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Not to mention the success rate is very low, and they can be abusive. Outlaw it.
If you do more research on this topic a whole lot of really ugly stuff comes up.
I seriously doubt there has ever been any real 'success' rate at all other than some bisexuals learning to limit their sexual behavior only to the opposite sex or some homosexuals completelely deluding themselves or lying after being physically, mentally and emotionally tortured.
By the way, that Wiki article needs updating. Christian Psychologist Warren Throckmorton now writes regular articles against NARTH's practice of so called 'reparative therapy' and has done his own study on mixed orientation married couples (where gay/lesbian Christians married a straight person) He found that none of the gay/lesbian people actually changed their sexual orientation and that their attraction to the same gender had actually increased. He helps Christian gays and lesbians reconcile their homosexuality with their religious beliefs but does not tell them they can change their sexual orientation.
Also, NARTH claims it is a 'secular' group. It's not. All it's members are religious conservatives. Most members of NARTH are not even clinically trained qualified professionals. It's a tiny fringe group who doesn't even do 'research' at all- they just write propaganda articles on their website which distort and misrepresent the work of real researchers or just rail against the APA. They are the main source of misinformation behind all the anti-gay junk science propaganda you'll find on many religious conservative websites like the FRC or NOM or AFA.
George 'rentboy' Rekers was a founding board member of NARTH and their clinical 'advisor' - until he was involved in a scandal a couple of years ago where he hired a young male prostitute to 'carry his luggage' on a European holiday. . He was also discredited professionally when it was found that his PhD thesis from the 1970's was based on the fraudulent results of a study he was involved in.
You know, I really hope he does sue and it goes to court. And I hope they make the transcripts/video recordings available to the public and it's well publicized.
Then the facts about can come out of the closet even if he won't.
The Mark Regnerus study didn't even study children who had been parented by gay and lesbian couples.
But how convenient that he had $750,000 funded by an anti-gay religious conservative group so it would be completed just in time for the 2012 elections where same-sex marriage is on the bill in several states.
Shame it didn't prove what his funders wanted it to prove. But that hasn't stopped religious conservative anti-gay groups from completely misrepresenting it anyway.
For those who are interested in studies on children of gay and lesbian parents, (where both parents are gay or lesbian) here is a review of most of the research:
And from health professionals who actually know what they are talking about because they use evidence instead of parroting prejudiced ignorant nonsense:
"Current research shows that children with gay and lesbian parents do not differ from children with heterosexual parents in their emotional development or in their relationships with peers and adults. It is important for parents to understand that it is the quality of the parent/child relationship and not the parent’s sexual orientation that has an effect on a child’s development. Research has shown that in contrast to common beliefs, children of lesbian, gay, or transgender parents:
Are not more likely to be gay than children with heterosexual parents.
Are not more likely to be sexually abused.
Do not show differences in whether they think of themselves as male or female (gender identity).
Do not show differences in their male and female behaviors (gender role behavior)."
"A growing body of scientific literature demonstrates that children who grow up with 1 or 2 gay and/or lesbian parents fare as well in emotional, cognitive, social, and sexual functioning as do children whose parents are heterosexual. Children’s optimal development seems to be influenced more by the nature of the relationships and interactions within the family unit than by the particular structural form it takes."
"Overall, the belief that children of lesbian and gayparents suffer deficits in personal development has no empirical foundation. .....
The results of some studies suggest that lesbian mothers' and gay fathers' parenting skills may be superior to those of matched heterosexual couples. For instance, Flaks, Fischer, Masterpasqua, and Joseph (1995) reported that lesbian couples' parenting awareness skills were stronger than those of heterosexual couples. This was attributed to greater parenting awareness among lesbian nonbiological mothers than among heterosexual fathers. In one study, Brewaeys and her colleagues (1997) likewise reported more favorable patterns of parent-child interaction among lesbian as compared to heterosexual parents, but in another, they found greater similarities (Vanfraussen, Ponjaert-Kristoffersen, & Brewaeys, 2003)."
The entrenched conviction that children need both a mother and a father inflames culture wars over single motherhood, divorce, gay marriage, and gay parenting. Research to date, however, does not support this claim. Contrary to popular belief, studies have not shown that "compared to all other family forms, families headed by married, biological parents are best for children" (Popenoe, quoted in Center for Marriage and Family, p. 1).
Research has not identified any gender-exclusive parenting abilities (with the partial exception of lactation). Our analysis confirms an emerging consensus among prominent researchers of fathering and child development. The third edition of Lamb's (1997) authoritative anthology directly reversed the inaugural volume's premise when it concluded that "very little about the gender of the parent seems to be distinctly important" (p. 10). Likewise, in Fath-erneed, Pruett (2000), a prominent advocate of involved fathering, confided, "I also now realize that most of the enduring parental skills are probably, in the end, not dependent on gender" (p. 18).
Interestingly statement from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy today 'reparative therapy' or 'conversion therapy' as it known in the UK is now considered unethical among all age groups.
Quote:
Britain's biggest professional body for psychotherapists has instructed members that it is unethical for them to attempt to "convert" gay people to being heterosexual.
The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy has written to its near-30,000 members to inform them of the new guidelines. The letter says the BACP "opposes any psychological treatment such as 'reparative' or 'conversion' therapy which is based upon the assumption that homosexuality is a mental disorder, or based on the premise that the client/patient should change his/her sexuality". The body adds that it recognises World Health Organisation policy that says such therapies can cause severe harm to an individual's mental and physical health.
In a commentary in Slate, William Saletan writes, "What the study shows, then, is that kids from broken homes headed by gay people develop the same problems as kids from broken homes headed by straight people. But that finding isn't meaningless. It tells us something important: We need fewer broken homes among gays, just as we do among straights. We need to study Regnerus' sample and fix the mistakes we made 20 or 40 years ago."
Basically all it shows is that it's not a good idea for gays or lesbians to marry straight people as it usually ends up in broken homes and divorce- which is not as good for kids as an intact family with parents with a good relationship.
It's great evidence for supporting same-sex marriage.
Not the result that the conservative Christian group who funded it would want I'm sure.
I never made any claim of anything, someone else did, prove it or shut it, it's just that simple. There is no purpose in anyone being born Homosexual, the parts are not meant to go together, it's really just that simple.
As someone else said, extremely simplistic view. Why does the entire animal kingdom have homosexuals in it? Why is it necessary for the survival of the species? Have you ever studied the evolutionary reasons for homosexuals to exist in a population? It goes far beyond a sex act. There is social bonding, care for sibling children, increased fecundity in females, etc.
And what is the anti-gay crowds obsession with a specific type of sex? You do realize not all gays engage in that type of sex, and tons and tons of heterosexuals do right? Clearly dispelling your "the parts don't go together" argument.
I still fail to see where sending a child to therapy even if it dosen't work can be considered abuse. How many parents have had their children removed from the home for choosing this type of therapy?
Because the methods they use are barbaric and harmful, that's why. It causes an extreme amount of psychological damage, often resulting in those "patients" committing suicide because their "therapist" drilled lies into their head and told them they are worthless abominations.
Interestingly statement from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy today 'reparative therapy' or 'conversion therapy' as it known in the UK is now considered unethical among all age groups.
That's great. I hope this spreads quickly to other countries.
If an adult wants to harm themselves and spend thousands of dollars on quack 'therapy', they should be free to do so. But the 'therapists' offering this quackery need to get informed consent from the clients first.
Informed consent means that 'therapists' will be required to provide scientific evidence for it's effectiveness (which they can't) and provide information from the major health origanizations about it's lack of effectiveness and potential for harm.
If they still want to try it that's their choice. But it will be an 'informed' choice.
Interestingly statement from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy today 'reparative therapy' or 'conversion therapy' as it known in the UK is now considered unethical among all age groups.
I remember reading the undercover Journalist's account of going to a 'devout Christian' 'therapist' which started off this whole investigation.
It was fascinating to read how these 'therapists' tried to steer this guy into saying that he had a poor relationship with his father when he actually had had a good relationship. The woman also tried to convince him that he was probably sexually abused as a child by someone in his family - which he wasn't. That's the sort of thing that these 'therapists' think 'causes' homosexuality (despite no valid evidence for these idesa and plenty of evidence against). It's really despicable the lengths some of these religious 'therapists' will go to try to support their own wacky 'theories'. She even told him that prayer can cure HIV -not that the journalist was HIV positive anyway.
This woman was highly unethical as well as incompetent and unprofessional. I'm glad she ended up being deregistered. These people need to be exposed for what they are.
I remember reading the undercover Journalist's account of going to a 'devout Christian' 'therapist' which started off this whole investigation.
It was fascinating to read how this 'therapist' tried to steer this guy into saying that he had a poor relationship with his father when he actually had had a good relationship. That's what these 'therapists' think 'causes' homosexuality (despite no valid evidence for this idea and plenty of evidence against). Highly unethical as well as incompetent and unprofessional. I'm glad she ended up being deregistered. These people need to be exposed for what they are.
That was something wasn't it? She deserved to lose her credentials.
Quote:
In fact, offering a version of reparative therapy was the least of her offences. Far from simply acknowledging her client’s confession that he was dissatisfied with his sexuality and behaviour, she affirmed that homosexuality was a mental illness, an addiction and anti-religious. Despite journalist Patrick Strudwick’s denials, Lesley Pilkington told him the root of his homosexuality was low self-esteem, childhood sexual abuse and family connections to Freemasonry.
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. He was also discredited professionally when it was found that his PhD thesis from the 1970's was based on the fraudulent results of a study he was involved in.
