The three lies of the same fate (2)

2 Homosexuality is immutable

The argument that "homosexuality is unchangeable" is often used to make tragic propaganda, rebuttals, and opposition to restorative therapy to others. For example, in the face of parental doubts, tell your parents that you can't change. In the face of people who oppose the appeals of homosexual groups, they claim that they are unchangeable, and pour out their helplessness to gain support. When confronted with news of restorative therapy, gays and lesbians also tend to refute it and attack opponents for their lack of scientific literacy. This argument has greatly helped the gay community whether in daily life or online public opinion debate, giving them enough powerful language weapons to face doubts and dilemmas. But the truth is different from what the gay community believes.

The earliest record of homosexual change (as far as I have it) dates back to the 1898 report of Albert von Schrenck-Notzing. Albert von Schrenck-Notzing describes his patients as homosexual, with no or diminished feelings for the opposite sex. Of the 32 "sex inversion" cases treated with suggestion and hypnotherapy, 12 were successfully cured. After treatment, these people are believed to "overcome existing [homosexual] thoughts, increase their sense of responsibility, self-control, and think more correctly."

The cure reports after this are also endless, here are just a few examples.

Psychoanalysis

For example, Albert Ellis reported in 1956 that patients receiving psychoanalytic-based psychotherapy can "achieve the desired sexual orientation" if they actively seek change. In a sample of 40 patients, 18 men and 12 women "showed significant or visible improvement" after treatment, Ellis noted. This means that they begin to eliminate the fear of the opposite sex, enjoy heterosexual relationships, and get rid of compulsive homosexual thoughts or activities. (1)

Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy

Pradhan, Ayyar, and Bagadia (1982) prescribed behavioral modification techniques to 13 gay men, eight of whom showed conversion to heterosexuality and remained heterosexual at six-month and one-year follow-up assessments. (2)

Canton-Dutari (1974, 1976) used desensitization therapy, aversion therapy, and contraction-breathing techniques to help gay men control their sexual arousal after seeing homosexual images. According to Canton-Dutari, 48 of the 54 patients (89%) were successfully cured and were able to control their sexual arousal after seeing homosexual images. Forty-nine (90%) were satisfied with heterosexual intercourse. The researchers followed up 22 of them after an average of three months to six months, 11 of whom remained exclusively heterosexual, and 4 of them were married; the other 11 needed to commit suicide after seeing homosexual images, but did not engage in other homosexual acts. (3)

group therapy

Truax and Tourney (1971) reported that 30 patients who received group therapy had increased heterosexual orientation compared with a control group that did not receive group therapy. Changes in gay behavior include more dating with the opposite sex, less gay experience, and more sex with the opposite sex. (4)

In addition to these reports, Nicolosi, who has been attacked by homosexual groups, used a 70-question patient questionnaire, with the assistance of the American Association for the Study and Treatment of Homosexuality (NARTH), to "explore the experiences of people who were previously homosexual. Struggling and dissatisfied with this tendency, who have sought and experienced some degree of change.” The survey interviewed a total of 882 people, including 689 men and 193 women, who had undergone psychotherapy, pastoral counseling, and/or self-directed efforts, including religious intervention ministry, and who later claimed to have transitioned from homosexuality to heterosexual orientation to some extent . Of these, 216 (24%) reported having participated in restorative therapy provided by a professional therapist; 229 (26%) received both professional therapy and pastoral counseling; 223 (25%) received pastoral counseling only; 156 Individuals (18%) seek method change on their own, including participating in religious-involved group ministry. After the treatment, 34.3% of the participants said that they changed from homosexual orientation to exclusive, or near-exclusive heterosexual orientation. Although more than 67% of the participants claimed to have been exclusively or almost exclusively homosexual in the past, or at some point in their life, only 12.8% of them still claimed to be homosexual when interviewed. (5)

In addition, Clippinger (1974) used a meta-analysis to evaluate the success rate of helping people to get rid of homosexual tendencies. The results showed that among 785 patients, 307 (40%) moved in the ideal direction and significantly improved, or at least turned. heterosexuality. (6)

In addition to this, APA's former chairman, Cummings, served for over 20 years as a director at the Kaiser-Permanente Health Maintenance Organization. He and his colleagues approached 18,000 patients with homosexuality. They primarily address gay life and psychological issues, and only offer reorientation therapy when strongly requested by the patient. Satisfactory results were achieved in 67% of the patients treated. 2,400 of the patients who asked for reorientation were successful in converting to heterosexual orientation.

Based on the last long list of reports, we can say that whether homosexuality can change is not a debatable issue because the answer is certain. The question that is worth debating is, how likely is change? and the success rate of reorientation therapy. But unfortunately, under the huge pressure of public opinion, the progress of related research is very slow.

1 https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1957-06312-001

2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3012889/

3https: //link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF01636442

4 https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1972-31702-001

5 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/003329410008600302.2

6 https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1974-30538-001