite reaction. They achieve greater self-esteem. They finally realize that they have exhausted all their options; their homosexual orientation cannot be changed. They accept themselves for what they are, and pursue gay/lesbian relationship(s) without guilt.
We have been able to find a few documented case of individuals with a homosexual orientation who report having changed to a heterosexual orientation. Almost all of the cases that we have located turned out to be false leads: the individual later admitted that he/she had not changed their orientation. Many have left the "ex-gay" movement to become an "ex-ex-gays."
Unfortunately, these suspicions are based on inadequate evidence. Certainty awaits a meaningful, credible study by mental health professionals. Unfortunately, the studies that have been made to date are seriously flawed.
Related essays
- Menu:
Reparative and similar therapies
- Homosexuality
- all aspects
- Homosexuality:
fixed or changeable; genetic or chosen?
- The
causes of sexual orientation
- Statements
by professional groups, etc. about homosexuality
- Ex-gay
newspaper advertisements
References:
1. Elizabeth Moberly, "Homosexuality: A new Christian ethic," (originally published in the early 1980's; reprinted 1997). Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
2. Jeffry Ford, "What is Reparative Therapy?," at: http://jgford.homestead.com/Fordessay.html
3. Mel White, Stranger at the Gate: To be Gay and Christian in America", Simon & Schuster, New York, NY, (1994) Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
Source: www.religioustolerance.org/hom_exod.htm
20,000 LGBTQ
Teens will Undergo Conversion Therapy by the Age of
18: These Practices Need to
End
Doctors are calling for the
end of so-called conversion therapy, falsely sold as a way
to change a person's sexual orientation or gender
identity.
An estimated 20,000 LGBTQ adolescents will be subjected to conversion therapy with a licensed health care professional by the time they reach the age of 18, according to physicians writing in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The "debunked" practice is underpinned by "patently false science," the authors wrote, and can involve behavioral and talk therapies, marketed as methods to change a person from being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) to heterosexual or cisgender.
In rarer cases, it can involve aversion therapy such as electroshock, chemical, and deprivation treatments which proponents say can cause "heterosexual adjustment," the doctors said. Anyone can undergo the practice, but it is most common among young men from conservative religious backgrounds, whose families reject their LGBTQ identity.
"Conversion therapy is rooted in the notion that any nonheterosexual inclination is a pathology in need of a 'cure,'" they wrote.
The authors drew attention to the fact the therapy is currently only banned for minors in 18 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., while adults can legally be offered the service in all states and jurisdictions.
Co-author Dr. Carl Streed, a primary care physician at Boston Medical Center (BMC) and assistant professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), commented in a statement: "Put simply, these practices need to end. We need to work across sectors to focus on ensuring that all individuals of all ages receive appropriate, comprehensive care by trained medical professionals in a supportive environment."
Streed said: "As a result of the lack of regulation on these 'therapies' many adults and children continue to be defrauded, harmed, and traumatized in the U.S. every day."
Those who have the fake treatments are more likely to suffer depression, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts, and may need treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and post-religious trauma. Their incomes and levels of educational attainment are also lower than the average person.
Same-sex attraction was viewed as abnormal in the mid-19th century, and homosexuality was listed as a mental illness by the American Psychiatric Association in 1952. Some wrongly said parenting style, such as overbearing mothers, or sexual abuse could cause a person to be gay.
In the late 1960s, doctors would advise gay people to marry opposite-sex partners, and prescribe encounters with sex workers as well as orgasmic reconditioning. This treatment, currently used on sex offenders, involves masturbating to materials considered "deviant" before swapping to "nondeviant" material in an attempt to retrain their brains.
But in the mid-20th century, the ideas behind these methods were questioned, including by Alfred Kinsey, who developed the sexuality rating scale which took his name. Clinicians eventually came to the consensus that a range of variations in sexual orientation and gender identity is normal in humans.
Gay conversion therapy is now rejected by the medical community, with The American Psychiatric Association (APA) opposing it since 1998.
Organizations including the American Medical Association, the APA, the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other professional organizations have backed a primer on sexual orientation, stating "the idea that homosexuality is a mental disorder or that the emergence of same-sex attraction and orientation among some adolescents is in any way abnormal or mentally unhealthy has no support among any mainstream health and mental health professional organizations."
Former advocates of the therapy, such as Alan Chambers, John Paulk, John Smid, and David Matheson, have also denounced the practice, the authors wrote.
Sam Brinton, head of advocacy and government affairs for The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for young LGBTQ people, told Newsweek: "Conversion therapy has no place in our country."
A survey by the organization found that 5 percent of the 34,000 respondents had reported having experienced conversion therapy.
"That number is conservative, especially considering many conversion therapy survivors might not have the language to understand that they've experienced conversion therapy," Brinton said.
Dr. Natasha Bhuyan, who was not involved in the NEJM article, echoed the concerns of the authors in an interview with Newsweek last month.
RELATED STORIES
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"Gay conversion therapy involves behavioral and psychological abuse," she said. "Conversion therapy can literally be fatal and has resulted in the suicide of numerous youth and adults. As a medical community, it's our responsibility to protect people who are LGBTQ, as they are already subject to systemic discrimination in society," Bhuyan said.
If you have suicidal thoughts,
confidential help is available for free at the National
Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text SOS to
741741 both available 24 hours, every day.
Source:
www.newsweek.com/20000-lgbtq-teens-gay-conversion-therapy-1452999
Policy
Statements Denouncing Reparative
Therapy
These Ex-Gay" programs have been denounced by every respected medical and mental health care organization and child welfare agency in America, including the:
- American Association of School Administrators
- American
Academy of Pediatrics
- American Counseling Association
- American Federation of Teachers
- American Medical Association
- American
Psychiatric Association
- American
Psychoanalytic Association
- American
Psychological Association
- Council on Child and Adolescent Health
- The Interfaith Alliance Foundation
- National Academy of Social Workers
- National Education Association
- World Health Organization
Source: Columbia University mathematics
professor, Peter Woit's blog: www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/blog/archives/000083.html
Fighting right wing lies and the
"Ex-Gay" Fraud
BLOGS
- Roundup: Ex-Gay Starbucks Card / Antiagenda Agenda / Ex-Straight?
- Ex-Gay Survivor, Allies Vigil outside Exodus Conference
- Exodus Ex-Gay Supporter of Kern Defames Gays, Divides Families to ‘Save’ Them
- Ex-Gay Advocate Joins Fray over Md. Transgender Antidiscrimination Bill
- PFOX Lobs Ex-Gay Race-Card at Transgender Americans
- Virginity Programs Invade Ivy League
- Ex-Gays’ Not-So-Golden Rule for Stopping Bullies
- Exodus President’s Interview with ‘New Man’ Avoids Obvious Questions
NEWSROOM
- TWO Launches Dynamic Multi-Media Website Refuting the ‘Ex-Gay’ Myth
- TWO Unveils Four Original Videos Leading Up To March Launch of Vibrant and Informative Website
- TWO Introduces Seven New Videos Leading Up To March Launch of Dynamic Website
OPINION
- Virginity Programs Invade Ivy League
- APA ‘Ex-Gay’ Panel: ‘A Really Bad Idea
- ‘Conversion Therapy’ is Harmful And Damages Clients
Source: www.anythingbutstraight.com
Gay Conversion Therapy Made
Me Suicidal: The Powerful True Story Behind the Film Boy
Erased
Garrard Conley had just been through 11 days of what he describes as “psychological torture” when his mom pulled the car over and asked him, “Are you going to kill yourself?” He replied, “Yes.” His mother Martha recalls, “I remember looking at him, and the look in his eyes, there was such sadness.” Conley adds, “I wasn’t the person she knew.”
Conley, then 19, had been subjected to intensely brutal all-day sessions as part of conversion therapy, a pseudoscientific practice employing techniques including therapy and physical punishment with the goal of changing a person’s sexual orientation. “You feel like it’s life and death at every moment,” he recalls. He turned his experience into a 2016 memoir, Boy Erased, which has been adapted into a powerful new movie starring Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe and Lucas Hedges, and directed by Joel Edgerton.
Roughly 700,000 people in the U.S. have been subjected to the controversial practice, which, though discredited by the medical community, is still promoted within a number of fundamentalist Christian churches.
“The idea that homosexuality needs to be cured or fixed in the first place is misrepresentation,” says Scott McCoy of the Southern Poverty Law Center. He added that groups including the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association say “conversion therapy is nonsense and psychologically harmful.”
For Conley, now 33, going to conversion therapy meant trying to reverse something he’d known to be true since he was very young. “I had known since third grade that I had an attraction to men,” he says. “But I think because we were raised in the church (his father, Hershel, is a Baptist minister), you believe that life is full of temptation. So just having that thought or that feeling is just another temptation, and you ignore it.”
Things changed when Conley was at Lyon College, where he says a student raped him. “I told some of my friends,” he says. “When he found out I did that, he called my mom, and attempted to basically cover up what he’d done by telling her that I was gay.”
Martha picked up her son from school, and brought him home, where he knew he would have to face his father. “My dad took me inside his bedroom and asked me if I was gay, or what was going on,” he recalls. “He said, ‘Do you swear to god?'” Conley, who says, “I was terrified I would lose my family, faith, and the God I’d prayed to every day of my life,” told his father, “‘I can’t do that… I am having these feelings.'”
That night, Hershel consulted other ministers he respected, and they recommended a Memphis, Tennessee-based program called Love in Action, which was about 5-6 hours from their house in Mountain Home, Arkansas. Before beginning the two-week introduction to the program, called The Source, Conley underwent therapy with an affiliated therapist.
“He would ask me to tell him my sexual fantasies, and I would tell him everything. And then he would say, ‘Well, you know, that’s disgusting.’ And, ‘God doesn’t love that.'”
All three agreed Conley should give Love in Action a try. “I really thought this was a godsend at first,” says Martha. Her son adds, “These were leaders in the church, that my dad looked up to. It just felt like an inevitable step.” Now, he says, “It was complete snake oil, but because it was under this guise of a religious organization, and they were using the right Bible verses, we bought it.”
Once there, Conley says, “It was a lot of shaming. It was lots of fear. You had to really express things that you’d never expressed before. And then you were told, after you expressed them, ‘This is disgusting, this is vile.’
In the movie, patients are subjected to physical abuse, which Conley says is accurate, though it didn’t happen to him. “It felt like complete hopelessness.” Adding to that, the program was actually angling for a lengthy stay. Participants are generally enrolled for three months, then a year, in order to be “cured.” And the cost is prohibitive, as Conley recalls his parents paying $1,500 per week in 2004.
The final straw came when Conley was ordered to yell at an empty chair that was supposed to represent his dad, and tell him he hated him. He refused. “They were just so angry that I wouldn’t do it. I was thinking to myself, ‘This is a Christian institution, and they want me to say that I hate someone, in order to be cured.’ That seems like the opposite of what Christianity is supposed to be.” Conley quit the exercise, fled to the room where they had his belongings, including his cell phone, and called his mother.
Once she arrived, she says, “I was horrified when I found out what was actually going on. I needed to get my son away from this.” On the way out, Martha furiously questioned, “What are your qualifications? Why are you doing this?”
After talking to her son, she says, “I remember calling Hershel and saying, ‘We’re coming home.’ He said, ‘It’s not over yet.’ I said, ‘Well, it’s over for Garrard.'”
While his relationship with his father “is always going to be a little bit complicated… We’ve found ways around it through the years,” says Conley, he remains very close to his mother.
“My mom saved my life,” says Conley, who lives in New York City with his husband Shahab, a software engineer. “If she’d hesitated, if she’d said, ‘Maybe you should try it, stick it out,’ I think I would have gone back. But she decided to take us home.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please
contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at
1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “SOS” to the Crisis
Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
Source: people.com/human-interest/boy-erased-gay-conversion-therapy-gerrard-conley/
Organizations to Watch Out For: American Anglican Council, Desert Stream Ministries, Exodus International, Focus on the Family, Life Ministries International, Love in Action International, the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) and Redeemed Lives Ministries (RLM).
- "There is no published scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of 'reparative therapy' as a treatment to change one's sexual orientation". American Psychiatric Association's 1997 Fact Sheet on Homosexual and Bisexual Issues.
- "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, nonsexual intimate relationships." Martha Kleder, Focus on the Family. 33
- "There is no documentary evidence showing someone’s sexual preference can be changed by therapy. There is only anecdotal evidence, mostly from the therapists themselves, claiming that what they do works. That’s not very scientific. On the other hand, there’s no scientific evidence to show that this is impossible...It hasn’t been studied." Dr. Robert Spitzer, professor of psychiatry at Columbia University. In 2001, after he made this statement, he reported on a study that he had made. It indicated that reparative therapy has as a failure rate on the order of 99.98%
The term "reparative therapy" has multiple definitions:
- Some define it as a specific secular counseling technique. It involves helping a gay or lesbian bond in a close, intimate but non-sexual relationship with an adult member of the same gender. This is supposed to substitute for the bond between the client and their same-sex parent which therapists allege did not properly form during childhood.
- Others define the term reparative therapy more inclusively to be any formal attempt to change a person's sexual orientation -- typically from homosexual to heterosexual. It thus includes attempts by conservative Christian transformational ministries to use prayer, religious conversion, one-on-one and group counseling, etc. to change a person's sexual orientation.
The term "conversion therapy" is sometimes used as a synonym for reparative therapy.
A person's "sexual orientation" is normally defined by the gender of those to whom the person is sexually attracted; homosexuals are attracted only to members of the same sex; bisexuals are attracted to both men and women, but not necessarily to an equal degree. However, promoters of these therapies often define "sexual orientation" in terms of sexual behavior.
The effectiveness of these therapies has yet to be properly evaluated. They may be found to be helpful; it may turn out to be useless; they may be eventually recognized as ineffective and potentially harmful. Many information sources do agree that:
- No research into the effectiveness of reparative therapy has ever been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
- No accurate, longitudinal survey has been conducted to track the outcome of clients who have completed these therapies.
Although there have been a few studies, all have serious deficiencies. Some anecdotal evidence is available -- both negative and positive.
Therapists who engage in these therapies are exposing their clients to an unproven, experimental treatment. Clients should realize that little is known about the potential benefits or dangers of these therapies. Dr. Jack Drescher, a medical doctor who works extensively with homosexuals stated: "It is not clear...if reparative therapists ever provide informed consent to explain these substantial risks to the patients they treat, or even if they are fully aware of the costs to the unrepaired."
Many recent, experimental forms of therapy have proven disastrous to the quality of life of the client-victims. Recovered memory therapy was one; another is multiple personality disorder therapy (a.k.a. dissociative identity disorder). Both triggered many suicides and caused a great deal of pain, at both the personal and family level. Therapies which attempt to change sexual orientation may be similarly dangerous.
There are two "solitudes" within society dealing with homosexual issues:
- Many conservative Christians individuals, therapists, ministries, and groups believe that homosexual behavior is abnormal, unnatural, chosen and sinful. They promote these therapies as helpful and safe techniques to "cure" homosexuality.
- Essentially all gays, lesbians, mental health professionals, human sexuality researchers and religious liberals accept that a homosexual orientation is normal and natural for a minority of people. They believe that sexual orientation cannot be changed. They generally believe that both heterosexual and homosexual behavior can be either sinful or not, depending upon the circumstances. They regard these therapies to be non-productive and potentially dangerous.
Each of these groups assigns different meanings to common English words and phrases. This is not unique. The same phenomenon occurs in the field of abortion, corporal punishment and other areas of social debate. It makes dialog and communication very difficult.
|
Christian usage |
|
|
Homosexuality is a behavior. |
Homosexuality is an orientation |
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Homosexuality is what one does. |
Homosexuality is what one is. |
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Sexual preference |
Sexual orientation |
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"I am cured of homosexuality" OR "I am an ex-gay." |
"I was a sexually active homosexual; I am now homosexual who has chosen to be celibate." |
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"I was once in the homosexual lifestyle, but I am a heterosexual now." |
"I was a bisexual who engaged in same-sex relationships. My orientation is still bisexual, but, I now choose to have only relationships with the opposite gender." |
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A person involved in the homosexual lifestyle |
A person with a bisexual or homosexual orientation who is sexually active with members of the same gender. |
In the past, researchers attempted to change sexual orientation through psychotherapy, aversion therapy, nausea producing drugs, castration, electric shock, brain surgery, breast amputations, etc. All failed. These methods were largely abandoned by the mid-1970's. Reparative therapy and transformational ministries emerged in the early 1970's.
The source of modern-day secular reparative therapy can be traced back many decades to the research of Irving Bieber, Lawrence Hatterer and Sigmond Freud. Their conclusions about homosexuality had long been abandoned by almost all mental health professionals. However, Elizabeth Moberly, a British, conservative, Christian theologian studied those works and developed a new theory of the cause of homosexuality. She believes that it is solely caused by environmental factors -- incompetence on the part of the parent of the same gender. She also developed a technique in the early 1980's which attempts to change the sexual orientation of homosexual adults. She has done no clinical work to support the validity of her theory or the effectiveness of her therapeutic technique. She is a theologian, not a trained mental health professional. Her book "Homosexuality: A new Christian ethic" is still in print and is widely circulated among conservative Christians. 1
She abandoned "Freud's emphasis on the domineering mother and focused on the effect of the 'passive' or 'distant' father. Moberly determined...that the homosexual men in the studies were suffering from what she termed 'defensive detachment' and 'same sex ambivalence.' The theory presumes that the young boy, for any of a variety of reasons, did not bond with his father in a meaningful way." 2 Lacking a positive relationship with his father, the boy "defensively detaches" from any potential friendships with other boys his own age. After puberty, he redirects his longing for a close relationship with his father and other males into a search for love. He sexualizes the longing, feels attraction to other men, and becomes an active homosexual. (We have used a male example here because almost all reparative therapy is done on men).
During therapy, the gay client is encouraged to enter into an emotionally close, non-sexual, non-erotic relationship with another male adult. Once he achieves this, heterosexual feelings are expected to emerge over time and homosexual feelings are expected to fade.
As mentioned above, no peer-reviewed study has been published on reparative therapy. No longitudinal study has ever been conducted into its long-term effectiveness and hazards. However, many of the larger conservative Christian organizations, like Coral Ridge Ministries and Focus on the Family claim that this and other therapies have a high cure rate. Meanwhile many psychiatrists who do not support this therapy report anecdotal evidence of gays and lesbians who have become seriously depressed after the inevitable failure of their therapy; some have committed suicide.
Is a change in sexual orientation possible?
These conversion therapies are based on the belief that the "cause(s)" of homosexuality are found in the environment -- specifically from the parenting incompetence of the father while the boy is young. We have found six types of studies into the nature of homosexuality that appear to indicate that this is not true:
The first type appears to show that inadequate or non-existent fathering is not a factor in sexual orientation:
- Society itself is an excellent testing laboratory for many social theories. There is a near consensus among mental health and human sexuality professionals that the incidence of homosexual orientation is fairly constant across societies and eras. However, if Ms. Moberly's theory on incompetent fathering is correct, then one would expect to observe two factors:
- A drastic increase in homosexual orientation among children born shortly before World War II. British, Canadian and other forces were engaged in combat from 1939 to 1945; Americans were involved from 1941 to 1945. Many boys were deprived of their fathers during their formative years. The ultimate "distant" father is one who is fighting a war on another continent. We have been unable to find evidence of any such massive surge in the incidence of homosexual orientation among men who are now in their early 60's.
- A much larger percentage of African-American children than white children are brought up in a single-parent family in which a resident father is absent. If Moberly's theory were correct, then one would expect a much higher incidence of homosexuality among African-American adult males than among the general population. Again, there appears to be no evidence that this is true.
Five other studies appear to indicate that sexual orientation (at least for males) is largely genetically determined:
- Pedigree studies of the sexual orientation of the ancestors of gay males indicates that homosexual orientation is largely genetically determined and is passed by the mother via one or more genes on a specific chromosome.
- Studies of identical twins who were separated at birth and raised in isolation from each other also show that homosexual orientation is primarily genetically determined.
- Studies of twins who are born into and raised in the same family support the data from the previous study.
- Studies of fingertip ridges shows a difference between homosexual and heterosexual males. (Fingerprints are fully formed by the 17th week of pregnancy).
- Studies of index and ring fingers show that homosexuals and heterosexuals generally differ in the ratio of the length of their fingers. The relative size of a person's fingers is also determined before birth.
Acceptance of conversion therapies:
Within the mental health community there are two schools of thought about these therapies:
Many hundreds of conservative Christian therapists and ministries promote them as effective and safe. These therapies mesh well with their fundamental religious beliefs: Starting with three fundamental religious beliefs common to most conservative Christians, that:
- The Bible condemns homosexual behavior
- God hates homosexual acts.
- God is involved in every life event, including fertilization of ova.
Then it would appear irrational for God to create about 5% of the embryos as homosexual. Thus, sexual orientation cannot be genetically predetermined.
Starting with another two fundamental religious beliefs:
- God is omnipotent, and thus has the power to change a person's sexual orientation.
- God has promised to answer the sincere prayers of born-again believers.
Then, sexual orientation must be changeable, at least for born-again believers, through effort, counseling, and prayer.
Almost all of the hundreds of thousands of remaining mental health professionals feel that therapy is:
- incapable of changing a person's sexual orientation,
- is contraindicated,
- may be damaging to the client, and
- has the potential to cause serious depression
- triggers suicide in some cases.
Within medicine, there are strong governmental controls that govern the introduction of new medications and treatment regimens. But mental and physical therapies are largely unregulated. Anybody can introduce and promote a new, totally unproven, form of experimental therapy. If it catches on, thousands of therapists may adopt the concept and start treating their patients. Over the last two decades we have seen treatments based on therapists' beliefs in: abuse of patients during former lifetimes, abuse during UFO visitations, facilitated communication for autistic children, indwelling demonic spirits, mind control within religious Cults, multiple personality disorder/dissociative identity disorder, recovered memory therapy, ritual abuse in day care centers, Satanic ritual abuse, and therapeutic touch.
All of these treatment methods have a few points in common:
- None are currently accepted by most therapists.
- None were accepted by most therapists at any time in the past.
- All are, or have been, widespread forms of therapy by a minority of therapists and clergy.
- None have been meaningfully researched and shown to be helpful.
Most of these have been shown to be frauds; all might eventually prove to be ineffective. Many generate a trail of devastated lives; some have been shown to trigger deep depression and suicide.
No consensus exists on the safety, effectiveness, and possible adverse consequences of conversion therapies at this time. We urge extreme caution.
Effectiveness of these therapies:
From our study of reparative therapy, we suspect that:
- Many bisexuals have been convinced, during therapy, to confine their relationships to the opposite gender. This is commonly referred to by therapists and Evangelical Christian ministries to gays and lesbians as "leaving the homosexual lifestyle," "changing their homosexuality," "becoming an ex-gay," "set free from the addiction of homosexuality and lesbianism," "seeking freedom from homosexuality," "called...to a new kind of life," "being a recovered gay," "redeem their lives from the pit," etc. Note that their sexual orientation is unchanged; they simply decided to behave differently -- to only become romantically involved with members of the opposite gender.
- Some homosexuals have been convinced during therapy to choose celibacy. Therapy promoters generally use the above terms to describe this group as well. Note that their sexual orientation is unchanged; they remain homosexual; they simply decided to not act on their sexual longings -- to not have a sexual partner, and to accept a life of loneliness.
- Some homosexuals have completed therapy in a temporary euphoria. They believe that they have changed their sexual orientation. Some are even able to engage in sexual intercourse with members of the opposite gender, by closing their eyes and fantasizing that they are actually making love to a person of the same sex. The belief that they are now heterosexual always, or almost always, fades with time.
- Some have entered therapy with great anticipation that they will be able to change their sexual orientation.
When it proves unsuccessful:
- Many become severely depressed. Some of these have attempted or actually committed suicide.
- Some have the opposite reaction. They achieve greater self-esteem. They finally realize that they have exhausted all their options; their homosexual orientation cannot be changed. They accept themselves for what they are, and pursue gay/lesbian relationship(s) without guilt.
We have been able to find a few documented case of individuals with a homosexual orientation who report having changed to a heterosexual orientation. Almost all of the cases that we have located turned out to be false leads: the individual later admitted that he/she had not changed their orientation. Many have left the "ex-gay" movement to become an "ex-ex-gays."
Unfortunately, these suspicions are based on inadequate evidence. Certainty awaits a meaningful, credible study by mental health professionals. Unfortunately, the studies that have been made to date are seriously flawed.
Related essays
- Menu:
Reparative and similar therapies
- Homosexuality
- all aspects
- Homosexuality:
fixed or changeable; genetic or chosen?
- The
causes of sexual orientation
- Statements
by professional groups, etc. about homosexuality
- Ex-gay
newspaper advertisements
References:
1. Elizabeth Moberly, "Homosexuality: A new Christian ethic," (originally published in the early 1980's; reprinted 1997). Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
2. Jeffry Ford, "What is Reparative Therapy?," at: http://jgford.homestead.com/Fordessay.html
3. Mel White, Stranger at the Gate: To be Gay and Christian in America", Simon & Schuster, New York, NY, (1994) Read reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
Source: www.religioustolerance.org/hom_exod.htm
Dangerous
Theapy
That means families and religious groups and leaders can
continue using the discredited practice.
In 2009, after a review of 83 studies published between 1960 and 2007, an American Psychological Association task force (140 page PDF) concluded that no evidence existed to prove that conversion therapy works and it “poses critical health risks.”
The American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, the American Counseling Association, the National Association of Social Workers, and the American Medical Association all oppose conversion therapy on the basis that it is not evidence-based and potentially harmful to the patient’s mental health. The practice also contributes to social stigma by characterizing homosexuality as a mental illness, a view that has been discredited for decades.
The American Psychological Association advises mental health professionals to avoid telling patients that they can change their sexual orientation because evidence doesn’t exist that such a change is possible and it’s the potentially harmful to the patient’s mental health.
California Law
In 2012 in California, SB 1172, by then Sen. Ted Lieu, was signed into law and prohibits licensed mental health providers from performing conversion therapy with a patient under 18 years of age. Anyone who violates this law is subject to discipline by the provider’s licensing entity.
American
Medical Association American
Psychological Association Assembly
Bill 2943 California
California
Assembly California
Bills Conversion
Therapy Equality
California Evan
Low Jerry
Brown Mental
Health National
Center for Lesbian Rights The
Trevor Project
Source: qvoicenews.com/2018/08/31/bill-to-label-conversion-therapy-business-fraud-in-california-is-pulled/
Policy
Statements Denouncing Reparative
Therapy
These Ex-Gay" programs have been denounced by every respected medical and mental health care organization and child welfare agency in America, including the:
- American Association of School Administrators
- American
Academy of Pediatrics
- American Counseling Association
- American Federation of Teachers
- American Medical Association
- American
Psychiatric Association
- American
Psychoanalytic Association
- American
Psychological Association
- Council on Child and Adolescent Health
- The Interfaith Alliance Foundation
- National Academy of Social Workers
- National Education Association
- World Health Organization
Source: Columbia University mathematics
professor, Peter Woit's blog: www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/blog/archives/000083.html
Fighting right wing lies and the
"Ex-Gay" Fraud
BLOGS
- Roundup: Ex-Gay Starbucks Card / Antiagenda Agenda / Ex-Straight?
- Ex-Gay Survivor, Allies Vigil outside Exodus Conference
- Exodus Ex-Gay Supporter of Kern Defames Gays, Divides Families to ‘Save’ Them
- Ex-Gay Advocate Joins Fray over Md. Transgender Antidiscrimination Bill
- PFOX Lobs Ex-Gay Race-Card at Transgender Americans
- Virginity Programs Invade Ivy League
- Ex-Gays’ Not-So-Golden Rule for Stopping Bullies
- Exodus President’s Interview with ‘New Man’ Avoids Obvious Questions
NEWSROOM
- TWO Launches Dynamic Multi-Media Website Refuting the ‘Ex-Gay’ Myth
- TWO Unveils Four Original Videos Leading Up To March Launch of Vibrant and Informative Website
- TWO Introduces Seven New Videos Leading Up To March Launch of Dynamic Website
OPINION
- Virginity Programs Invade Ivy League
- APA ‘Ex-Gay’ Panel: ‘A Really Bad Idea
- ‘Conversion Therapy’ is Harmful And Damages Clients
Source: www.anythingbutstraight.com
Psychologists to review stance on
gays
The American Psychological Association is embarking on the first review of its 10-year-old policy on counseling gays and lesbians, a step that gay-rights activists hope will end with a denunciation of any attempt by therapists to change sexual orientation.
Such efforts — often called reparative therapy or conversion therapy — are considered futile and harmful by many gay-rights activists. Conservative groups defend the right to offer such treatment, and say people with their viewpoint have been excluded from the review panel.
A six-member task force set up by the APA has its first meeting beginning next Tuesday.
Already, scores of conservative religious leaders and counselors, representing such groups as the Southern Baptist Convention and Focus on the Family, have written a joint letter to the APA, expressing concern that the task force's proposals would not properly accommodate gays and lesbians whose religious beliefs condemn gay sex.
"We believe that psychologists should assist clients to develop lives that they value, even if that means they decline to identify as homosexual," said the letter, which requested a meeting between APA leaders and some of the signatories.
APA spokeswoman Rhea Farberman said a decision on when and how to reply to the letter had not yet been made.
The current APA policy, adopted in 1997, opposes any counseling that treats homosexuality as a mental illness, but does not explicitly denounce reparative therapy. The APA has decided to review the policy at a time when gay-rights groups are increasingly critical of such treatment and groups that support it.
Conservatives contend that the review's outcome is preordained because the task force is dominated by gay-rights supporters.
"We're concerned," said Carrie Gordon Earll of Focus on the Family. "The APA does not have a good track record of listening to other views."
Joseph Nicolosi, a leading proponent of reparative therapy, predicted the task force would propose a ban of the practice — and he vowed to resist such a move. Nicolosi, who was rejected as a task force nominee, is president of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality.
Clinton Anderson, director of the APA's Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Concerns Office, insisted the panel would base its findings on scientific research, not ideology. He defended the decision to reject certain conservative applicants to the task force.
"We cannot take into account what are fundamentally negative religious perceptions of homosexuality — they don't fit into our world view," Anderson said.
One of the counselors denied a seat on the task force was Warren Throckmorton, a psychology professor at Grove City College near Pittsburgh. Though Throckmorton doesn't advocate a specific form of reparative therapy, he argues that psychologists should respect gay clients' religious beliefs in cases where the faith teaches that homosexual behavior is wrong.
"We work with clients to pursue their chosen values," he said. "If they are core, unwavering commitments to their religious belief, therapists should not try to persuade them differently under the guise of science."
However, one of the task force members, New York City psychiatrist Jack Drescher, said the conservatives don't acknowledge the harm that might be caused when a gay patient — even voluntarily — undergoes therapy to suppress or change sexual orientation.
"They want a rubber stamp of approval for a form of therapy that's questionable in its efficacy and they don't want to deal with the issue of harmful side effects," said Drescher, who is editor of the Journal of Gay and Lesbian Psychotherapy.
As the APA planned the policy review, it received input from gay-rights groups, including Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.
PFLAG's executive director, Jody Huckaby, said reparative therapy had been particularly harmful for young gays whose parents insisted on trying to change their sexual orientation. His group contends these efforts can cause depression and suicidal behavior.
Current APA policy stipulates that no therapy should occur without "informed consent" of a gay or lesbian client. Jason Cianciotto of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force said he hoped the APA would declare that no young person could ever be deemed to have given informed consent, and thus no reparative therapy would be approved for minors.
The largest ministry that does counsel gays to change their sexual orientation is Exodus International. Its president, Alan Chambers — who says prayer and therapy enabled him to move away from homosexuality — is among those apprehensive of the APA review.
"I had hoped for more diversity on that panel," Chambers said. "I see a lot of people who represent the other side — who don't believe that people like me have a right to self-determination."
The task force may submit a preliminary report to the
APA's directors in December. Anderson said a final report
might be completed by next March.
Source: www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-07-10-gays-psychologists_N.htm
At end of story
Gay
Conversion Therapy Law Temporarily Blocked By Federal
Judge
Two federal judges in California have arrived at opposite conclusions on whether the state's first-of-its-kind law prohibiting licensed psychotherapists from trying to change the sexual orientations of gay minors violates the Constitution. The measure remains clear to take effect on Jan.1.
U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller on Tuesday refused to block the law after concluding that opponents who have sued in her Sacramento court to overturn it were unlikely to prove the ban on "conversion" therapy unfairly tramples on their civil rights.
The opponents argued the law would make them liable for discipline if they merely recommended the therapy to patients or discuss it with them. Mueller said they didn't demonstrate that they were likely to win, so she wouldn't block the law.
Mueller issued her decision in a lawsuit filed by four counselors, two families, a professional organization for practitioners and a Christian therapists group. It came half a day after her colleague, U.S. District Judge William Shubb, handed down a somewhat competing ruling in a similar, but separate lawsuit.
Saying he found the First Amendment issues presented by the ban to be compelling, Shubb late Monday ordered the state to temporarily exempt three people named in the case before him – two mental health providers and a former patient who is studying to practice sexual orientation change therapy.
The judge said during a hearing earlier Monday that he would have considered keeping the law from taking effect for all licensed therapists, but that the case before him had not been filed as a class action that could be applied to unnamed plaintiffs.
Sen. Ted Lieu, who sponsored the law, said Tuesday that because Shubb limited the scope of his decision, Mueller ruling means the law may be applied statewide at the beginning of the new year – except for the three individuals mentioned.
The future of the statute remains unclear, however. Mathew Staver, chairman of the Christian legal group Liberty Counsel, appealed Mueller's decision to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and said he would seek an emergency injunction to keep the law on hold until its constitutionality is determined.
"I'm really stunned by this decision," Staver said. "I think Judge Shubb's decision was really on the money."
The law, which was passed by the Legislature and signed
by Gov. Jerry Brown in October, states that therapists and
counselors who use "sexual orientation change efforts" on
clients under 18 would be engaging in unprofessional conduct
and subject to discipline by state licensing boards.
Source: www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/04/gay-conversion-therapy-law-blocked_n_2235653.html?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl6%7Csec3_lnk2%26pLid%3D241404
Gov.
Shumlin Signs Law to Ban Conversion Therapy in Vermont
At a time when some states are working to erode
hard-fought advances in civil rights for the LGBT community,
Gov. Peter Shumlin today signed a law to advance them in
Vermont by banning the dangerous and discredited practice of
conversion therapy. The new law bans the practice of seeking
to change a minor's sexual orientation or gender identity in
the State of Vermont.
"It's absurd to think that being gay or transgender is something to be cured of," Gov. Shumlin said. "Our country has come a long way in a short period of time in recognizing the civil rights of members of the LGBT community, and I am so proud that Vermont has taken a leadership role at every step of the way. At a time when the rights of LGBT individuals are under attack in other parts of the country, Vermont will continue to stand up to hatred and bigotry and show the rest of the country what tolerance, understanding, and common humanity look like."
Conversion therapy has been widely discredited by the scientific community. A 2015 report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) "found that variations in sexual orientation and gender identity are normal, and that conversion therapies or other efforts to change sexual orientation or gender identity are not effective, are harmful, and are not appropriate therapeutic practices."
Vermont joins California, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington, D.C. in enacting a law to ban conversion therapy. Earlier this year, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced regulations to ban public and private insurers from covering the practice.
The ban on conversion therapy takes effect July 1,
2016.
Source: governor.vermont.gov/node/2773
Youth Mental Health Preservation Act
Introduced in Missouri for First Time
For the first time in Missouri, HB 2141, focused on
banning so-called “conversion therapy” has been
filed by Rep. Tracy McCreery. The Youth Mental Health
Preservation Act states that "state licensed professionals
cannot engage in any form of conversion therapy of a
minor.”
Rep. McCreery added, “Conversion therapy is a dangerous practice that needs to be stopped. Lawmakers should be doing everything in our power to protect all children.”
Missouri makes the fourth state (Arizona, Virginia, Washington) that has introduced legislation banning conversion therapy practices for minors by licensed therapists in 2018.
According to the Human Rights Campaign, LGBT youth who are highly rejected by their parents are more than eight times as likely to attempt suicide compared to LGBT youth who were not rejected or even a little rejected.*
What is conversion therapy?
Conversion therapy, also referred to as "reparative therapy,” “ex-gay therapy,” and “sexual orientation change efforts,” is a widely discredited practice that attempts to change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity. Practices to “cure” individuals of their same-sex sexual orientations and transgender identities include a number of techniques ranging from shaming to hypnosis to inducing vomiting to electric shocks.
These practices have been condemned by the American Counseling Association, American Medical Association, and American Psychiatric Association. In 2009, the American Psychological Association (APA) issued a report** enumerating the direct risks of conversion therapy to include, among others: depression, guilt, helplessness, hopelessness, shame, social withdrawal, and a distinct rise in suicidality.
There are no cities in Missouri in which conversion therapy is banned for minors. Nine states plus D.C. have passed similar legislation, including California, Connecticut, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Several cities in Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania have also banned conversion therapy practices for minors.
What would the Youth Mental Health Preservation Act do?
These laws prohibit licensed mental health practitioners from subjecting minors to harmful "conversion therapy" practices that attempt to change their sexual orientation or gender identity.
*www.hrc.org/resources/the-lies-and-dangers-of-reparative-therapy
**www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/therapeutic-response.pdf
In need of help? Please contact the Trevor
Project. Lastly, do you have a story to share? Please
contact us at 314-862-4900.
Source: promoonline.org/news/youth-mental-health-preservation-act-introduced-in-missouri-for-first-time/
Washington
state passes ban on gay ‘cure’ therapy for
minors
A bill to ban gay ‘cure’ therapy on minors has
been approved by lawmakers in Washington state.
The US state could become the latest to outlaw the use of so-called ‘conversion therapy’ to attempt to change the sexuality of minors. ?
Performing gay cure therapy on minors is already is illegal in nine US states and counting, as well as Switzerland, Malta, Taiwan, two Canadian provinces, and the Australian state of Victoria.
The practice is still technically legal in the UK.
Experts overwhelmingly agree that attempts to cure sexuality are futile, misguided, and often extremely harmful. Attempts to force teens to repress their sexuality has been linked to depression, self-harm and even suicide.
Washington state has this week become the latest to give the green light to a bill to outlaw the treatment.
Lawmakers in the state’s House of Representatives approved the bill by a vote of 66-32, after it cleared the Senate earlier this month.
Although the vote was broadly along party lines, more than a dozen Republicans joined the state’s Democratic majority in voting for the ban.
The bill will now go back to the Senate for concurrence heading to the desk of the state’s Governor, Democrat Jay Inslee, who has previously vowed to sign the bill into law.
Human Rights Campaign National Field Director Marty Rouse said: “No child should be put through the abusive practice of so-called conversion therapy.
“This outdated and dangerous practice has been rejected by medical professionals and has resulted in life-threatening consequences for countless LGBTQ youth.
“We thank the state legislators who voted to protect young Washingtonians from this inhumane practice.”
A bill was introduced in California last month which would see practitioners of debunked gay ‘cure’ therapies prosecuted for consumer fraud.
Out lawmaker Evan Low, who sits on the state’s Legislative Assembly, drew up AB-2943, known as the Unlawful business practices: sexual orientation change efforts bill.
The bill would build on the existing consumer protection law to introduce a possible conviction under state law for gay ‘cure’ practitioners.
The UK government recently said it would consider banning gay ‘cure’ therapy.
British health minister Jackie Doyle-Price said: “This is an issue the Government is keeping under review and we are constantly working towards improving the evidence base.”
She added: “The Government rejects utterly the notion that sexuality is something to be cured, and condemns gay conversion therapy.
“The evidence base is clear that conversion therapy is not only ineffective but is potentially harmful to participants.
“That is why officials have worked with the main
registration and accreditation bodies for psychotherapy and
counselling practitioners, including the UK Council for
Psychotherapy, to develop a Memorandum of Understanding to
help put a stop to this bogus treatment.”
Source: www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/03/01/washington-state-passes-ban-on-gay-cure-therapy-for-minors/
some false notions about her, that is all the more reason she
needs and deserve my support. - R. Bernstein
* * *
My daughter is lesbian. She is also the light of my life...If society has some false notions about her, that is all the more reason she needs and deserve my support. - R. Bernstein
* * *
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