Reparative therapy
From RationalWiki
- For a discussion of Conservapedia's "article" on Reparative Therapy, see Reparative Therapy of Homosexuality.
Reparative therapy is the idea that homosexuality can, and should, be cured. Many reparative therapy "camps" are maintained where children's parents send them to be "cured" of homosexuality: however, these re-education facilities in fact amount to little more than non-fatal concentration camps.[1] Many camps are deliberately placed beyond United States territory so as to avoid their jurisdiction, and, ostensibly, their laws. Some RationalWiki users dream of burying such camps in a sea of class actions...
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[edit] Background
In the 1970s the American Psychiatric Assocation was reviewing its chief diagnostical tool, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. During this revision the committee tasked with writing the manual eliminated homosexuality as a "mental disorder" primarily because they believed that it did not meet the standard of impaired functioning and in most cases did not hurt the self or others.[2] Opponents of this decision seemed to think that it was based on pressure from the gay agenda that corrupted the APA. Thus, if the APA wasn't going to treat homosexuals as mentally ill, the religious right would.
[edit] Meet Richard Cohen
By all accounts Richard Cohen would seem like a typical straight man, he has a wife and kids and seems like an average every day fellow. However, he is probably the most prolific "ex-gay" out there, and is a (self proclaimed) "Certified Sexual Reorientation Coach." Although every major counselling organization has banned him (including other "ex-gay" groups), Cohen is probably the most prolific of them, and the most crazy. His basic theory is that gay people did not get proper attachment from the parent of the opposite gender (or the same gender, actually it seems that Cohen hasn't really thought this whole thing out) and are thus reaching out to people of their same gender in order to find that missing parental love. Despite not doing any real research into this matter he manages to get on TV claiming to have found the "cure" for something which is not classified as a disease (except by these people).
[edit] Techniques
The techniques that Reparative therapists use are quite varied, but have one thing in common: they do not work.
- Aversion Therapy Remember the time you threw up after eating your favorite food and then never ever wanted to have that food again, even if that food didn't cause your vomiting? That's aversion therapy. Except the way Reparative therapists do it is to show you some hot gay porn then make you drink ipecac. This might work but it doesn't really "change" things, just prevents behaviors, and in the end all it may do is just make you not want to watch gay porn.
- Hugging This one happens to be a Richard Cohen special. Remember his theory is that gay men did not get the proper attachment from their dad, so in order to treat this, Cohen himself will hug
his rape victimhis patient while he pretends to be a little boy and Cohen pretends to be his father. This is absolutely no expression of repressed urges on Cohen's part since he is not gay. - Gender Reinforcement This is a slightly more "mainstream" form of Reparative therapy where by gay men and women will be forced to enact stereotypical gender roles. So lesbians will be discouraged from sports and metal working and instead be taught to sew, do make up, hold babies (since all women want babies[3] and sex is only for babies), and do other girly things. Gay men will be taught to act macho, and do things like play sports (since no gay men ever played sports[4]) or taught to do macho stuff like build things, (because only straight people work on construction sites[5]).
- Hit Pillows This is another Richard Cohen special. Cohen does sometimes get gay feelings, and so he has to deal with them in a mature and adult manner. Thus, when he feels gay he will take a baseball bat or tennis racquet and smash it against a pillow, while screaming things like "mom why did you do that to me!"
To see these vary effective techniques in action The Chaser's War on Everything put it to the test!
[edit] Famous Ex-Gays
This is broken down into two categories, those whom have "relapsed" and those who have not.
[edit] Relapsed
- John Paulk (after being "cured" went to a DC gay club to celebrate this fact with other gays).
- Richard Cohen (though he doesn't admit that he's relapsed, he has taken trips to New York to cheat on his wife with men)
- Michael Bussee (co-founder of Exodus International, one of the largest ex-gay groups, has since been a major critic of such groups)
- Christopher Austin (got 10 years for sexually assaulting male clients)
[edit] Stayed Straight
[edit] Laws Violated
In theory, reparative therapy camps, even those outside of American jurisdiction, could be sued for torts committed against American citizens. First, it is a well-settled concept of jurisdiction that where a facility avails itself of the United States market, it can potentially (i.e., with a skilled lawyer) be sued in the United States. The basic touchstone of jurisdiction is how foreseeability and fairness, and where a camp is comprised 100% of American citizens, surely it ought to be "on notice" of being covered by American laws. Venue would likely be proper in America following a forum non conveniens motion. From an American venue, a vast sum of torts - intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment, battery, tortious negligence, and likely statutory crimes - could be levied against the camp, but, more importantly, an effective public relations campaign could be fought.
A cursory Lexis search shows that no litigation has yet erupted around the abuses occurring at reparative therapy camps, except the criminal prosecution in California of one member of Casa by the Sea,[6] and a reporter investigating the same suing them for defamation and interference with contractual relationship with his publisher: apparently, Casa by the Sea does not like people knowing what's going on there.
[edit] References
- ↑ Upon personal information, I know a young man sent to Casa by the Sea, a camp in Mexico. The man - then a boy - didn't see his reflection for a year (!), his education became nonexistent, and in other pertinent matters, was psychologically tortured and lost a year of his life. For a (comparatively) mild case, read this.
- ↑ http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/facts_mental_health.html
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childfree
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Gay_sportspeople
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_people
- ↑ Now closed (victory!). See teh Wikipedia.
