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06/07/2006
Uhm, hello -- we know how to Google: 'Ex-gay' challenges what is easily checkable
Responding to the announcement that Wayne Besen is starting a group to counter the "ex-gay" movement, Focus on the Family's Mike Haley says of gays who oppose their duplicity:
"I don't know what they are proclaiming the truth to be -- they like to claim that all the medical organizations are against reparative therapy and that it's harmful, but the reality is that that isn't what the organizations have said," he said. "Instead, they have said that homosexuality is multi-causal and there's proof positive over the years that men and women have changed."
Really Mike? Hmm, let's, oh I don't know -- CHECK what a few of the organizations say:
* The American Psychological Association states that scientific evidence shows that reparative therapy does not work and that it can do more harm than good.
* In 1998, the American Psychiatric Association stated it was opposed to reparative therapy, stating "psychiatric literature strongly demonstrates that treatment attempts to change sexual orientation are ineffective. However, the potential risks are great, including depression, anxiety and self-destructive [suicidal] behavior..." APA's Current Position Statement
* The American Counseling Association has adopted a resolution that states that it: opposes portrayals of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth and adults as mentally ill due to their sexual orientation; and supports the dissemination of accurate information about sexual orientation, mental health, and appropriate interventions in order to counteract bias that is based on ignorance or unfounded beliefs about same-gender sexual orientation.7 Further, at its 1999 World Conference, ACA adopted a position opposing the promotion of "reparative therapy" as a "cure" for individuals who are homosexual.
* The American Medical Association, states in its policy number H-160.991, that it “opposes, the use of ‘reparative’ or ‘conversion’ therapy that is based upon the assumption that homosexuality per se is a mental disorder or based upon the a priori assumption that the patient should change his/her homosexual orientation”.
* The American Academy of Pediatrics in its policy statement on Homosexuality and Adolescence states: Confusion about sexual orientation is not unusual during adolescence. Counseling may be helpful for young people who are uncertain about their sexual orientation or for those who are uncertain about how to express their sexuality and might profit from an attempt at clarification through a counseling or psychotherapeutic initiative. Therapy directed specifically at changing sexual orientation is contraindicated, since it can provoke guilt and anxiety while having little or no potential for achieving changes in orientation.
* In 2001, The U.S. Surgeon General's Call to Action to Promote Sexual Health and Responsible Sexual Behavior asserted that homosexuality is not "a reversible lifestyle choice.”
Yea, their juries really seem out on the subject, Mike!
We'll wait for your non-Paul Cameron or NARTH-based data stating that "homosexuality is multi-causal and there's proof positive over the years that men and women have changed." You can send that to [email protected] whenever you get a chance.
Ex-Gay Conference Targeted with Counter Messaging [FOF Citizen Link]
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