The Top Story: How has the media handled the American Psychological Association's "conversion therapy" report?

All around, the whole idea that you can change something about yourself that is comparable to being right or left handed is ludicrous. You are who you are. This is not about drug addiction or anything else, its just how we are and we should be proud of that and not continually try to shove square pegs into round holes just to please a society's supposed standards.  

 

How singularly innocent I look this morning.

Since many people agree with the idea that LGBT people can change their sexual desires, have there been any studies of straight people trained to change their sexual appetite.

The heart of the matter is, and always has been, the false promises made by so-called "reparative therapy" groups. Most of them initially promise to help gays "change" their sexual orientation and become genuine heterosexuals. It is typically only once these poor victims are deeply entangled in the religious guilt trip that these groups grudgingly admit that what they're offering a is a "journey" wherein the person's sexuality is treated like alcoholism, will never truly be "cured" and will always have to be actively supressed and resisted.

This is why the APA is noting the detrimental effects of such "therapy", depression among them. When the intended "ex-gays" realize that this is a struggle they will be facing their entire lives then they often have other psychological problems as a result.

That said, some people don't necessarily want to, or should have to, embrace their sexuality. There really are elderly heterosexual virgins after all and so it does not follow that someone with strong religious convictions need put them aside to explore their sexuality. Celibacy is a legitimate personal choice.

The press coverage I've seen so far has been pretty good about this. Indeed, I think that if anything conservative religious groups may get angry at statements that psychiatrists might consider counselling their religious patients to seek more gay-friendly religions if they want to balance their sexuality and spirituality. 

But this is an issue that has become more about propaganda anyway. I remember years ago Exodus International was asked why they focused so much of their advertising on the Washington DC area. Their response was: "Because that's where the policy-makers are."

In other words, their mission is less about "curing" gays than it is about convincing politicians that might vote on gay rights laws that homosexuality need not exist. Most of these "ex-gay" groups have utterly unprofessional track records as it is. They only accept "success" data from those who haven't "relapsed" within a few years and discard all the "failure" data from those who have for example. 

So fact-based statements are hard to come by here, as this issue is more the realm of pundits with agendas.

I am convinced that if there is a Satan, Rupert Murdoch is one of his agents, and News Corp. is one of the vehicles by which he sows his evil in the world.

I read about the study and its findings with great interest over on the Good as You and Box Turtle Bulletin sites.  (And really, I cannot recommend Box Turtle highly enough for the calm and logically-worded rebuttals they write when taking a stand against the nonsense that spews from groups such as Focus on the Family.  Time and time again they've taken statements from Dobson and his ilk and demolished them completely.)

I was talking about the study to a friend, and posed the question as to whether this study will make the least bit of difference to groups like Focus on the Family/Exodus, etc.  Unfotunately, the answer is certainly not.  Thy'll just bring out the same old tired arguments (society and modern culture is overcome by political correctness and under the influence of evil, etc.)  I've found, through my reading over the years, that religious groups simply turn a blind eye to anything that does not fit into their own preconceived world-view (including science), no matter how compelling the evidence.  Heck, just think of all the young-earth creationists out there, who refuse to acknowledge the most rudimentary science...

I think this is an important study, though---despite the fact that it will carry little weight in religious circles, it may do some good in the rest of society.

The disingeneous spin put on the report by groups like Exodus---giving the impression that this report in part supports their cause---is kind of ridiculous given the fact that the APA is saying, basically, that every single part of their gay-conversion therapy is based on lies, and totally false in all respects. 

I feel so sorry for those gay guys in Exodus and similar programmes.  Even if they are not trying to become straight and are only attempting to repress their homosexual nature by "squashing" it, being celibate isn't enough.  They have to avoid thinking about guys in any sort of sexual way, put all masturabatory fantasies aside---basically cut any part of sexuality out of their lives entirely.  The psychological pressure must be intense and soul-draining....

I'm like a superhero, with no powers or motivation...

ran the story in it's health section. It was short, but it was balanced.  There was no opinion, just a simple report.  But, what made it interesting is that the Times made it a part of their scrolling headlines for the day.  It made my day a little brighter.  

These groups push for their members to get married, start a family and live the "normal" hetero life.  That bugs me.  If you have a problem accepting who you are, then you deal with it.  Do not drag other people into YOUR problem.  And God forbid these people have children... What happens when daddy or mommy has a "relapse"?  Hmm?  Now it isn't just one person dealing with the emotional pain, it's a spouse and children. These groups push for stuff like this.  They probably think that once you're locked into a marriage then that will be enough to keep ya on the "straight and narrow".  Sadly, thats not how it works.  They are asking people to lie to their spouses and their families.  What happens when it blows up?  These groups don't just hurt their members, they hurt the people who are tricked into forming romantic relationships with their members. 

 

If you don't want to be gay, then be celibate.  Don't drag other people into your issues.  If you are attracted to a man (or a woman) and don't want to be, then don't have sex, don't get into a romantic relationship!  Don't lie to yourself and those around you and try and fake it.  Cuz you can only fake it for so long until you slip up.  Then what?  Either work through your issues and learn to love yourself, or stay celibate.  

 

Think about the added guilt all this brings to the person who went through a group like Exodus or Love Won Out.  Think about the internal pain these people go through because they are fighting something they can't help and hiding it from someone that they may actually care for.  It isn't fair to anyone.

 

Check out my blog soap at:

soapsudzbybobo.blogspot.com

It's not a matter of being gay or being celibate. Gay is a sexual orientation, not an action. Celibate means not having sex, regardless of who you are attracted to. You are celibate and gay OR celibate and straight OR celibate and bisexual

That'st the problem with the right-wing idiots who believe that every mention of the word "gay" is x-rated, that the guy who says "This is my boyfriend" is forcing his intimate sexual practices on you, but the guy who says "This is my girlfriend" is perfectly innocent.  Lots of gay people don't have sex, because they're still children, they're too old, they're sick, or they just don't care to.  They're still gay. 

Can be found here --

http://fablog.ehrensteinland.com/2009/08/07/fait-divers-faith/