lifestyle

Time to ban gay 'conversion' therapies, say experts

13 Comments
By Ellen Wulfhorst

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Of course it is time to end this barbaric practice. You can no more make a person heterosexual than you can make them gay. You are what you are.

The so-called therapies or conversions lead to depression, lack of self worth and in some cases - suicide.

Be true to yourselves.

10 ( +12 / -2 )

Can they, I wonder, convert twisted bigotry into straight, normal thinking?

6 ( +9 / -3 )

You can't cure something that isn't an illness.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

It's not a choice.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

why does the gay community also not respect the right of adults to repent for deeply held religious beliefs, or elect to be heterosexual as opposed to homosexual?

Has Pence apologised or acknowledged that his stance on homosexuality was wrong?

That might be a start.

Deeply held religious beliefs are often used to justify horrific treatment of other people. Is this fair?

And you can't elect to be hetero or homo. It's who you are. You don't wake up one day and think, do you know what? I fancy a bit of that today...

Same goes for gender. You may well be born with the equipment but you'll eventually realise who you really are or aren't.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

So homosexuality is geneteically encoded, a predetermined, and unmalleable characteristic, and gender is merely a social construct which can be overidden at will? How does that work in evolutionairy terms?

Well, first you need to understand evolutionary theory. But in answer to your question, the human race has done very well is spreading its genes - what are we now, 7 or 8bn and rising? There are plenty of evolutionary arguments as to why, just as to why women's life expectancy is so much greater than their period of fertility.

The existence of gay animals also shows how it exists in nature.

But mixing iron age religious beliefs with modern pseudo science (electric shocks etc) is never going to be a recipe for success.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Where I draw the line is banning consenting adults from engaging in whatever sort of activities

I can get your point. I've often thought my life would be nicer if I could be made into gay and I could fall in love with same-minded women, so don't close the clinic before I can afford... Seriously, it's not a question of consent. The thing is most of that is quackery and dangerous. Adults too deserve being protected from false claims of pseudo-medicine.

can involve psychoanalysis, injections and electric shocks.

That crosses the line. You should not apply medical treatments on healthy people.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

This seems to be a confusing issue for society.

Not really. Most of us are capable of nuanced thought, and figured it out long ago.

So homosexuality is geneteically encoded, a predetermined, and unmalleable characteristic

Sexuality, whether it be homo- or hetero- is genetic. Part of the DNA. Whether it is malleable is questionable - there is question as to whether environmental issues can predispose sexuality in the womb.

How does that work in evolutionairy terms?

Good question. I knew that it existed naturally among many species, but not what the evolutionary background of it was. A bit of the old Google found this: http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/scientists-discover-evolutionary-advantage-homosexual-sex/

3 ( +3 / -0 )

What became of the 700,000?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

I noticed how Adam Rippon snubbed US Vice President Pence over his alleged support of homosexual reversion therapy. I know it is an imperative of the gay community for society to respect them in what some consider to be a choice, but why does the gay community also not respect the right of adults to repent for deeply held religious beliefs, or elect to be heterosexual as opposed to homosexual?

Pence doesn't believe gay people have a right to exist so why should Adam Rippon, or anyone respect that narrow-minded ignoramus? Why should anyone even want to talk to such a boorish concrete-skull imbecile anyway?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I can support a ban on performing unproven medical treatments for under 18s, and a ban on electricuting people, and for medical associations to prohibit their members from offering this sort of treatment. Where I draw the line is banning consenting adults from engaging in whatever sort of activities they decide to engage in behind closed doors under the guise of intervening for their own good. Once you accept that premise, you're no different from the countries that ban homosexuality for reasons they think are equally as legitimate.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Sexuality, whether it be homo- or hetero- is genetic. Part of the DNA. Whether it is malleable is questionable - there is question as to whether environmental issues can predispose sexuality in the womb.

I think that whether it is purely genetic is an open question, given the malleability you describe. Identical twins are not always the same sexuality (although often are) and in this cases, differences in behaviour are often noticed from infancy in the child's interests (e.g. the tomboy girl twin). Scientists think that this comes down to hormone exposure in the womb.

But other correlations are noted, such as the much higher pre-disposition of left-handers to be gay - at about twice the rate of the rest of the population. This can only be down to a common genetic factor which we have not understood yet.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

This seems to be a confusing issue for society.

So homosexuality is geneteically encoded, a predetermined, and unmalleable characteristic, and gender is merely a social construct which can be overidden at will? How does that work in evolutionairy terms?

I noticed how Adam Rippon snubbed US Vice President Pence over his alleged support of homosexual reversion therapy. I know it is an imperative of the gay community for society to respect them in what some consider to be a choice, but why does the gay community also not respect the right of adults to repent for deeply held religious beliefs, or elect to be heterosexual as opposed to homosexual?

-10 ( +1 / -11 )

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