Playing It Straight: Framing Strategies Among Reparative Therapists

Abstract

Reparative therapy, a form of counseling that seeks to help individuals get rid of their homosexual desires, has been an important component of the ex‐gay movement, but the controversy surrounding the practice has been growing since the 1990s. As a result, the therapy has been effectively relegated to a deviant status by both mainstream society and the mental health profession. Nevertheless, a number of reparative therapists continue to offer their services. This article uses the sociological concepts of deviance and framing to identify both the factors that constitute the deviant status of reparative therapy and the frames practitioners use to legitimate the therapy within an increasingly hostile social environment. A content analysis of reparative therapy Web sites highlights differences between two types of reparative therapists: professional therapists who emphasize the client's right to pursue change and religious counselors who prioritize biblical teachings prohibiting homosexual acts. The results contribute to the sparse sociological literature on reparative therapy and the use of frames by individuals who have experienced marginalization.