Conversion therapy is something very interesting and horrifying at the same time. The idea of conversion therapy is that people’s sexual orientation and gender identity can be changed and made “normal.” The way they do this vary massively but the most recent case came from China where the main reversion therapy is electroshock. For this post I will focus on this case and conversion therapy in these two countries. Does this actually have any scientific basis and if it doesn’t why do people think it works?
Lets begin with the idea of reversion therapy done in America. According to the APA or American Psychological association, reversion therapy, at least in America, has little to no evidence of actually doing anything to change peoples sexual orientation. It does show evidence of causing massive harm like suicide, depression, and a number of horrible side effects. A number of practices actually involve electroshock by showing gay men naked men and electrocuting them if they get aroused. It makes sense but there is no evidence that it did anything. Additionally, the white house even released a statement stating the practices after New Jersey made the practice illegal. They stated there was no scientific evidence that reversion therapy ever helped stating it only ever harmed people. The other really interesting part, China has deemed all reversion therapy completely illegal.
Why did they make these practices illegal? In America it started with the American Psychological Association declassifying homosexuality as a mental disorder in 1974. The thing was this was done due to the people’s changing opinions and not because of any tests or experiments. People just thought being gay was not a bad thing or not mental disorder by that point. The was no science behind the change at all. The Chinese Psychological Association declassified the same thing in 2001. They also had no tests or anything to back up why they changed it. The two organizations both stated it was for the health and well being of the homosexual communities in their respective countries. They both just saw the change in society and went with it. It took longer in America after this point to make conversion therapy illegal but China did it almost right after homosexuality was declassified as a way to protect gay and lesbian citizens.
These conversion “treatments” are being done to people who are forced or pressured into it illegally by their families and society. However, the reversion therapy they do is much differently then America. They use basic electroshock therapy just like America used years ago. They do not do odd or obscene experiments, that we know of, they simply use an old common treatment. In fact, according to one meta analysis electroshock therapy can actually help with depression by actually helping to change the biology of the brain. There are of course issues but in the end it seems to actually help people. In the end, being homosexual is not considered a mental disorder or considered any sort of mentally damaging aspect of a persons psyche in most countries. Even if these practices do some how change peoples sexual orientation there is no really point to it.
Conversion therapy is a deplorable and illegal in a large number of countries even those who do not have same-sex marriage or even LGBT protections. It has no science and no medical proof of doing anything positive for anyone. In the end, it just hurts people trying to change something that is just a part of themselves.
Sources
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/china-gay-conversion-therapy-report_561eb969e4b050c6c4a4194e
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/response/response-your-petition-conversion-therapy
http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/ccp/62/2/221/
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/mar/07/china.johngittings1
I thought that this post was horrifying! No one simply grows out of being gay, and in my twenty years of life I have yet to hear someone say “I used to be gay, but I am not anymore.” The fact that this was EVER legal disgusts me. However, I cannot be too surprised when comparing it to other medical practices that were used in earlier time periods. One thing that would be interesting to add to the blog would be to relate it to class when we discussed how doctors killed people based on their lack of scientific knowledge and data. We talked about numerous different things, ranging from blood letting, to putting babies to sleep on their stomachs. As science evolves, these practices are no longer in use. Even though conversion therapy typically does not directly lead to death, you stated that many commit suicide after undergoing such a traumatic experience. While it is clear that conversion therapy would not work, there is also a HUGE ethical factor that comes into play. Individuals are born gay, just like some are born with white skin and some individuals are born with black skin. Trying to “shock the gay away” would be similar to trying to “shock the white away.” It is just irrational, impossible, and offensive. While customs are different throughout the world, I am interested to know why this practice is allowed in China. Are there numerous studies that prove conversion therapy works? Something else I’m curious of is who thought of this idea in the first place, and how long this has been practiced for. Time Magazine has a very interesting analysis of conversion therapy that you should check out! http://time.com/3705745/history-therapy-hadden/
I like how you explored conversion therapy. Personally it has always been something that I heard about, shook my head at and gone on my way. Your blog hits on a lot of great points which lead me to ask lots of questions while reading, such as: Was there specific studies done in the United States or China? What specifically lead the Chinese to make conversion therapy illegal? Is a certain study in the United States connected to the White House statements on electroshock? Do doctors receive large pay from performing electroshock?
You end your blog stating “it just hurts people trying to change something that is just a part of themselves.” This made me consider the classical “are you born as a homosexual?” argument people entertain. Since you conclude your blog with such a powerful statement I was thinking you could delve deeper into the idea. Because there is no actual discovery of a gene that could make a person homosexual you could , in this situation, analyze how powerful anecdotes are in the argument from both ‘ex-homosexuals’ that claim during a period of their life they believed they were predestined to be gay. As well as the LGBT community. You could also look into how reputable organizations such as the The American Psychiatric Association incorrectly correlated family dynamic/ issues to becoming a homosexual years ago and how that has effected the views on society and why anyone feels it is acceptable to use electroshock therapy.
http://borngay.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001335
http://www.focusonthefamily.com/socialissues/sexuality/understanding-same-sex-attractions/are-people-really-born-gay