In my closing thoughts on today's show I talked about how the American Psychiatric Association came to remove homosexuality as a mental disorder from their DSM years ago. Dr. Spitzer, an influential member of the APA and one who encouraged the removal, wrote in "Therapeutically Incorrect" about how NARTH President Joseph Nicolosi, Ph.D., had provided him with a list of ex-gays who were willing to be interviewed regarding a survey he was conducting on the possibility of change in sexual orientation. After his interviews with these and other clients he became convinced that change was possible. After publishing his findings in the "Archives of Sexual Behavior" in October of 2003 many of his colleagues were extremely unhappy with him, including the Dean of admissions at Columbia University who said it was a disgrace that a Columbia professor would do such a thing.
The major point I want to make is that a colleague, Dr. Berger, provides some background information on the real reason for the removal of homosexuality from the APA's DSM. "What most people are not aware of is that when a group from the American Psychiatric Association first proposed the removal of homosexuality from the DSM in 1973, it was very clearly laid out in the "protocol" that the move was purely in response to the designation of 'stigma' that those who identified themselves as homosexual claimed that they suffered as a consequence of 'homosexuality' being included as a psychiatric disorder. It was stated very clearly that the proposed removal was not intended to make any scientific statement about homosexuality. However, that distinction has become forgotten by the next generation, who now have come to believe - or have been 'programmed' to believe - that the APA was in fact making a scientific statement about the 'normality' of homosexuality - and by implication its irreversibilty."
What do you think about this? Let me know.
I cover more of Dr. Berger's statement on the show as well as lots of quotes for our In Their Own Words segment.
© Sharon Hughes 2005
Hear today's show (See 7/15/05)
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