5 Surprisg Facts About Gay Conversn Therapy | Live Science

Contents:

• SHOCK THE GAY AWAY: SECRETS OF EARLY GAY AVERSN THERAPY REVEALED (PHOTOS)
• GAY MEN GIVEN ELECTRIC SHOCKS 'TO CURE HOMOSEXUALY' AT QUB
• GAY CONVERSN THERAPY’S DISTURBG 19TH-CENTURY ORIGS
• 5 SURPRISG FACTS ABOUT GAY CONVERSN THERAPY
• THE MOST SHOCKG FACTS ABOUT GAY CONVERSN THERAPY
• MORMON 'GAY CURE' STUDY USED ELECTRIC SHOCKS AGAST HOMOSEXUAL FEELGS
• THE CEL, DANGERO REALY OF GAY NVERSN THERAPY
• A HALF-CENTURY OF CONFLICT OVER ATTEMPTS TO 'CURE' GAY PEOPLE
• A SURVIVOR OF GAY CONVERSN THERAPY SHAR HIS CHILLG STORY

SHOCK THE GAY AWAY: SECRETS OF EARLY GAY AVERSN THERAPY REVEALED (PHOTOS)

Wh the recent announcement om Exod Internatnal that is closg s doors, and wh s lears offerg apologi for their actns, the LGBT muny is now left wonrg, "Can this really be the end of ex-gay reparative therapy? The patient is given a "sli change" hand button which enabl him to pe or avoid a shock by rejectg a shock cue the 1940s, homosexuals were also voluntarily mted to psychiatric facili by their fai, wh the hospals promisg that the patient would eventually leave the facily cured of their "sexual illns. This cisn occurred agast the backdrop of great cultural shifts brought on by the civil rights movements of the 1950s to the 1970s, begng wh the Ain-Amerin civil rights movement and then ntug on wh the women's and gay rights the late 1960s, Christiany Today began prtg articl and edorials ncerned wh the growg homosexual movement.

Image source, Dr Tommy DicksonImage ptn, Dr Tommy Dickson said that e of electril aversn therapy had been almost totally abandoned by the mid-1970s the UK"When I was about 15, I realised I am one of the people who are homosexuals and who are reviled really by the society I grew up , so was a big shock to me.

"John was also enuraged to date women while unrgog the a rearch paper published the Ulster Medil Journal 1973, amics om the partments of Mental Health, Social Studi and Psychology at QUB said their e of electril aversn therapy was rare by that they did still e evince treatment worked"We have a particular tert the e of methods for producg heterosexual tert exclive homosexuals, " they reported. "The most fluential factor rcg the e of the treatments was the growg gay liberatn movement as queer men and women were ung and refutg that sickns label that had been attributed to them, " he source, PAcemakerImage ptn, Thoands attend the Belfast Pri para 2019A spokperson for Queen's Universy Belfast said that, regrettably, aversn therapy was ed a number of suatns the past. Robert Galbrah Heath, a psychiatrist New Orleans who pneered the technique, ed this form of bra stimulatn, along wh hired prostut and heterosexual pornography, to “change” the sexual orientatn of gay men.

GAY MEN GIVEN ELECTRIC SHOCKS 'TO CURE HOMOSEXUALY' AT QUB

” LGBTQ people had long protted the cel and scientifilly dub forms of “treatment, ” but the ncept that homosexualy was a disease was accepted by the majory of the medil tablishment. This clud the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn, which nsired homosexualy to be a psychiatric the 1960s and 1970s, as a vol gay rights movement took to the streets to mand equaly, the profsn began to turn s back on the ncept that people uld be “nverted” to heterosexualy.

Their methods varied, and clud everythg om talk therapy to “gay nversn” mps and nferenc, LGBTQ people were isolated om fay and iends, hypnotized, told to pray until their homosexualy subsid, stcted to beat effigi of their parents, mocked, ached on “proper” genr rol, and told their sexualy was unnatural and And Anne Plk, both “formerly gay” pose wh their son, Timothy, a mpaign for Gay Conversn to Heterosexualy. And Exod Internatnal, an umbrella group that nnected var nversn therapy groups and gay mistry anizatns, closed down 2013 after nearly 40 years of operatns after s print, Alan Chambers, cid ’s impossible to change someone’s sexual orientatn.

GAY CONVERSN THERAPY’S DISTURBG 19TH-CENTURY ORIGS

“The practic have no basis science or medice and they will now be relegated to the dtb of quackery, ” said California ernor Jerry Brown as he signed a bill banng gay-to-straight therapy the state 2012. Beyond studi foced solely on reparative therapy, broar rearch clearly monstrat the signifint harm that societal prejudice and fay rejectn has on lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer (LGBTQ) people, particularly youth. For example, rearch on the issue of fay acceptance of LGBTQ youth nducted at San Francis State Universy found that "pared wh LGBTQ young people who were not rejected or were only a ltle rejected by their parents and regivers bee of their gay or transgenr inty, highly rejected LGBTQ young people were:.

"Our AMA… oppos, the e of 'reparative' or 'nversn' therapy that is based upon the assumptn that homosexualy per se is a mental disorr or based upon the a prri assumptn that the patient should change his/her homosexual orientatn. In 1997 APA produced a fact sheet on homosexual and bisexual issu, which stat that “there is no published scientific evince supportg the efficy of “reparative therapy” as a treatment to change one’s sexual orientatn. The potential risks of “reparative therapy” are great and clu prsn, anxiety, and self-stctive behavr, sce therapist alignment wh societal prejudic agast homosexualy may rerce self-hatred already experienced by the patient.

5 SURPRISG FACTS ABOUT GAY CONVERSN THERAPY

The possibily that the person might achieve happs and satisfyg terpersonal relatnships as a gay man or lbian are not prented, nor are alternative approach to alg wh the effects of societal stigmatizatn discsed... Therefore, APA oppos any psychiatric treatment, such as “reparative” or “nversn” therapy, that is based on the assumptn that homosexualy per se is a mental disorr or is based on the a prri assumptn that the patient should change his or her homosexual orientatn. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Amerin Psychologil Associatn reaffirms s posn that homosexualy per se is not a mental disorr and oppos portrayals of sexual mory youths and adults as mentally ill due to their sexual orientatn;.

However, the crease media mpaigns, often upled wh ercive msag om fay and muny members, has created an environment which lbians and gay men often are prsured to seek reparative or nversn therapi, which nnot and will not change sexual orientatn.

THE MOST SHOCKG FACTS ABOUT GAY CONVERSN THERAPY

Aligned wh the Amerin Psychologil Associatn's (1997) posn, NCLGB [NASW's Natnal Commtee on Lbian and Gay Issu] believ that such treatment potentially n lead to severe emotnal damage.

Servic that purport to "cure" people wh non-heterosexual sexual orientatn lack medil jtifitn and reprent a ser threat to the health and well-beg of affected people, the Pan Amerin Health Organizatn (PAHO) said a posn statement lnched on 17 May, 2012, the Internatnal Day agast Homophobia. “The most important fact about 'reparative therapy, ' also sometim known as 'nversn' therapy, is that is based on an unrstandg of homosexualy that has been rejected by all the major health and mental health profsns. The Amerin Amy of Pediatrics, the Amerin Counselg Associatn, the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn, the Amerin Psychologil Associatn, the Natnal Associatn of School Psychologists, and the Natnal Associatn of Social Workers, together reprentg more than 477, 000 health and mental health profsnals, have all taken the posn that homosexualy is not a mental disorr and th there is no need for a 'cure.

In the late 60s, a female nurse agreed to go on a “date” wh a patient (as advised by a nsultant), and the pair spent the eveng lghg at the whole stupid, sorry story of aversn are also tal of lleagu who appeared to enjoy the btaly of the procr (“you uld jt tell they did”), as well as the paradox of homosexual nurs havg to admister aversn therapy. But provirs, ually unlicensed, n often disguise the terms they e to avoid beg terms clu:Sexual attractn fluidy exploratn therapy (SAFE-T)Elimatg, rcg, or creasg equency or tensy of unwanted same-sex attractn (SSA)Reparative therapySexual reorientatn effortsEx-gay mistryPromotg healthy sexualyAddrsg sexual addictns and disorrsSexualy unselgEnuragg relatnal and sexual wholensHealg sexual brokennsConversn therapy techniqu n lead to feelg “ls than” or “damaged, ” impactg self-teem.

MORMON 'GAY CURE' STUDY USED ELECTRIC SHOCKS AGAST HOMOSEXUAL FEELGS

A number of medil and mental health anizatns have issued public statements rejectg the e of nversn therapy bee of many provirs who claim to be qualified to provi nversn therapy are often not licensed mental health practners or medil study found that LGBTQ (lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, or qutng) people who are rejected or discrimated agast are:8 tim more likely to report havg attempted suiciAlmost 6 tim more likely to report high levels of prsnMore than 3 tim as likely to e illegal dgs3 tim more likely to be at high risk of HIV and other STDsAcrdg to rearch, nearly 700, 000 LGBTQ adults the U. But mastream psychologists say the therapy is effective, uhil and often harmful, exacerbatg anxiety and self-hatred among those treated for what is not a mental 2013, two s volvg the therapy to nvert gay people to heterosexuals h the urts, wh one seekg to sue unselors who offer the therapy and the other seekg to fend are five thgs you need to know about the therapy and the current psychologists say nversn therapy don't workA diagnosis of major prsn do not evoke much rponse, eher a stigmatizg or supportive, om a person's social work, a study dited. Instead, societal ignorance, prejudice and prsure to nform to heterosexual sir are the real dangers to gay people's mental health, acrdg to a 1997 statement on "nversn" or "reparative" therapy by the APA.

[7 Absolutely Evil Medil Experiments]More recently, people who have been through nversn therapy report talk therapy that emphasiz psdoscientific theori, such as the ia that an overbearg mother and a distant father make a child gay. His therapist blamed his parents for Arana's homosexualy, and urged him to distance himself om his female bt Lev, one of the men sug Jonah for ceptive practic, says that he qu nversn therapy after his therapist had him strip down and touch himself to "rennect wh his masculy, " acrdg to the New York 's happeng the urts? In 1935, Frd went even further, wrg to a woman who wanted her homosexual son nverted that homosexualy "is nothg to be ashamed of, no vice, no gradatn; nnot be classified as an illns.

One of the stranger attempts was an effort by Vienne endocrologist Eugen Steach to transplant tticl om straight men to the scrotums of gay men an attempt to rid them of same-sex sir.

THE CEL, DANGERO REALY OF GAY NVERSN THERAPY

It didn’t of the most proment advot of nversn therapy the 1940s and 50s was Edmund Bergler, who saw homosexualy as a perversn and believed he uld "cure" gay people wh a punishment-based, nontatnal therapy the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn stopped classifyg homosexualy as a mental disorr 1973, nversn therapi lost support.

A small group of psychologists, spltg wh their peers, ntue to promote the therapi, foundg the nversn therapy anizatn NARTH, or the Natnal Associatn for Rearch & Therapy of Homosexualy. In 2003, famed psychiatrist Robert Spzer, who spearhead the removal of homosexualy om the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn's mental disorr list 1973, reported the journal Archiv of Sexual Behavr that terviews wh nversn therapy patients suggted that some people uld change their sexual paper was cendiary and highly cricized, given that relied on terviews wh patients stead of measurable benchmarks of same-sex sir. Turg received a royal pardon 2013, and 2016 the Alan Turg Law ma so the other 65, 000 gay and bisexual men nvicted unr the same law also receive posthumo pardons or, the 15, 000 s where the men are still livg, are eligible to apply for one.

A HALF-CENTURY OF CONFLICT OVER ATTEMPTS TO 'CURE' GAY PEOPLE

Brazilian feral judge Walmar Carvalho overled a 1999 cisn by the Feral Council of Psychology that forba psychologists om offerg wily discreded treatments which claims to cure gay people. "I was never actively gay, never had any enunters wh men -- never had moments when I failed and actually had sex wh other men, " he his unrcurrent of feelgs put him direct nflict wh the Church of J Christ of the Latter-day Sats (LDS) and s prcipl.

Psychologists nfirm those harsh experiments were ed a variety of medil settgs by scientists of all officials say they no longer support aversn therapy, but a generatn who grew up the 1970s say they have been srred for life bee of well-tentned attempts to change their sexual, the church still steadfastly oppos homosexualy, as wnsed by the lns of dollars support gave to pass California's Proposn 8, which would amend the state's nstutn to outlaw gay P.

A SURVIVOR OF GAY CONVERSN THERAPY SHAR HIS CHILLG STORY

"The BYU Counselg Center never practiced therapy that would volve chemil or duced vomg, " she, therapi are all "male theraptic approach, " acrdg to Jenks, and all faculty are expected to be licensed and programs universy, which is owned by the Mormon Church, said s policy on homosexualy is le wh Mormon doctre -- today's stunts are not discipled unls they engage sexual activy, and that clus heterosexual sex before marriage. "Connell O'Donovan, who now works at the Universy of California, Santa Cz, told he was sent to BYU 1976 for vom therapy, but uldn't go through wh said s unselg servic never nducted such treatment, but O'Donovan unters that he was evaluated by Joseph Smh Fay Livg Center, another service on 1986, he said he volunteered for "extremely bilatg hypnotherapy" through another Utah unselg center, He said a Mormon tern hypnotized him, spltg him to "Gay Connell" and "Straight Connell. "This is a sensive topic for all parti volved, " said Jsi Moody, an LDS public affairs associateShe referred to official statements on homosexualy on their web stat: "The Lord's law of moral nduct is abstence outsi of lawful marriage and fily wh marriage.

Silverste was recently given the Amerin Psychologil Associatn Lifetime-Achievement Award for helpg to remove "homosexualy" om the list of illns psychiatry's "Diagnostic and Statistil Manual of Mental Disorrs" 1973. "Play About 1976 Shock Therapy OpensDavid Melson, print of the advocy group Affirmatn: Gay and Lbian Mormons, said anecdotal rmatn suggts suici rat among gay Mormons may be higher than the general populatn.

People prott agast the cisn of a Brazilian judge who approved gay nversn therapy Sao Plo, Brazil on September 22, 2017Getty Imag / AFP Contributor / ContributorGabriel Arana was a teenager when his parents found out he was gay. His mother, ncerned his life would be “too difficult” as a gay man, immediately booked an appotment wh a therapist, Joseph Nilosi, who promised to “cure” him of his, who later wrote about the experience for Amerin Prospect 2012, was experiencg what is often referred to as “gay nversn therapy” – therapy tend to get rid of same sex attractn. It says provis a “space for dividuals to safely explore their sexual attractn fluidy issu” via “standard psychotheraptic practice”; s founr, Michael Davidson, said that “people have the right to choose the directn they want to go ” and that “mandatory gay jt won’t work”.