CarnalNation

The American Psychological Association announced a resolution yesterday saying that trying to change a client's sexual orientation through "reparative therapy" is neither effective nor ethical. The announcement sounds a little bit like stating the obvious, especially if you've paid even cursory attention to the last 30 years or so of science and activism, but it's welcome nevertheless. The six-member Task Force on Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation studied English-language journal articles form 1960 to 2007, including 83 studies. Judith M. Glassgold, chair of the task force, said that "[T]here is insufficient evidence to support the use of psychological interventions to change sexual orientation." Furthermore, Glassgold said, "[M]uch of the research in the area of sexual orientation change contains serious design flaws. Few studies could be considered methodologically sound and none systematically evaluated potential harms."

Naturally, the APA's conclusions have already sparked debate across the Internet. Wayne Besen, Executive Director of Truth Wins Out, writes that "The APA deserves credit for taking ex-gay therapists to task for twisting the truth and holding them accountable for their scare tactics, such as claiming that there are no happy gay people." While most LGBT activists and commentators agree with Besen generally, many have been critical of what they see as a certain conservatism in some of the new guidelines for treatment of clients who are uncomfortable with their sexuality. The Wall Street Journal describes the new guidelines' approach:

The counselor must advise clients that gay men and women can lead happy and healthy lives, and emphasize that there is no evidence therapy can change sexual orientation.

But if the client still believes that affirming his same-sex attractions would be sinful or destructive to his faith, psychologists can help him construct an identity that rejects the power of those attractions, the APA says. That might require living celibately, learning to deflect sexual impulses or framing a life of struggle as an opportunity to grow closer to God.

Queerty voices the concerns of many other LGBT writers about the guidelines, saying

The APA is permitting its 150,000 counselors to tell Americans they should deny themselves sex (a very normal human desire), and even companionship, to cope with the conflict of religion and identity.

No, sexuality is not the same as race. It's not the same as gender. But we can't fathom one of the nation's leading psychological institutions to, say, recommend a Latino man who's ashamed of his heritage (i.e. something he is born into) to learn how to disassociate from the Latino community and 'prioritize' his subscription to 'white values.' It's silly, really. And it sounds perfectly harmful.

And of course, fundamentalist Christians are having their say, too. Focus on the Family gender issues analyst Jeff Johnston said that the APA was starting with an assumption that homosexuality could be a positive identity, and defended "ex-gay" therapy: "There are a lot fo people out there who haven't just changed their sexual identity or behavior, but their attractions have also changed," he said. "I'm one of those people."