Can Sexual Orientation Be Changed?
Ex-gay reparative therapy, or conversion therapy, is the practice of trying to make gay people straight. Most professionals think it is ineffective and likely to be psychologically damaging. In fact, in 2009, the American Psychological Association overwhelmingly voted to adopt the position that no solid evidence exists that therapy can change sexual orientation and that research did exist indicating "that efforts to produce change could be harmful, inducing depression and suicidal tendencies."
The Origins
The practice is thought to have originated with gynecologist, William Masters and psychologist, Virginia Johnson. The two made names for themselves as pioneers of sexuality research in the 1960s, and are best remembered for their identification of the four phase human sexual response cycle.
What they are less remembered for is their innovation of the idea of “homosexual conversion,” which they wrote about in a book called, Homosexuality in Perspective.
Masters and Johnson biographer, Thomas Maier wrote in Scientific American:
"Prior to the book's publication, doubts arose about the validity of their case studies. Most staffers never met any of the conversion cases during the study period of 1968 through 1977, according to research I've done for my new book Masters of Sex. Clinic staffer Lynn Strenkofsky, who organized patient schedules during this period, says she never dealt with any conversion cases. Marshall and Peggy Shearer, perhaps the clinic's most experienced therapy team in the early 1970s, says they never treated homosexuals and heard virtually nothing about conversion therapy."
Religion Steps In
Despite the fact that most people in the sexual health field soon abandoned the idea of conversion therapy, some religious groups hostile to gay rights jumped on the bandwagon. As About's Guide to Gay Life explains,
"Ex-gay ministries started in the early 1970's with a group called Love in Action, under the principle that through prayer gay people could be "cured" of their same-gender feelings and converted to heterosexuality. Shortly after, the co-founder of Love in Action, Rev. Kent Philpott, wrote the landmark book The Third Sex?, which described the conversion process of six gay people to heterosexuality. Attention surrounding The Third Sex? resulting in the first ex-gay conference, of which the largest ex-gay ministry, Exodus International was created. The ex-gay movement grew with the creation of several ex-gay organizations that all believe homosexuality can be repaired."
Teen Targets
Teens and young adults whose families do not accept them tend to be the largest group affected by ex-gay programs. Some go to "counseling or even summer camp programs willingly because they are so unhappy an unaccepted in their communities. Others are forced into "treatment" by their parents.
But What About People Who Claim Success?
Though some people who have gone through reparative therapy will argue they are "ex-gay," it is a lot more likely that they have simply changed their behavior (eg: by dating someone of the opposite sex) than their core sexual orientation.
