A Straight Perspective on Gay Rights

My View on Reparative Therapy

A whole lot can, and has, been said about reparative therapy and other "cures" for homosexuality.  I'll just make three points:
  • Yes, through prayer and intense counseling (I'm tempted to say "programming") almost anything is possible.  After all, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
  • But the mere fact that some people have succeeded in something doesn't mean that everyone should do it, or even that it is responsible and safe.  I've read enough literature of all kinds that supports reparative therapy that I believe I understand its successes, and I've read enough about the negative effects, failures, and false successes of reparative therapy to understand that, on balance, it is a dangerous, inappropriate, and counterproductive process.
  • To me, it doesn't really matter if it works sometimes or even fairly often; it doesn't work often enough to overcome the negative effects of its motivation and its failure.  Besides, when one realizes that is OK to be gay; that gay people can and do lead productive, fulfilled lives, with committed partners, and even children, then what's the point? I suspect that there are better treatments than reparative therapy for sexually compulsive homosexuals.  If not, then, fine, use reparative therapy for truly destructive compulsive sexual dysfunction.  But to sell it as a fix for just "being gay" is wrong.

A Straight Perspective on Gay Rights
Robin Richmond - www.robinrichmond.com
PFLAG Cleveland - www.pflagcleveland.org
November, 2001