Question By Rick
March 17, 2004
I have read in a Christian Text called “Pure Sex” that Christian psychiatrists are curing homosexuals. They state it is possible but it takes a long time. Is this true? Does this article have any veracity?
Don’t be misled by ignorance that borders on fraud, for that is what this is. I know of no medical, psychological or scientific data that supports such conclusions and I find it interesting that the only people who continue to make these claims are associated with right wing, fundamentalist Christian organizations.
Since homosexuality is no longer regarded in medical circles as a sickness that needs to be cured, these people have to prove the correctness of their diagnosis against medical expertise and then prove the effectiveness of their cure.
There is no evidence other than anecdotal narratives that supports their conclusion. As long as people do not assess the enormous pressure arising from prejudice that might motivate people to pretend they are “cured,” or the meaning of true bisexuality, this anecdotal data is of little value.
Some day we will see sexual orientation as in the same category as skin color, gender and left-handedness. When that day arises, articles like the one from which you quote will be recognized as malevolent, ignorant and downright silly.
— John Shelby Spong
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