Conversion therapy

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Conversion therapy is a pseudoscientific practice for trying to change the sexual orientation of individuals from homosexual or bisexual to heterosexual using psychological or spiritual interventions. There is virtually no reliable evidence that sexual orientation can be changed and medical bodies warn that the practice of conversion therapy is ineffective and potentially very dangerous. Nevertheless, advocates and supporters provide anecdotal reports of so-called "ex-gay" that claim some degree of success in becoming heterosexual. Medical, scientific, and governmental organizations in the United States and Britain have expressed concern about conversion therapy and consider it potentially harmful. Various legal jurisdictions in Asia, Europe, and America have passed legislation against conversion therapy.

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) opposes psychiatric treatment "based on the assumption that homosexuality is perceived as a mental disorder or based on the assumption of a priori that the patient should change his/her sexual homosexual orientation" attempts to change the practitioners' sexual orientation as unethical. It also states that the debate over the integration of gays and lesbians has obscured science "by questioning the motives and even individual characters on both sides of the problem" and that the advancement of conversion therapies can cause social hazards by spreading unscientific views about sexual orientation. US Surgeon David Satcher in 2001 issued a report stating that "there is no valid scientific evidence that sexual orientation can be changed".

The most well-known advocates of conversion therapy today tend to be fundamentalist Christian groups and other organizations that use religious justification for therapy rather than talk about homosexuality as a "disease". The main organizations advocating the form of secular conversion therapy are the National Association for Research & amp; Homosexual Therapy (NARTH), which often partners with religious groups.

Techniques used in conversion therapy before 1981 in the United States and Western Europe include ice-breaking lobotomies; chemical castration with hormonal treatment; unpleasant treatments, such as "the application of electric shocks to the hands and/or genitals"; "nausea-inducing drugs... given simultaneously with a homoerotic stimulus presentation"; and recondition masturbation. Newer clinical techniques used in the United States have been limited to counseling, visualization, social skills training, psychoanalytic therapy, and spiritual interventions such as "prayer and group support and pressure", although there have been reports of unpleasant treatments through practices that do not licensed. the late 1990s. The term reparative therapy has been used as a synonym for conventional conversion therapy, but it has been argued that it strictly refers to the specific type of therapy associated with psychologists Elizabeth Moberly and Joseph Nicolosi.

Video Conversion therapy

Histori

The history of conversion therapy can be broadly divided into three periods: the initial period of Freudian; the period of major consent of conversion therapy, when the formation of mental health becomes the "primary watchdog" of sexuality; and the post-Stonewall period in which the main medical profession rejects conversion therapy.

During the early part of psychoanalytic history, analysts recognize that homosexuality is non-pathological in certain cases, and the ethical question of whether it should be changed is discussed. In the 1920s, analysts assumed that homosexuality was pathological and attempts to treat it were appropriate, although the psychoanalytic opinion about homosexual change was largely pessimistic. The forms of homosexuality considered perversion are usually considered incurable. The analyst's tolerant statement about homosexuality arises from the recognition of the difficulty of achieving change. Beginning in the 1930s and continuing for about twenty years, major changes have occurred in how analysts view homosexuality, which involves changes in analyst rhetoric, some of whom feel free to mock and abuse their gay patients.

Europe

Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud was a physician and founder of psychoanalysis. Freud states that homosexuality can sometimes be eliminated through hypnotic suggestion, and is influenced by the Viennese endocrinologist Eugen Steinach who transplanted testicles from straight men into gay men in an attempt to change their sexual orientation, stating that his research has "throws a strong light on the organic determinants of homo-eroticism". Freud cautioned that Steinach's operations would not always permit a generally applicable therapy, arguing that the transplant procedure would be effective in altering homosexuality in men only in cases where it is strongly related to typical female physical characteristics, and it may be absent a similar therapy that can be applied to lesbianism. The Steinach method is doomed to failure because the immune system rejects the transplanted glands, and is eventually exposed as ineffective and often dangerous.

Freud's main discussion of female homosexuality is the 1920 paper "The Psychogenesis of Case of Homosexuality in a Woman," which describes his analysis of a young woman who has entered therapy because her parents fear that she is a lesbian. His father wanted this condition to change. In Freud's view, the prognosis is unfavorable because of the circumstances in which he enters therapy, and because homosexuality is not a disease or neurotic conflict. Freud wrote that turning homosexuality is difficult and perhaps only under very favorable conditions, observing that "in general to convert homosexuals fully developed into heterosexuals does not offer more prospects of success than the other way around". Success means making heterosexual feelings possible, not relieving homosexual feelings.

Gay people can rarely be convinced that heterosexual sex will give them the same pleasure they get from homosexual sex. Patients often want to be heterosexual for Freud's reasons are considered superficial, including fears of social rejection, a motive that is not enough for change. Some may have no real desire to be heterosexual, seeking care only to convince themselves that they have done everything possible to change, allowing them free to return to homosexuality after the failure they expect.

In 1935, a mother asked Freud to care for her son. Freud replied in a letter that later became famous:

I collect from your letter that your son is a homosexual.... No one should be ashamed, no evil, no degradation; can not be classified as illness; we regard it as a variation of sexual function, which is generated by a particular capture of sexual development.... By asking me if I can help [your son], you mean, I think, if I can abolish homosexuality and make normal heterosexuality take its place. The answer is, in general we can not promise to achieve it. In some cases we succeeded in developing germs from heterosexual tendencies, which exist in every homosexual; in most cases it is not possible anymore. This is a question of the quality and age of the individual. Treatment results are unpredictable.

SÃÆ'¨ndor Ferenczi

SÃÆ'¡ndor Ferenczi is an influential psychoanalyst. Ferenczi hopes to heal some types of homosexuality completely, but is content in practice by reducing what he considers gay male hostility towards women, along with the urgency of their homosexual desire, and by helping them to be attracted and in power with women. In his view, a gay man who is confused about his sexual identity and feels himself as "a woman with a desire to be loved by a man" is not a promising candidate for healing. Ferenczi believes that complete homosexuality drugs may become possible in the future when psychoanalytic techniques have been improved. Melanie Klein is a disciple of Ferenczi.

Anna Freud

The daughter of Sigmund Freud, Anna Freud became an influential psychoanalytic theorist in England.

Anna Freud reported successful treatment of homosexuals as neurotic in a series of unpublished lectures. In 1949 he published "Some Clinical Statements Regarding the Treatment of Male Causes of Homosexuality" in the International Journal of Psychoanalysis . In his view, it is important to pay attention to the interaction of passive and active homosexual fantasy and struggle, the original interaction preventing adequate identification with the father. The patient should be told that his choice of passive partner allows him to enjoy passive or receptive mode, while his active partner's choice allows him to recapture his lost masculinity. He claims that this interpretation will reactivate the suppressed cultivation anxiety, and the narcissistic beauty of the children and complementary fear merge into nothing as long as the heterosexual relationship will come with renewal of heterosexual potential.

Anna Freud in 1951 published "Clinical Observations on the Treatment of Male Gay Homosexuality" in The Psychoanalytic Quarterly and Homosexuality in the American Psychoanalytic Association (APSAA) Bulletin . In these articles, he emphasizes the attainment of loving objects towards the opposite sex as a condition for healing homosexuality. In 1951 he gave a lecture on homosexual care criticized by Edmund Bergler, who emphasized the patient's verbal fear and minimized the importance of fear of phallic castration he was talking about.

Anna Freud recommended in 1956 to a reporter who was preparing an article on psychoanalysis for London Observers that she did not quote Freud's letter to an American mother, arguing that "now we can heal more homosexuals than the perhaps another thought, Another reason is that readers can think of this as confirmation that all analysis can be done is to reassure patients that their defects or 'blasphemies' are not important and that they should be happy with them.

Melanie Klein

Melanie Klein's seminal book The Psycho-Analysis of Children, based on a lecture given to the British Psychoanalytical Society in 1920, was published in 1932. Klein claims that entry into the Oedipus Complex is based on primitive mastery of anxiety from the oral stage and anal. If these tasks are not done correctly, the development at the Oedipal stage will become unstable. A complete analysis of patients with such unstable developments will need to reveal this initial concern. An analysis of homosexuality is needed to deal with paranoid trends based on the oral stage. Psycho-Analysis of Children ends with Mr. B., a gay man. Klein claims that he illustrates the pathology that enters into all forms of homosexuality: a gay man idealizes the "good penis" of his partner to remove the fear of attacks he feels for having projected his paranoid hatred on the "evil penis" he envisioned. mother as a baby. He stated that Mr. homosexual behavior B. decreases after he overcomes his need to admire the "good penis" of an idealized man. This is made possible by the restoration of her belief in a good mother and her ability to sexually satisfy her with a good penis and abundant semen.

Vote by European parliament in March 2018

In March 2018, a majority of 435 against 109 representatives in the European parliament passed a resolution condemning conversion therapy and urging EU member states to ban such practices.

United States

20th century

Psychoanalysis began to gain recognition in the United States in 1909, when Sigmund Freud delivered a series of lectures at Clark University in Massachusetts at the invitation of G. Stanley Hall. In 1913, Abraham Brill wrote "The Conception of Homosexuality", which he published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and read before the annual meeting of the American Medical Association. Brill criticized physical care for homosexuality such as bladder wash, anal massage and castration, along with hypnosis, but was referred to agree with the use of psychoanalysis Freud and Sadger, calling the results "very satisfactory". Because Brill understands healing homosexuality as a heterosexual healing potential, he claims that he has cured his patients in some cases, although many remain homosexual.

Wilhelm Stekel, an Austrian, published his view on the treatment of homosexuality, which he regarded as a disease, in the American Psychoanalytic Review in 1930. Stekel believed that "success is certain" in transforming homosexuality through the psychoanalysis provided. that it is done right and the patient wants to be treated. In 1932, The Psychoanalytic Quarterly published a translation of Helene Deutsch's paper "On Female Homosexuality". Deutsch reported his analysis of a lesbian, who did not become heterosexual as a result of treatment, but who achieved a "positive libidinal relationship" with another woman. Deutsch indicated that he would regard heterosexuality as a better outcome.

Edmund Bergler was the most important psychoanalytic theorist of homosexuality in the 1950s. He was intense in his dispute with Alfred Kinsey. Kinsey worked, and his acceptance, led Bergler to develop his own theories for treatment, essentially to "blame the victim", in the evaluation of Jennifer Terry, professor of Women's Studies. Bergler claims that if gay people want to change, and the right therapeutic approach is taken, then they can heal in 90% of cases. Bergler uses confrontational therapy in which gay men are punished to make them aware of their masochism. Bergler openly violates professional ethics to achieve this, violates patient confidentiality in discussing patient cases with other patients, membully them, calling them liars and telling them they are worthless. He insists that gay people can be cured. Bergler faced Kinsey because Kinsey thwarted the possibility of healing by presenting homosexuality as an acceptable way of life, which became the basis of gay rights activism at the time. Bergler popularized his view of the United States in the 1950s by using magazine articles and books aimed at non-specialists.

In 1951, the mother who wrote to Freud asked her to treat her son to send Freud's response to the American Journal of Psychiatry published. The first edition of 1952 of the American Medical Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-I) classified homosexuality as a mental disorder.

During the three decades between Freud's death in 1939 and the Stonewall riots of 1969, conversion therapy received the approval of most psychiatric establishments in the United States. In 1962, Irving Bieber et al. publish Homosexuality: A Study of Psychoanalysis on Male Homosexuals , where they conclude that "although these changes may be more easily attained by some than by others, in our judgment the heterosexual shift is the possibility for all homosexuals who are highly motivated to change ".

There was a riot in 1969 at Stonewall Bar in New York after a police attack. Stonewall riots gained a symbolic meaning for the gay rights movement and seen as opening a new phase in the struggle for gay liberation. After this incident, conversion therapy experienced an increased attack. Activism against conversion therapy is increasingly focused on the designation of DSM as homosexuality as psychopathology. In 1973, after years of being criticized by gay activists and fierce disputes among psychiatrists, the American Psychiatric Association eliminated homosexuality as a mental disorder of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders . Proponents of change use evidence from researchers such as Kinsey and Evelyn Hooker. Psychiatrist Robert Spitzer, a member of the APA Committee on Nomenclature, played a key role in the events that led to this decision. Critics argue that it is the result of pressure from gay activists, and demand a referendum among voting members of the Association. The referendum was held in 1974 and APA decisions were upheld by 58% of the majority.

WHAT abolished the dystonic-ego homosexuality of the DSM-III-R in 1987 and opposed the diagnosis of homosexuality or ego-distonik homosexuality as any type of disorder.

Joseph Nicolosi had an important role in the development of conversion therapies as early as the 1990s, published his first book on Male Homosexual Reparative Therapy in 1991. In 1992 Nicolosi, along with Charles Socarides and Benjamin Kaufman, established the National Association for Research & amp; Homosexual Therapy (NARTH), an organization that opposes the mainstream medical view of homosexuality and aims to "make effective psychological therapy available to all homosexual men and women seeking change".

In 1998, Christian right groups including the Family Research Council and the American Family Association spent $ 600,000 on ads promoting conversion therapy. John Paulk and his then wife Anne appeared in a full-page newspaper spread.

21st century

US Surgeon David Satcher in 2001 issued a report stating that "there is no valid scientific evidence that sexual orientation can be changed". That same year, a study by Robert Spitzer concluded that some highly motivated individuals whose homosexual-dominated orientation may become heterosexual dominant with some form of reparative therapy. Spitzer based his findings on structured interviews with 200 self-selected individuals (143 men, 57 women). He told The Washington Post that research "shows some people can turn from gay to straight, and we have to admit that". Spitzer's research caused controversy and attracted media attention. Spitzer recalled his studies in 2012, and apologized to the gay community for having made unproven claims about the efficacy of reparative therapy, calling it the only professional regret.

The American Psychoanalytic Association spoke against NARTH in 2004, stating "that organizations do not adhere to the policies of non-discrimination and... their activities undermine our gay and lesbian members". That same year, a survey of members of the American Psychological Association assessed reparative therapy as "definitely discredited", although the authors caution that the results should be interpreted with caution as a first step, not a final word.

The American Psychological Association in 2007 organized a task force to evaluate its policy on reparative therapy.

In 2008, the APA panel committee on the relationship between religion and homosexuality canceled the event after gay activists objected that "conversion therapists and their supporters of religious rights use this performance as a public relations event to try and legitimize what they do."

In 2009, the American Psychological Association stated that "encouraging mental health professionals to avoid misinterpreting the efficacy of changing sexual orientation by promoting or promising a change in sexual orientation while providing assistance to individuals who are oppressed by their own sexual orientation or others and conclude that the benefits reported by participants in an attempt to change sexual orientation can be obtained through an approach that does not seek to change sexual orientation ".

The ethical guidelines of major mental health organizations in the United States vary from warning statements to recommendations that ethical practitioners refrain from practicing conversion therapy (American Psychiatric Association) or from referring patients to those who do (American Counseling Association). In a letter dated February 23, 2011 to the Chairman of the US House of Representatives, the US Attorney General stated "while sexual orientation does not carry a visible badge, the growing scientific consensus accepts that sexual orientation is an irreversible characteristic."

Groups and groups of gay rights who are concerned with reparation therapy mental health fear can make depression or even suicide more likely. President Barack Obama declared against the practice in 2015.

Maps Conversion therapy

Theories and techniques

Modify behavior

Prior to the 1973 American Psychological Association's decision to remove homosexuality from DSM, conversion therapy practitioners used aversive conditioning techniques, involving electric shock and nauseating drugs during the presentation of same-sex erotic images. Cessation of hostile stimuli is usually accompanied by the presentation of erotic images of the opposite sex, with the aim of strengthening heterosexual feelings. In "Aversion therapy for sexual aberrations: critical review", published in 1966, MP Feldman claims a 58% cure rate, but Douglas Haldeman is skeptical that such stressful methods allow sexual responsive feelings, and notes that Feldman defines success as the oppression of homosexuality and capacity building for heterosexual behavior.

Another method used is the veiled sensitization method, which involves instructing the patient to imagine vomiting or receiving an electric shock, writing that only one case study has been done, and that their results can not be generalized. Haldeman writes that behavioral conditioning studies tend to reduce homosexual feelings, but do not increase heterosexual feelings, citing "difficulty in generating and improving heterosexual responsiveness in homosexuals: A case report", published in 1982, as distinctive in this regard.

Haldeman concluded that such methods could be called torture, as well as ineffective. He writes that "People who undergo such treatment do not appear heterosexually, they become embarrassed, in conflict, and fearful of their homosexual feelings."

Ex-gay Ministry

Some sources describe the former gay ministry as a form of conversion therapy, while others claim that former gay and conversion therapy organizations are different methods of trying to turn gay people into heterosexuality. The former gay ministry is also called the transformational ministry. Some claim that they do not perform clinical treatments of any kind. Exodus International once believed reparative therapy could be a useful tool. The umbrella organization in the United States suspended activities in June 2013, and three council members issued a declaration that rejected its purpose and apologized for the harm caused to LGBT pursuits. Membership services have formed a new organization, Restored Hope Network, and continue to operate as before with a new emphasis on repentance and spiritual therapy.

Psychoanalysis

Haldeman writes that psychoanalytic treatment of homosexuality is exemplified by the work of Irving Bieber et al. in Homosexuality: The Study of Psychoanalysis on Male Homosexuals . They advocate long-term therapy aimed at resolving unconscious childhood conflicts that they perceive to be responsible for homosexuality. Haldeman notes that Bieber's methodology has been criticized for relying on clinical samples, the result description is based on the subjective impression of the therapist, and the follow-up data is poorly presented. Bieber reported a success rate of 27% of long-term therapy, but only 18% of patients thought Bieber considers successful treatment to be an exclusive homosexual to start, while 50% have become bisexual. In Haldeman's view, this even makes Bieber's unimpressive claims of misleading success.

Haldeman discusses other psychoanalytic research about attempts to change homosexuality. Curran and Parr "Homosexuality: Analysis of 100 male cases", published in 1957, reported no significant increase in heterosexual behavior. Mayerson and Lief's "Homosexual Psychotherapy: A follow-up study of nineteen cases", published in 1965, reported that half of the 19 subjects were exclusively heterosexual in behavior four and a half years after treatment, but the results were based on the patients themselves. -reported and has no external validation. In Haldeman's view, the participants in the study reporting change were bisexual at the outset, and the authors misinterpreted the capacity for heterosexual sex as a change in sexual orientation.

Reparative therapy

The term "reparative therapy" has been used as a synonym for conversion therapy in general, but according to Jack Drescher it correctly refers to a particular type of therapy associated with psychologists Elizabeth Moberly and Joseph Nicolosi. The term reparatory refers to Nicolosi's postulate that same-sex attraction is a rational and unconscious attempt to "improve" low self-esteem.

Most mental health professionals and the American Psychological Association consider reparative therapy to be discredited, but still practiced by some. In 2014, the Republican Party of Texas supports "counseling, which offers therapy and reparative treatment" in their party platform. Exodus International regards reparative therapy as a useful tool for removing "unwanted unwanted interest" but stops activities in June 2013 and issues a statement that rejects the purpose and apologizes for the harm the organization has inflicted on LGBT people. Psychoanalysts critical of Nicolosi's theories have offered a gay affirmative approach as an alternative to reparative therapy.

Sex therapy

Haldeman has described the work of William Masters and Virginia Johnson about changes in sexual orientation as a form of conversion therapy.

In Homosexuality in Perspective, published in 1979, Masters and Johnson view homosexuality as the result of blocks that prevent learning that facilitates heterosexual response, and illustrate studies of 54 gay men who are dissatisfied with their sexual orientation.. The original study did not explain the methodology of treatment used, but it was published five years later. John C. Gonsiorek criticized their research for several reasons in 1981, pointing out that while Masters and Johnson stated that their patients were screened for major psychopathology or severe neurosis, they did not explain how this screening was performed, or how the patient's motivation for change was assessed. Nineteen of their subjects were described as uncooperative during therapy and refused to participate in follow-up assessments, but all were assumed without justification for successful change.

Haldeman writes that the Masters and Johnson studies are based on heterosexual bias, and that would be very difficult to replicate. In his view, the difference between the Masters and Johnson between "conversions" (helping gay men with no previous heterosexual experience to study heterosexual sex) and "return" (directing men with some previous heterosexual experience back to heterosexuality) has no solid foundation. Many of the subjects marked by Masters and Johnson homosexuals may not be homosexual, because, of their participants, only 17% identify themselves as exclusive homosexuals, while 83% are in heterosexual and bisexual range. Haldeman observes that since 30% of samples are lost on follow-up, it is possible that the sample of results excludes people who are primarily interested or exclusive for the same gender. Haldeman concluded that it is possible that, rather than converting or returning gay people to heterosexuality, Masters and Johnson only reinforce heterosexual responses in people who are already bisexual.

Lobotomy

In the 1940s and 1950s, neurologist Walter Freeman popularized the ice-breaking lobotomy to treat homosexuality. He personally performed 3,439 lobotomy surgeries in 23 states, of which 2,500 used his ice-taking procedure, despite the fact that he had no formal surgical training. Up to 40% of Freeman's patients are gay individuals who have a lobotomy to change their homosexual orientation, causing most of these people to be severely disabled for the rest of their lives. While promoted at the time as a treatment for various psychoses, the effectiveness of lobotomy in changing sexual orientation had been the subject of critical research in 1948 when one case was investigated by Joseph Friedlander and Ralph Banay. A video depicting the "ice-eating lobotomy" of a homosexual man is featured in a documentary, Changing Our Mind: The Story of Dr. Evelyn Hooker .

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Study of conversion therapies

"Can Some Gay Men and Lesbians Change Their Sexual Orientation?"

In May 2001, Robert Spitzer presented "Can Some Gay Men and Lesbians Change Sexual Orientation? 200 Participants Report Changes from a Homosexual Orientation to Heterosexuality", a study of efforts to change homosexual orientation through former gay ministries and conversion therapies, at the Psychiatric Association America in New Orleans. The research is partly a response to APA's 2000 statement that warns against clinical efforts to change homosexuality, and aims to determine whether the effort has ever worked out rather than how likely it will be for any particular individual. Spitzer writes that some previous studies provide evidence of therapeutic effectiveness in altering sexual orientation, but all suffer from methodological problems.

In 2012, Spitzer left and retracted the research, stating "I was wrong in the conclusions I made from this study, this study does not provide proof, really, that gays can change, and that's quite my confession." He also apologized to the gay community for making an unproven claim about the efficacy of reparative therapy, calling it the only professional regret. Spitzer has requested that all "former gay" therapy organizations such as NARTH, PFOX, the American College of Pediatricians, and Focus on the Family cease to cite his research as evidence for conversion therapy.

Spitzer's May 2001 analysis

The results of the study were based solely on interviews with patients and not on observed objective results. This is possible and it is likely that the report reports what the patient wants rather than the actual results.

Spitzer reported that after the intervention, 66% of men and 44% of women had reached the "Good Heterosexual Function", which he defined as requiring five criteria (being in a loving heterosexual relationship over the past year, overall satisfaction in an emotional relationship with a partner, having heterosexual sex with a partner at least several times a month, achieving physical satisfaction through heterosexual sex, and not thinking about having homosexual sex over 15% of the time during heterosexual sex). He found that the most common reasons for seeking change are the lack of emotional gratification of gay life, the conflict between same-sex feelings and behaviors and religious beliefs, and the desire to marry or stay married. The paper is widely reported in international media and taken by politicians in the United States, Germany, and Finland, and by conversion therapists.

In 2003, Spitzer published a paper in the Sexual Behavior File . Spitzer's research has been criticized for various ethical and methodological reasons, and "a press release from NGLTF and HRC seeks to undermine Spitzer's credibility by linking it politically with right-wing groups in favor of the former gay movement." Gay activists argue that this study will be used by conservatives to undermine gay rights. Spitzer acknowledged that the study sample consisted of people seeking treatment mainly because of their religious beliefs (93% of the sample), serving in various functions related to the church, and openly speaking favoring a homosexual orientation change (78%), and with so highly motivated to go beyond success. Critics feel he is ignoring this source of bias, even without attempting to measure fraud or self-deception (standard practice in self-reporting psychology tests such as MMPI-2). Participants must rely on their memories of what their feelings before treatment might have changed the findings. It is impossible to determine whether the change is due to treatment because it is unclear what is involved and there is no control group. Spitzer's own data suggest that claims for change are reflected primarily in changes in self-labeling and behavior, lacking in attraction, and at least in homoerotic content during fantasy masturbation; these particular findings are consistent with other studies in this area. Participants may have been bisexual before treatment. Follow-up studies were not performed. Spitzer emphasized the limitations of his studies. Spitzer said that the number of successful gay people heterosexuals tend to be "very low", and admits that the subject is "very religious".

"Changing Sexual Orientation: Consumer Report"

Ariel Shidlo and Michael Schroeder found in "Changing Sexual Orientation: A Consumer Report," a peer-reviewed study of 202 respondents published in 2002, that 88% of participants failed to achieve sustained changes in their sexual behavior and 3% reported their change. orientation to heterosexual. The rest report the loss of all sexual urges or try to remain celibate, without any change of attraction. Some participants who have failed to feel the shame and have been through the conversion therapy program for years. Others who fail to believe that therapy is valuable and valuable. Many respondents feel aggrieved by attempts to change, and report depression, suicidal desires and efforts, the excitement of gender-distorted behavior, social isolation, the fear of child abuse and low self-esteem. Of the 8 respondents (from sample 202) who reported changes in sexual orientation, 7 worked as a former gay advisor or group leader.

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Medical, scientific and legal views

Legal status

Legal status by US state

Although there is no national prohibition, some US states and individual states prohibit therapy that attempts to change sexual orientation as shown in the map below.

Status by health organizations

Many health organizations around the world have criticized and criticized efforts to change sexual orientation. The national health organization in the United States has announced that there has been no scientific demonstration of the efficacy of conversion therapy in the last forty years. They found that conversion therapy is ineffective, risky and can be harmful. Anecdotal claims about healing are offset by hazard statements, and the American Psychiatric Association, for example, warns ethic practitioners under the Hippocratic oath to not endanger and refrain from conversion therapies.

The mainstream medical body states that conversion therapy can be dangerous because it can exploit guilt and anxiety, thus damaging self-esteem and causing depression and even suicide. There are also concerns in the mental health community that the advancement of conversion therapy can cause social hazards by disseminating an inaccurate view of sexual orientation and the ability of gay and bisexual people to live a happy and healthy life.

List of critical health care organizations for conversion therapy

Major health organizations critical of conversion therapy include:

Multi-national health organizations

• The World Psychiatric Association
• Regional office of Pan American Health Organization of the World Health Organization
• The International Society of Psychiatric Mental Health Nurses

US health organizations

• American Medical Association
• American Psychiatric Association
• American Psychological Association
• American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
• The American Counseling Association
• National Social Workers Association
• American Academy of Pediatrics
• The American Academy of Physician Assistants
• The Association of Educators of Sexuality, Counselors and Therapists of the United States

UK healthcare organizations

• National School Psychologist Association
• UK Council for Psychotherapy
• The British Association for Counseling and Psychotherapy
• The British Psychological Society
• The English Psychoanalytic Council
• Royal College of Psychiatrists
• The British Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Psychotherapy
• Christian Counselor Association
• National Counseling Society
• Scottish National Health Service
• The British National Health Service
• Royal College of General Practitioners

Australian health organizations

• Australian Medical Association
• The Australian Psychological Society
• The LGBTI National Health Alliance
• The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners operates a unit entitled "Sex, Sexuality, Gender and Health Diversity" as part of its curriculum for prospective public practitioners and for professional development, aimed at encouraging the provision of "nonjudgmental, positive and positive holistic care when disclosure occurs and based on sound knowledge about the risks or requirements of mental and physical health of any kind for screening, since like so many others in the Australian population, many sexes, sexualities, and individuals of different gender do not want to be solely determined by sex or their sexual identity. "
Dr Catherine Yelland, President of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, stated in a press release issued by the College that "[g] ay conversion therapy is unethical, dangerous and unsupported by medical evidence."
• The Australian and New Zealand Psychiatric Colleges

Other healthcare organizations

• Canadian Psychology Association
• The Public Health Agency of Canada
• Norwegian Psychiatric Association

Study of the APA task force

The American Psychological Association conducted a peer-reviewed literature study in the field of sexual orientation change (SOCE) and found a myriad of problems with the procedures used in doing research. The task force found that some participants experienced similar reductions in sexual attraction and sex, but these examples are "rare" and "uncommon". The Task Force concluded that, "given the limited number of methodical studies, claims that the latest SOCEs are effectively not supported". Two problems with SOCE claims are that conversion therapists mistakenly assume that homosexuality is a mental disorder and that their research focuses almost exclusively on gay men and rarely includes lesbians.

Self-determination

The Code of Conduct of the American Psychological Association states that "Psychologists respect the dignity and dignity of all people, and the individual's right to privacy, secrecy and self-determination," but also that "Psychologists recognize that special protection may be necessary to protect the rights and welfare of people or communities whose vulnerability undermines autonomous decision making. "The American Counseling Association says that" it is essential to respect the autonomy of the client to request a referral for services not offered by the counselor ". They say that nobody should be forced to try to change their sexual orientation against their will, including children who are forced by their parents.

SOCE supporters focus on the patient's self-determination when discussing whether therapy should be available. Mark Yarhouse, from Pat Robertson's Regent University, writes that "psychologists have an ethical responsibility to enable individuals to pursue treatments aimed at limiting the experience of same-sex attraction or modifying same-sex behavior, not only because it affirms the client's right to dignity, autonomy and agents, as people who are perceived to be able to freely choose between modalities and treatment behaviors, but also because they show diversity ". Yarhouse and Throckmorton, from the private Christian School Grove City College, argue that procedures should be available to honor the patient's value system and because they find evidence that it can be effective. Haldeman also argues that the client is entitled to access the therapy if requested from a full position of information: "For some people, religious identity is so important that it is more realistic to consider changing sexual orientation rather than abandoning the original religion... and if there are those who seek to resolve the conflict between sexual orientation and spirituality with conversion therapy, they should not be discouraged. "

In response to Yarhouse's paper, Jack Drescher argues that "any putative ethical obligation to refer patients to reparative therapy exceeds a stronger ethical obligation to keep patients away from mental health practitioners who engage in dubious clinical practice." Chuck Bright writes that refusing to support a procedure that "has been considered unethical and potentially dangerous by most medical and almost every body that regulates unfeasible professional psychotherapy is identified as a prohibition of client's self-determination". Some commentators, suggesting a tough stance against practice, have found a therapy inconsistent with the ethical task of psychologists because it is "more ethical to let clients continue to fight honestly with their identity rather than colluding, even peripherally, with discriminatory, oppressive practices , and ultimately ineffective in its own ends ". They argue that clients who request it to do so because of internalized social pressure and homophobia show evidence that depression, anxiety, alcohol and drug abuse and suicidal feelings have roughly doubled in those undergoing therapy.

Haldeman argues that, since caring for people who "spiritual or religious concerns" can take priority over their sexual orientation, mental health organizations do not prohibit conversion therapy directly.

Ethics guide

In 1998, the American Psychiatric Association issued a statement that opposed any treatment based on the assumption that homosexuality is a mental disorder or that one should change their orientation, but has no formal position on other treatments that seek to change a person's sexual orientation. In 2000, they added the statement by saying that as a general principle, a therapist should not set medicinal goals, but recommend that ethical practitioners refrain from attempting to change the client's sexual orientation until further research is available.

The American Counseling Association has stated that they do not forgive training to educate and prepare counselors to practice conversion therapy. Counselors who offer training in conversion therapy should inform students that the technique has not been proven. They advise counselors not to refer clients to conversion therapists or to proceed with caution once they know the counselor fully informs the client of the nature of unproven care and potential risks. However, "it is very important to respect the autonomy of the client to request referral for services that the counselor does not offer." A counselor who performs conversion therapy should provide complete information about treatment, offer referrals to gay-affirmative counselors, discuss client rights, understand client's demand in a cultural context, and only practice in their skill level.

NARTH stated in 2012 that it refused to offer therapy aimed at changing clients who asked for it, and told them that their only option was to claim a gay identity, which could also be considered unacceptable ethically. In 2012, the British Psychological Society issued a statement of stance against any treatment based on the assumption that non-heterosexual orientation is pathological.

A 2013 article by the Adolescence Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics states "Referral to 'conversion' or 'reparative therapy' is never indicated; therapy is ineffective and may be harmful to LGBTQ individuals by increasing internalized stigma, distress, and depression.

In 2014, the American Christian Counselor Association changed its code of ethics to eliminate the promotion of conversion therapies for homosexuals and encourage them to live celibate. An article in the American Medical Association's Journal of Ethics argues that if a pediatrician learns that the parent of a 12-year-old patient is seeking conversion therapy, pediatricians may advise against "culturally ineffective and potentially harmful" interventions that are sensitive to their religion. objections to homosexuality. The authors argue that doctors' medical ethics means they should place the interests of the patient on the parental sensitivity of the parents, and secretly counsel patients about resources for LGBT adolescents who face intimidation, and tell parents about resources for parents of LGBT children. In 2014, major therapeutic professional bodies in the UK issue a joint consensus statement opposing conversion therapy. Professional bodies supporting the statement include the UK Council for Psychotherapy, the British Psychoanalytic Council, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the British Association for Counseling and Psychotherapy, the British Psychological Society, and the National Counseling Society.

In 2015, with support from the UK Government Health Department, various British organizations signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that sets out an agreed framework for activities by interested parties to help address the issues raised by conversion therapist practice in the UK. In addition to many professional bodies that have previously issued consensus statements, the signatories include the British Christian Counselors Association, Royal College of General Practitioners, NHS England and NHS Scotland. Signatory organizations recognize a shared commitment to protect the public from the risk of conversion therapy. They are committed to raising awareness among health care professionals and psychologists from the ethical issues involved in conversion therapy and to provide training to enable therapists to support clients in difficulties in the right way.

International medical view

The World Health Organization ICD-10, which together with DSM-IV is widely used internationally, states that "sexual orientation by itself is not considered a nuisance". This list of ego-distonic sexual orientations as a contrary disorder, which defines as happening where "gender identity or sexual preference (heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, or prepubertal) is undoubted, but the individual hopes it is different due to psychological and behavioral disorders, seek treatment to change it.

In 2012, the Pan American Health Organization released a statement warning against services intended to "cure" people with non-heterosexual sexual orientation because they have no medical justification and are a serious threat. for the health and well-being of affected persons, and notes that global scientific and professional consensus is that homosexuality is a normal and natural variation of human sexuality and can not be regarded as a pathological condition. The Pan American Health Organization further asks governments, academic institutions, professional associations and the media to expose these practices and to promote respect for diversity. The World Health Organization affiliation further notes that minors of gay are sometimes forced to attend this unconscious "therapy", deprived of their liberty and sometimes kept in isolation for several months, and that these findings are reported by several United Nations agencies -Nation. In addition, the Pan American Health Organization recommends that such practices be condemned and penalized and punishable under national law, as they violate the principles of health care ethics and violate human rights protected by international and regional treaties.

The development of a theoretical model of sexual orientation in countries outside the United States that have shaped the mental health profession often follows history in the US (albeit often at a slower pace), shifting from a pathological concept to a non-pathological concept of homosexuality.

Australia

The main medical and psychological bodies in Australia uniformly prohibit the practice of conversion therapy, with published statements coming from top agencies representing psychologists, psychiatrists, and medical practitioners. In a statement issued in conjunction with the College of Psychiatrists, Royal Australasian College of Physicians President Catherine Yelland summarized the views of the Australian medical community: "[g] ay conversion therapy is unethical, dangerous and unsupported by medical evidence." The approach taken by the top medical agencies is exemplified by the 2015 Community Psychological Position Statement, which states (emphasis in the original) that:

" The APS strongly opposes any approach to psychological or research practices that treat lesbians, gay men and bisexual people irregularly.APS is also strongly opposed to any approach to psychological practice or research that seeks to change individual sexual orientation. "

The Position Statement supports this position with reference to the Community Code of Conduct, adopted in 2007 and mandated as a Code of Ethics for Australian psychologists in 2010 by the Council of Psychology of Australia. Under the Code, psychologists are required to "avoid unfair discrimination against persons based on age, religion, sexuality, ethnicity, gender, disability, or other grounds prohibited by law" and mandates that they

"(a) convey respect to others through their actions and language;

(b) do not behave in a manner which, in light of its context, may be regarded as coercive or degrading;

(c) respect the legal and moral rights of others; and

(d) do not undermine the character of persons by engaging in conduct that degrades them as persons, or slanders, or harasses them. "

The Statement of Attitment explicitly states that this ethical requirement not to discriminate and respect the moral rights of the client does not equate justification for treating homosexuality or bisexuality as a nuisance requiring treatment, "relying on the Code of Ethics" section on propriety: "psychologists only provide psychological services within the limits of competence their professionals including but not limited to... basing their services on established knowledge of disciplines and psychology professions ". Regarding the knowledge base associated with conversion therapy, the assertion is firm (emphasis in the original):

" There is no objectively reviewed empirical psychological study documenting the ability to 'alter' a person's sexual orientation.In addition, no empirical research is reviewed that reveals that homosexuality or bisexuality is a nuisance. In addition to the lack of empirical support for claims that sexual orientation can be changed, empirical evidence suggests that efforts to change sexual orientation can be dangerous. "

The position of the Society concludes by noting that "of course, it is appropriate for psychologists to provide clinical services to clients who are experiencing difficulties in terms of their sexual orientation... [but this practice] should seek to understand the reason for distress and how it can be alleviated.The evidence-based strategy for alleviating suffering does not include altering sexual orientation, but may include challenging negative stereotypes, seeking social support, and self-acceptance, among other things. "

The Victorian government announced in 2016 that the law will ban all LGBTQI conversion therapies. The new law commences operations in February 2017 and allows the Health Complaints Commissioner to act against any health professionals involved in practices that are "found to commit false claims and act in a way that places the physical, mental or psychological health of persons, safety or well-being at risk "- and in the first world, this law applies to conversion therapy for adults as well as for minors. Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory announced in September 2017 that they are investigating similar laws. Advocates for the ban on conversion therapy argue that reviews must go beyond the practice of health professionals and into the activities of religious groups and unregulated (non-medical) counseling sectors.

The Fairfax Media Inquiry in 2018 reports that "across Australia, organizations that believe that LGBTI people can or should change to work hard Conversion practices are hidden in churches and evangelical ministries, taking the form of exorcism, prayer groups or counseling masquerading as shepherding. They are also present in some religious schools or practiced in the private offices of health professionals. They are encouraged through a network of courses and mentors that flourish in an infinite world of cyberspace, enveloped in terms of 'self-improvement' or 'spiritual healing'. " of the Charismatic Pentecostal Churches find that LGBTI parliamentarians are confronted with four choices: to remain confined, outward but committed to celibacy, to conversion therapy, or to leave the church... the majority take the last option, though usually only after "a painful attempt to reconcile faith them and their sexuality. " This study provides reinforcing evidence that conversion therapy remains practiced in religious communities. Following the Fairfax investigation, Victoria Prime Minister Daniel Andrews asked Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to support prohibiting conversion therapy as part of a national mental health strategy. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt stated that the issue is a problem for states as there is no Commonwealth funding that leads to efforts to change sexual orientation - although "gay conversion ideologies have been quietly encouraged in schools as part of the federal government's chaplaincy program. " The report notes that Victorian legislation only applies to people who offer health services and do not capture religious and charitable groups "which says that they help same-sex attract people to live up to their beliefs." Chris, who survived conversion therapies joined Andrews in calling on the Federal Government to ban conversion therapy, stated that "gay gays go almost killed me." He made a petition calling on Turnbull and Hunt to act against conversion therapy, stating: "I pray to God asking him to heal me, or to kill me, I'm so depressed, I want to die." In April 2018, Shadow Health Minister Catherine King wrote a response to the petition: "I am writing to inform you that the Labor Party supports you, Chris Csabs and medical experts in opposing gay conversion therapy... two Turnbull Government ministers - Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Health - has now failed to condemn the practice when given a chance. "Shortly after Catherine King's response, Queensland's Minister of Health Dr Steven Miles voiced his concern over the practice and stated that the Federal Health Minister should work with states to enact change. In May 2018, Health Minister Jill Hennessy called for an investigation into gay conversion therapy. In an unprecedented move, the state government indicated that they will not only investigate health professionals but will focus on the religious and religious ministries that propagate Gay Conversion ideologies. The next day, the Health Minister for the Australian Capital of State won Fitzharris following Catherine King's lead by responding to the petition, stating that, "The ACT government will ban gay conversion therapy, which is disgusting and totally inconsistent with the inclusive values ​​of Canberrans."

Legal view

On June 25, 2015, a New Jersey jury found JONAH's conversion therapy organization, JONAH, guilty of consumer fraud for promising to change its client's sexual drive and decide its commercial practices to be low-key.

In the case of the US in 1997, the Ninth Circuit discusses conversion therapy in the context of asylum applications. A Russian citizen "has been captured by Russian militia, registered in the clinic as a 'lesbian suspect', and forced to undergo treatment for lesbianism, such as 'sedative' and hypnosis.... The Ninth Circuit states that the treatment conversion targeted by Pitcherskaia is torture mentally and physically. "The court rejected the argument that the treatment Pitcherskaia imposed was not a persecution because they were intended to help him, not harm him, and stated that" human rights law can not be ruled out by merely covering up mental or physical abuse in good terms like 'heal' or 'cure' the victim. "

In 1993, the San Francisco - Family Court Superior Court placed a 15 - year - old Lyn Duff lesbian under the guardianship of a foster couple after his mother handed him over to Rivendell Psychiatric Center in West Jordan, Utah, where he allegedly experienced physical abuse under the guise of conversion therapy. Lyn Duff's petition to leave her mother was granted without court opinion.

src: media.nbcsandiego.com

See also

• LGBT rights opposition
• Effort changes in sexual orientation

src: media.gannett-cdn.com

Note

src: assets.change.org

Bibliography

• Bayer

  Source of the article : Wikipedia