Increasing Heterosexual Potential

Maybe it is because I grew up in the Bay Area that I am always shocked by the imbedded homophobia that shows its face to me in my little bubble every so often. The intensity of this fear of homosexuality when based off of religious beliefs is astounding. Just being able to use personal interpretation of religious doctrine as an excuse to direct hate towards segments of mankind is a phenomenon we haven’t quite rid ourselves of. After reading an article written by Christopher H. Rosik in the Journal of Marital and Family Therapy called "Motivational, Ethical, and Epistemological Foundations in the Treatment of Unwanted Homo-erotic Attraction", I am sick to my stomach and more than appalled by the ignorance that can be displayed, masked in religious beliefs. It is in moments like these that I am reminded of the infection of people-directed phobias that drive people to justify hate crimes. When belief of what is right and what is wrong is imbedded so deep in a person, acting on prejudice seems like a justified call to action against something that isn't right.

Treating homosexuals in order to maximize their heterosexual potential through sexual orientation conversion therapy is unethical and only perpetuates self-hatred and confirms a ground for homosexuality being considered a pathology...when in fact the implementation of this form of therapy is what creates a pathology. Instead of fixing a person's natural sexual orientation, how about fixing the societal restraints that ignorantly assume and enforce that homosexuality is some form of learned sickness. I know that as a society we have come a long way. Even in the field of psychology, homosexuality wasn't taken out of the DSM as a pathology until 1973, but in reading the rampant misinformation in this article it feels like I ran into the twilight zone. Organizations such as NARTH and Exodus are avid supporters of a persons right to change their sexual orientation, which is another way of saying that they support the suppression of a person's innate sexual orientation in order to maintain a socially accepted life style, since the ability to change sexual orientation is something that has no conclusive research. Sexual orientation is much more complicated than changing sexual behavior. An example of this can be seen in the past “ex-gay” spokesmen for Exodus that appeared publicly announcing their success in becoming "un-gay" only to be found out later that they were having a secret affair. How can we propose to change person’s innate sexual desires especially when there isn't any supporting evidence that this type of therapy can successfully change sexual orientation...and beyond that, why would we want to?

"The American Psychiatric Association's official web site notes that: "There is no published scientific evidence supporting the efficacy of 'reparative therapy' as a treatment to change one’s sexual orientation, nor is it included in the APA's Task Force Report, Treatments of Psychiatric Disorders. More importantly, altering sexual orientation is not an appropriate goal of psychiatric treatment. Some may seek conversion to heterosexuality because of the difficulties that they encounter as a member of a stigmatized group. Clinical experience indicates that those who have integrated their sexual orientation into a positive sense of self-function at a healthier psychological level than those who have not."**

I can say I have never met a person who wishes they weren't gay without also expressing the primary reasons being the lack of social, religious or familial acceptance. So to me there seems to be a much larger issue at hand. It is outrageous to assume this “issue” of homosexuality can be “treated” through the process of conformity. What we have to address is external homophobia being internalized to the point of self-hatred. Covering up the true nature of a person only leads to further psychological distress, depression, isolation and unhappiness as well as perpetuates a global issue of discrimination.

“In many of these behavior-change techniques, "success" has been defined as suppression of homoerotic response or mere display of physiological ability to engage in heterosexual intercourse. Neither outcome is the same as adopting the complex set of attractions and feelings that constitute sexual orientation. Many interventions aimed at changing sexual orientation have succeeded only in reducing or eliminating homosexual behavior rather than in creating or increasing heterosexual attractions. They have, in effect, deprived individuals of their capacity for sexual response to others. These "therapies" have often exposed their victims to electric shocks or nausea-producing drugs while showing them pictures of same-sex nudes (such techniques appear to be less common today than in the past).”**

**Quoted excerpts taken from:
http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/facts_changing.html