Following some shocking research revealing that a significant minority of therapists offer treatment for homosexuality, Dominic James shares his thoughts on the subject.

• 17% of therapists offer have “treated” individuals for being gay
• Homosexuality was still listed as a disorder until 1987
• Decision to “treat” driven by moral and religious prejudice
• All evidence shows treatments to be ineffective

My doctor is lovely and has been enormously helpful in many respects. But, I was left a little taken a back when, on a recent visit he decided to share with me his insight into homosexuality. “I believe that the reason that homosexuality exists is to keep population growth in check; a sort of genetic self-regulation.” I think he was trying to help me see my life as meaningful! It didn’t really work and I will come back to this...

I guess I am not alone in harbouring negative feelings about being gay. I am generally only aware of this with the benefit of hindsight; looking back at some of my less “self-loving” behaviour provides me with a big clue. I am also not surprised by this.

I went through adolescence and beyond keeping my sexuality and feelings a secret. I can see now that keeping that secret was a result of me assuming that being gay was something to hide, a bad thing: being gay was something to be ashamed of.

Being born in the 1960’s, I must have been bombarded with overt and subtle messages that being gay was simply bad, or at least very odd. It must be kept a secret. Being gay was something to be laughed at in the form of the likes of Larry Grayson and Dick Emery (both of whom I actually love!). “Gay”, “Poofter”, “Queer” etc. were terms of abuse in the playground and, incredibly, homosexuality was listed as a psychological disorder right up to 1973. Even then, it remained listed as an “Egodystonic” (thoughts and behaviours in conflict with an ideal self-image) disorder right up to 1987. Yes, it was officially treated as an illness while Boy George was topping the charts with “Everything I Own”!

Twenty years on, I am faced with the reality of my own feelings about my sexuality and the fact that a recent study indicated that one in six therapists (17%) reported having assisted at least one client to reduce their gay or lesbian feelings, and it appears that there has been no decrease in this statistic in recent times. I am left with two questions: Should homosexuality be treated? Can homosexuality be treated?

Therapists offering such treatment present a range of arguments. These include reducing anxiety resulting from discrimination. In response, I would argue that the therapy should be focused on helping the gay client deal with that discrimination, not changing their sexuality. They also argue from a moral or religious standpoint:

“Where someone had a strong faith, then working to help the person accept their feelings but manage them appropriately may be the best approach if [the] person felt they would lose God and therefore their life was not worth living.”

Oh dear, I could write all day on this topic. The therapist is surely an expert in what it is to be human and helping individuals find some acceptance in that, not in what God might want them to be (or not be). I suppose my argument here is much the same as in the case of stress from discrimination; help the client build a coping strategy, not conform to prejudice demands.

Perhaps the scariest quote from the research was: “Although homosexual feelings are usual in people, their physical expression, and being a person’s only way of having sexual relations is problematic. The physical act for male homosexuals is physically damaging and is the main reason in this country for AIDS/HIV. It is also perverse.”

This was a therapist...a member of a “caring” profession.

The second question remains: Can homosexuality be treated? The evidence suggests it cannot, even if certain therapists feel it should be.

“There is very little evidence to show that attempting to treat a person’s homosexual feelings is effective and in fact it can actually be harmful,” says Professor Michael King from UCL.

In his paper (published March 2009: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-244X/9/11 ) he makes the point that:

“There is no evidence from the published literature to suggest that a person's sexual orientation can be changed from homosexual to heterosexual”

Furthermore, If you consider that the commonest reason for a referral to therapy is confusion about sexual orientation (it is well known that confusion is a feature of "coming out") it is this confusion the therapist would be better advised to focus on, not changing the client’s orientation.

It seems to me that the most helpful intervention for anyone struggling with anxiety around their sexuality would be one that draws from the experience of the most satisfied and happy members of the gay community. What differentiates them from the rest? My guess would be that they have found a sense of purpose in being gay or lesbian. They are confident in their right to be a productive member of society; they add unique value. On my best days, I feel some of that!

So, I will go back to my doctor again. However, I will ask him to restrict his observations to my Athlete’s Foot and Hiatus Hernia. He’s an expert on those.

By Dominic James