Hold That ‘Cure’ Homosexuality is not an illness that needs to be treated. by JIM MAYNARD A coalition of psychology and education experts recently mailed a pamphlet to every school district in the nation entitled “Just the Facts: Sexual Orientation and Youth,” addressing a question that has become the latest object of the religious right’s war against the scientific community. The pamphlet makes the simple point “the idea that homosexuality is a mental disorder has no support among health and mental-health professional organizations,” and “efforts to change young people’s sexual orientation through therapy have raised serious concerns about its potential to do harm.” The sponsors of the pamphlet make up an impressive and well-credentialed list: American Academy of Pediatrics, American Counseling Association, American Association of School Administrators, American Federation of Teachers, American Psychological Association, American School Health Association, Interfaith Alliance Foundation, National Association of School Psychologists, National Association of Social Workers, and National Education Association. So-called “family-values” and religious-right groups object to the argument — supported by the overwhelming majority of psychological and mental health experts and organizations — that homosexuality is not a mental disorder or abnormality which requires therapy to change a person’s sexual orientation. In its latest attack on equality for gays and lesbians, the religious right has been pushing its view of homosexuality as not only “sinful” but also as a “mental disorder” that can be changed through “conversion therapy” or the more secular “reparative therapy.” The problem is that neither of these so-called therapies have any scientific support, and the theories about sexuality and gender socialization that they are based on have been discredited and have no support in the mainstream scientific community More than 25 years ago the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association ceased to classify homosexuality as a mental illness. In 1998, the American Psychological Association condemned “reparative therapy,” and the American Psychiatric Association followed up in opposing any psychiatric treatment based on the assumption that homosexuality per se is a mental disorder or based upon the assumption that a person should change his/her sexual orientation. I think we can assume that all of these organizations represent the vast majority of the scientific community. The struggle between religious fundamentalism and science is not new. Earlier this year, the religious right in Kansas successfully had evolution cut from the state’s mandatory curriculum. Evolution is a scientific fact supported by all mainstream scientific organizations and an essential part of biological science; yet it contradicts the fundamentalists’ literal interpretation of the Bible (an interpretation not shared by many mainstream religious groups). The religious right’s narrow and unchanging views are losing scientific credibility, as is their erroneous belief that homosexuals cannot be mentally or spiritually healthy and happy. Religious groups are free to believe whatever they want about homosexuality or creationism. However, they cannot be allowed to impose their beliefs upon students in the public schools. Parents can teach their children the earth is flat or that homosexuals are going to hell, but such views should be left to the home and church and not allowed to silence the scientific evidence to the contrary in public education. The educational, psychological, and religious groups who published “Just the Facts” have done a great service to educators and children in public education. Hopefully, this pamphlet will reverse trends of escalating harassment of gay and lesbian students and get the message out to gay youth that they are not sick and should be accepted and supported by schools and families. (Jim Maynard is co-chair of the Memphis Lesbian & Gay Coalition for Justice.)