APA Rejects "Ex-Gay" Therapy.

At long last, the American Psychological Association tells the full truth. There is no such thing as credible "change therapy" that "fixes" homosexuality. Any of us who have been interacting with the "exgay ministries," whether through personal involvement or, like myself, through dialogue with them, knows this to be a fact.

The exgays will come back with "proof" that people have "changed," but it's always the same handful with the same stories. And when pressed, they will confess that they're still attracted to the same sex, but somehow, have managed to bond with a person of the opposite sex. I have never met an "exgay" who has actually turned into a heterosexual the way you and I think of heterosexuals.

Does this mean that people shouldn't be allowed to seek this kind of therapy if it's what they wish? No. I think people should do whatever they want. But no therapist should ever tell a client that they'll actually turn non-gay. It doesn't happen.

Listen to the witnesses who attend these exgay camps or shelters or homes, and you'll find that the failure rate is the same as the entrance rate.

The real victims, aside from the innocent ones who enter these therapies, are the families and friends who think their gay sons, daughters or cousins are going to hell because they're gay -- and that "Jesus" can change them. That's why they parade around with these lavish dog and pony shows, trotting out supposed "success stories," almost all of whom eventually revert back to being gay.

And, that, to me, is the most heinous crime of all. To deceive grandmothers and parents into thinking that the only reason their kid is not straight is because of something either the parent did, or the kid did (or failed to do).

But the plain facts are this: No one changes sexual orientation, unless it's something that simply happens as a natural course of this person's own orientation. It can't be "force-changed."

From the release:

The American Psychological Association adopted a resolution Wednesday stating that mental health professionals should avoid telling clients that they can change their sexual orientation through therapy or other treatments.

The "Resolution on Appropriate Affirmative Responses to Sexual Orientation Distress and Change Efforts" also advises that parents, guardians, young people and their families avoid sexual orientation treatments that portray homosexuality as a mental illness or developmental disorder and instead seek psychotherapy, social support and educational services "that provide accurate information on sexual orientation and sexuality, increase family and school support and reduce rejection of sexual minority youth."

The approval, by APA's governing Council of Representatives, came at APA's annual convention, during which a task force presented a report that in part examined the efficacy of so-called "reparative therapy," or sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE).

"Contrary to claims of sexual orientation change advocates and practitioners, there is insufficient evidence to support the use of psychological interventions to change sexual orientation," said Judith M. Glassgold, PsyD, chair of the task force. "Scientifically rigorous older studies in this area found that sexual orientation was unlikely to change due to efforts designed for this purpose. Contrary to the claims of SOCE practitioners and advocates, recent research studies do not provide evidence of sexual orientation change as the research methods are inadequate to determine the effectiveness of these interventions." Glassgold added: "At most, certain studies suggested that some individuals learned how to ignore or not act on their homosexual attractions. Yet, these studies did not indicate for whom this was possible, how long it lasted or its long-term mental health effects. Also, this result was much less likely to be true for people who started out only attracted to people of the same sex."

Based on this review, the task force recommended that mental health professionals avoid misrepresenting the efficacy of sexual orientation change efforts when providing assistance to people distressed about their own or others' sexual orientation.