Sexual Orientation Change Efforts Research Articles

Testing the First Amendment Validity of Laws Banning Sexual Orientation Change Efforts on Minors: What Level of Scrutiny Applies after Becerra and Does a Proportionality Approach Provide a Solution?

This Article examines the standard of scrutiny courts should apply when testing the validity of laws banning speech-based sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) against First Amendment challenges. Justice Clarence Thomas’s 2018 opinion for a five-justice conservative majority of the United States Supreme Court in National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra casts considerable doubt on whether a level of inquiry less stringent than strict scrutiny applies. The article analyzes how lower courts after Becerra that have reviewed anti-SOCE laws disagree on the issue. And yet, as the Article explains, the Supreme Court refuses to clarify the muddle. First, it declined in April 2019 to disturb a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit that adopted the relatively deferential intermediate scrutiny test to uphold New Jersey’s anti-SOCE law. The Supreme Court then followed that up in May 2019 by dodging an opportunity to review a Ninth Circuit decision that applied mere rational basis review in upholding California’s anti-SOCE statute. Resolving the scrutiny conundrum is imperative, as new anti-SOCE laws are being adopted nationwide. They, in turn, spawn lawsuits necessitating clear guidance from the Supreme Court if lower bodies are to adopt a predictable and consistent methodology. The Article concludes that anti-SOCE statutes provide a propitious opportunity for embracing Justice Stephen Breyer’s proportionality approach rather than one of the three traditional standards of scrutiny.

Best Practices in Cross-Cultural Counseling: The Intersection of Spiritual/Religious Identity and Affectional/Sexual Identity

In 2003, Frame reported that over 60% of LGBTQ+ individuals value their spiritual/religious backgrounds. While some religious organizations and states’ conscience clause legislation discriminates against LGBTQ+ individuals, the ACA Code of Ethics and Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling, and Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling, competencies do not allow for discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals, nor the practice of sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE). In this paper, we present perspectives from a taskforce representing members of ASERVIC and ALGBTIC, including historical context, review of extant literature and recommended best practices.

40.4 WHAT IS “CONVERSION THERAPY”?

Attendees will have a background understanding of “conversion therapy” and positions of various medical groups, including AACAP. They will learn the lack of scientific evidence supporting sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) and the risks associated with patients attending conversion therapy. Attendees will understand the current political climate regarding protecting minors’ rights.

‘Conversion Therapy’ Misleads, Harms Patients

‘Conversion Therapy’ Misleads, Harms Patients

SCIENCE AND HOMOSEXUALITY: POLITICAL BIAS IN MODERN ACADEMIA

Такие заявления, как «генетическая причина гомосексуализма доказана» или «гомосексуальное влечение невозможно изменить» регулярно выдвигаются на научно-популярных образовательных мероприятиях и в сети Интернет, предназначенных, в том числе, и для научно неискушенных людей. В этой статье я продемонстрирую, что в современном научном сообществе доминируют люди, которые проецируют свои общественно-политические взгляды в свою научную деятельность, делая научный процесс сильно предвзятым. Эти проецируемые взгляды включают в себя спектр политических заявлений, в том числе в отношении т.н. «сексуальных меньшинств», а именно, что «гомосексуализм является нормативным вариантом сексуальности среди людей и животных», что «однополое влечение является врожденным и не может быть изменено», «пол является социальной конструкцией, не ограничивающейся бинарной классификацией» и т.д. и т.п. Я продемонстрирую, что такие взгляды в современных научных кругах на Западе считаются ортодоксальными, устойчивыми и устоявшимися, даже при отсутствии убедительных научных данных, тогда как альтернативные взгляды сразу же помечаются как «псевдонаучные» и «ложные», даже если за ними стоит убедительная фактология. В качестве причины подобной предвзятости можно упомянуть множество факторов – драматическое социальное и историческое наследие, которое привело к появлению «научных табу», интенсивную политическую борьбу, которая породила лицемерие, «коммерциализацию» науки, ведущую к погоне за сенсациями, и т.д. Возможно ли полностью избежать предвзятости в науке, остается спорным вопросом. Однако, представляется возможным создать условия для оптимального равноудаленного научного процесса.

Parent-Initiated Sexual Orientation Change Efforts With LGBT Adolescents: Implications for Young Adult Mental Health and Adjustment

ABSTRACTStudies of adults who experienced sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) have documented a range of health risks. To date, there is little research on SOCE among adolescents and no known studies of parents’ role related to SOCE with adolescents. In a cross-sectional study of 245 LGBT White and Latino young adults (ages 21–25), we measured parent-initiated SOCE during adolescence and its relationship to mental health and adjustment in young adulthood. Measures include being sent to therapists and religious leaders for conversion interventions as well as parental/caregiver efforts to change their child’s sexual orientation during adolescence. Attempts by parents/caregivers and being sent to therapists and religious leaders for conversion interventions were associated with depression, suicidal thoughts, suicidal attempts, less educational attainment, and less weekly income. Associations between SOCE, health, and adjustment were much stronger and more frequent for those reporting both attempts by parents and being sent to therapists and religious leaders, underscoring the need for parental education and guidance.

Sexual Orientation Change Efforts Still Occurring in Lebanon

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article International NewsFull AccessSexual Orientation Change Efforts Still Occurring in LebanonHossam Mahmoud,M.D., M.P.H., Omar Fattal,M.D., M.P.H., Suha Ballout,Ph.D., R.N., Bianca Sallum,B.S.N., M.P.H.Hossam Mahmoud,Search for more papers by this authorM.D., M.P.H., Omar Fattal,Search for more papers by this authorM.D., M.P.H., Suha Ballout,Search for more papers by this authorPh.D., R.N., Bianca Sallum,Search for more papers by this authorB.S.N., M.P.H.Published Online:29 Oct 2018https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2018.11a9AbstractProfessional associations in Lebanon have affirmed that homosexuality is not an illness, but efforts to change people’s sexual orientation still persist.In the past decade, Lebanon, a relatively liberal country in the Arab world, has witnessed significant advancement in mental health advocacy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons. Since 2013, professional associations, including the Lebanese Psychiatric Society, Lebanese Psychological Association, and the Lebanese Medical Association for Sexual Health (LebMASH), have affirmed that homosexuality is not an illness and, therefore, does not require treatment. Yet, the practice of sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) persists. SOCE have gained significant attention in the past few years, especially due to their lack of efficacy and documented harm, which include interpersonal, social, psychological, and spiritual harm.Community Pilot ProjectIn 2018, LebMASH, in collaboration with a local non-governmental organization (NGO), Helem, conducted a community pilot project to explore the practice of SOCE in Lebanon. The team communicated with 10 individuals who had been subjected to SOCE. The team also talked to five mental health professionals who had heard about SOCE practices through their patients and three providers who practiced SOCE. In addition, the team reviewed television interviews involving health care professionals who discussed SOCE between 2010 and 2016. The team also reviewed a recording of a 2017 lecture presented at a university by a Lebanese urologist who practiced SOCE.FindingsThe project provided insight into SOCE practices in Lebanon, including practitioners’ profiles, methods, and approaches; the driving forces behind SOCE; and the sequelae of such efforts.SOCE practitioners’ profiles: The SOCE practitioners who were encountered during the project were mental health professionals (nonpsychiatrists), physicians, and clerics. It is important to point out that in Lebanon, not all mental health professionals are licensed, and physicians and mental health professionals are not necessarily affiliated with major professional organizations.SOCE methods and approaches: SOCE appear to be guided by a combination of religious beliefs, traditions, culture, and misinformation with regard to modern health care practices and up-to-date professional clinical guidelines. SOCE practitioners perpetuate inaccurate and largely refuted theories about sexual orientation, such as the belief that same-sex attraction is caused by trauma or the absence of a father figure, that having sexual relations with the opposite sex can change sexual orientation, that homosexuality is a temporary phase, and that homosexuality is related to pedophilia. In addition, there were reports of the use of hormonal interventions and other medications, such as medications for erectile dysfunction.During the recording of the lecture presented by the Lebanese urologist, he described performing electroshock “therapy” and giving emetic medication to “patients” while they were watching gay pornography.The SOCE phenomenon in Lebanon is driven by different key figures, including (1) parents of gay and lesbian people; (2) school counselors and other school personnel, such as principals or nurses; (3) gay and lesbian individuals struggling with acceptance of their sexual orientation; and (4) providers practicing under religious or cultural influences.Lesbian and gay individuals who have been subjected to SOCE reported negative comments from the practitioners, as well as violation of provider-patient confidentiality and privacy. They experienced anxiety, depression, feelings of guilt and shame, and even suicidal thoughts following SOCE sessions.This community project serves as a window into SOCE practices in Lebanon and highlights the need for a multifaceted approach to combat SOCE in Lebanon. ■Hossam Mahmoud, M.D., M.P.H., is medical director of Regroup and a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine. Omar Fattal, M.D., M.P.H., is assistant chief for quality in the Department of Psychiatry at Bellevue Hospital and co-founder and board member of the Lebanese Medical Association for Sexual Health (LebMASH). Suha Ballout, Ph.D., R.N., is an assistant professor at the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at the University of Massachusetts and a LebMASH board member. Bianca Sallum, B.S.N., M.P.H., has significant experience working with NGOs on LGBT health. ISSUES NewArchived

RETRACTED: Effects of Therapy on Religious Men Who Have Unwanted Same-Sex Attraction.

The American Psychological Association and other organizations have formally claimed that sexual orientation change therapies should not be used because they are probably ineffective and may cause harm. A survey asking for negative and positive experiences of 125 men with active lay religious belief who went through sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) strongly conflicted with those claims. In our study, most of those who participated in group or professional help had heterosexual shifts in sexual attraction, sexual identity and behavior with large statistical effect sizes, similarly moderate-to-marked decreases in suicidality, depression, substance abuse, and increases in social functioning and self-esteem. Almost all harmful effects were none to slight. Prevalence of help or hindrance, and effect size, were comparable with those for conventional psychotherapy for unrelated mental health issues. Judged by this survey, these therapies are very beneficial for lay religious people, but no Catholic pries...

Prohibiting Versus Discouraging: Exploring Mental Health Organizations Varied Stances on Sexual Orientation Change Efforts (SOCE)

ABSTRACTResearch has shown that sexual orientation change efforts results in more mental health damages than positive outcomes; yet a recent study found that 19.4% of mental health practitioners believe it is ethical to practice sexual orientation change efforts. The purpose of this paper is to highlight existing literature on sexual orientation change efforts, showcase mental health professional organization's stances on ethically prohibiting versus discouraging sexual orientation change efforts, and propose suggestions and learning objectives to mental health organizations. By doing so, we hope all mental health professional organizations enforce a clear ethical code against the practice of sexual orientation change efforts.

The compatibility of sexual orientation change efforts with international human rights law

Sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) have been promoted aggressively under the belief that homosexuality is a curable disease. However, scientific research has shown that such practice can cause detrimental effects such as self-loathing, depression and even suicidal urges. It has also revealed that homosexuality is a mere variation of human sexuality and dispelled the myth that it is a ‘contagious disease’. This raises some concerns that the practice of SOCE could amount to human rights violations, and thus this article shall tackle the issue of whether such practice is compatible with international human rights law. Given that children have been identified as a group that is particularly vulnerable to SOCE, this article shall commence by scrutinising whether there is an obligation to ban SOCE for minors under the jurisprudence of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This article shall then proceed to the question of whether a similar obligation is also applicable to SOCE for adults through the application of the right not to be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

Sexual Orientation Change Efforts, Conservative Christianity and Resistance to Sexual Justice

In this article, I situate the practice of sexual orientation conversion efforts (SOCE), sometimes known as conversion or reparative therapy, within historical, cultural, religious and political attitudes to non-heterosexuality. Using documentary analysis, I investigate the contemporary resistance of two socially conservative organizations: National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) (US) and Core Issues Trust (UK), to legal and professional regulation of the sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) which they advocate. A number of themes emerged from the various documentation. The most convincing of these themes is a claim that to provide SOCE is to respect client’s autonomy rights to diminish unwanted sexual attraction, and to live in accordance with the moral principles that they value. I demonstrate that neither NARTH nor Core Issues Trust are consistent in their regard for client autonomy. I suggest that the most plausible reason for these organizations’ emphasis on autonomy and other secular tropes, such as scientific proof and progressive language, is that they provide a smokescreen for conservative Christian values. If we value a world of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans) rights and recognition, we must counter this backlash against sexual and social justice.

Preaching to Convert: Evangelical Outreach and Performance Activism in a Secular Age by John Fletcher

Reviewed by: Preaching to Convert: Evangelical Outreach and Performance Activism in a Secular Age by John Fletcher Jay Ball Preaching to Convert: Evangelical Outreach and Performance Activism in a Secular Age. By John Fletcher. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2013. 412 pp. $44.00 cloth. Part ethnography, part polemic, John Fletcher’s new book provides a landmark survey of contemporary American evangelicalism’s vibrant culture of performance. It is also a provocation addressed to “secular Left” scholars who might (falsely) believe they have cornered the market in theatre for social change. These two themes—the range and sophistication of evangelical performance versus the smug hypocrisy and dismissiveness of antitheistic critics—form the double helix of Fletcher’s well-researched and closely observed study. It deserves to be widely read and debated. As the lengthy introduction explains, Fletcher sets out to identify and categorize the array of performance strategies that “evangelicals in the United States use to change their world, to win converts to their faith and worldview” (5). Fletcher places particular emphasis on “the challenges they face, and the solutions, innovations, or compromises they create” in the context of a society whose norms are regarded as increasingly antireligious and tolerant of difference, that is, the “secular age” of his title, which he takes from the Canadian philosopher of identity Charles Taylor (5). Structured as eight lengthy chapters, Fletcher covers everything from traditional door-to-door “soul winning” (or “kerygmatic” performatives) to alternative Halloween immersive theatres known as “Hell Houses,” from Ken Ham’s Kentucky-based Creation Museum to “seeker-sensitive [Church] services” pioneered by Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church. Fletcher also discusses evangelical debates about “sexual orientation change efforts,” also known as “conversion therapy,” in the penultimate chapter of the book. In most of these case studies, Fletcher’s rhetorical criticism is grounded in firsthand “thick descriptions” based on his wide-ranging fieldwork. But Fletcher is no disinterested observer on these travels. Eschewing “paranoid criticism,” which he defines as the reflexive ascription of “hegemonic ideologies” to anything but the most politically radical practices, he instead adopts the perspective of “critical generosity,” or the “good faith” approach (29). Drawing on scholars of activist performance such as Jan Cohen-Cruz and David Roman, Fletcher seeks to employs “deep empathy” with American evangelicals in order to render their aims and methods with greater nuance and complexity. (For a work that engages so many theorists so well, it may seem ungenerous to wish Fletcher had employed others. However, one cannot help but wonder how [End Page 323] he might have engaged with Michael Walzer’s notion of “connected criticism.”) Further, this challenge to the values of left-progressive theatre historiography is intended to lift “significant limitations on the critical and political imaginations of theatre and performance activist-scholars” (29). Fletcher demonstrates that evangelicals are social-change innovators whose practices are worthy of admiration and possibly even theft. The chapter “Hell and Judgment: House of Distinction” may be the strongest application of this method for the way in which it complicates the premise that all evangelical performance is “preaching to convert.” Originally devised by Colorado pastor Keenan Roberts during the 1990s and now circulated nationally through so-called Outreach Kits (sold for $299), the typical “Hell House” stages a procession of harrowing tableaux depicting the wages of sin, especially teenage forms of moral misadventure: fatal drunk-driving accidents, drug overdoses, rape, abortion, and demonic possessions brought on by dabbling in the occult, all of which consign the victims to the just torments of hell. As Fletcher records, Roberts’s original has inspired numerous variants, including Judgment House, Revelation Walk, and Rapture House. According to Fletcher, all of these productions create what he memorably terms “interactive eschatological theatre” (160). However, in one of the more important takeaways from this study, Fletcher problematizes the notion that Hell Houses are designed to interpellate the unconverted. Drawing on Baz Kershaw’s theory of “authentication” in community-based theatre, Fletcher writes, “In order to ‘work,’ Hell House relies on an audience of people willing to buy into (authenticate) the picture of reality that Hell House presents. For those who do not already believe in demons or God or the...

Sexual orientation change efforts within religious contexts: A personal account of the battle to heal homosexuals

Societies where ignorance and misinformation about sexuality and gender identity abounds have been breeding grounds for much harm to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals and to the community as a whole. Within the context of the Christian faith, the greatest harm has occurred to those LGBT individuals who have submitted themselves to ex-gay / reparative / conversion 'therapies' (i.e., SOCE; Sexual Orientation Change Efforts) and organisations. The practice of seeking to turn homosexual to heterosexual has predominately existed within Christianity, but not exclusively. Programs have operated and still exist in association with Jewish, and more recently Islamic religious communities. This article is a personal account from a former evangelist that details the ‘life cycle’ of SOCEs in Australia and the author’s personal experience with an ex-gay program. Anthony Venn-Browns autobiography - A Life of Unlearning: a preacher's struggle with his homosexuality, church and faith – is available to buy online in paperback or for Kindle: http://amzn.to/1KzWsbb .

Sexual orientation change efforts among current or former LDS church members.

This study examined sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) by 1,612 individuals who are current or former members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). Data were obtained through a comprehensive online survey from both quantitative items and open-ended written responses. A minimum of 73% of men and 43% of women in this sample attempted sexual orientation change, usually through multiple methods and across many years (on average). Developmental factors associated with attempts at sexual orientation change included higher levels of early religious orthodoxy (for all) and less supportive families and communities (for men only). Among women, those who identified as lesbian and who reported higher Kinsey attraction scores were more likely to have sought change. Of the 9 different methods surveyed, private and religious change methods (compared with therapist-led or group-based efforts) were the most common, started earlier, exercised for longer periods, and reported to be the most damaging and least effective. When sexual orientation change was identified as a goal, reported effectiveness was lower for almost all of the methods. While some beneficial SOCE outcomes (such as acceptance of same-sex attractions and reduction in depression and anxiety) were reported, the overall results support the conclusion that sexual orientation is highly resistant to explicit attempts at change and that SOCE are overwhelmingly reported to be either ineffective or damaging by participants.

Selling the Promise of Change: The United Nations NGO Panel on Sexual Orientation Change Efforts

In 2013, The United Nations (UN) Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Committee for Human Rights and the NGO Committee on HIV/AIDS, in collaboration with the Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office (UU-UNO), organized the first UN panel on Sexual Orientation Change Efforts (SOCE). The program was called Selling the Promise of Change: International Health and Policy Consequences of Sexual Orientation Change Efforts (SOCE). The event featured a panel of experts presenting on this controversial issue, providing a rigorous examination from different frameworks. The topic was reviewed from medical, political, international, legal, academic, personal, and religious perspectives. The author, who was the organizer of the event, gives a summary of the event and speakers.

Can Sexual Orientation Be Changed?

This paper was presented at a 2013 conference at the United Nations Church Center in New York City. The conference, “Selling the Promise of Change: International Health and Policy Consequences of Sexual Orientation Change Efforts (SOCE),” was sponsored by the NGO Committee on Human Rights and the NGO Committee on HIV/AIDS. The paper begins with a review of the history of mental health attitudes toward homosexuality from the 19th century to the present. This is followed by a discussion of how SOCE shifted from a clinical debate to a culture war issue. The paper then reviews some research issues raised by the Spitzer (2003) study, some of the problematic clinical and ethical issues raised by efforts to change sexual orientation, and concludes with a summary of the position statements of the American Psychiatric Association and American Psychological Association.

Legal and Ethical Concerns about Sexual Orientation Change Efforts.

The United States has recently made significant and positive civil rights gains for LGB people, including expanded recognition of marriages between people of the same sex. Among the central tropes that have emerged in the struggle for the rights of LGB people are that they are "born that way," that sexual orientations cannot change, and that one's sexual orientation is not affected by choice. Writer Andrew Sullivan put it this way: "[H]omosexuality is an essentially involuntary condition that can neither be denied nor permanently repressed.… [S]o long as homosexual adults as citizens insist on the involuntary nature of their condition, it becomes politically impossible to deny or ignore the fact of homosexuality.… [The strategy for obtaining LGB rights is to] seek full public equality for those who, through no fault of their own, happen to be homosexual." This idea of linking LGB rights to empirical claims about sexual orientations has become so central that casting doubt on these claims is, in many circles, tantamount to opposing LGB rights. Nonetheless, claims about innateness, immutability, and lack of choice about sexual orientation should not be the primary basis for LGB rights.

Sexual Orientation Change Efforts Through Psychotherapy for LGBQ Individuals Affiliated With the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

This study reports the results of a comprehensive online survey of 1,612 current or former members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, many of whom engaged in psychotherapy to cope with (i.e., understand, accept, or change) their same-sex attractions. Data obtained from written and quantitative responses showed that therapy was initiated over a very wide age range and continued for many years. However, counseling was largely ineffective; less than 4% reported any modification of core same-sex erotic attraction. Moreover, 42% reported that their change-oriented therapy was not at all effective, and 37% found it to be moderately to severely harmful. In contrast, affirming psychotherapeutic strategies were often found to be beneficial in reducing depression, increasing self-esteem, and improving family and other relationships. Results suggest that the very low likelihood of a modification of sexual orientation and the ambiguous nature of any such change should be important considerations for highly religious sexual minority individuals considering reorientation therapy.

A voice in the room: the function of state legislative bans on sexual orientation change efforts for minors.

Throughout the history of the mental health profession, many psychotherapists have asserted that homosexuality is a mental condition or defect that may be corrected through treatment. Homosexuality was not officially declassified as a mental illness until 1973, and it was not until recently that mainstream mental health organizations renounced the claim that therapy can alter sexual orientation. Sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) involve various types of psychotherapy, from the familiar and seemingly benign talk therapy to forms of behavioral therapy that include “masturbatory reconditioning, rest, visits to prostitutes[,] excessive bicycle riding,” and even physical abuse. SOCE are now widely regarded by mainstream mental health practitioners as unscientific, ineffective, and mentally and emotionally harmful. Nevertheless, due to persistent societal disapproval of homosexuality, some mental health providers continue to engage in SOCE, often causing their patients to experience shame and anxiety well into adulthood.

Law & Psychiatry: Regulating Psychotherapy or Restricting Freedom of Speech? California’s Ban on Sexual Orientation Change Efforts

California's new law banning sexual orientation change efforts by licensed therapists for patients under 18 immediately provoked court challenges. Therapists, parents, and patients argued that the statute infringed constitutional rights to freedom of speech and parental rights to select treatments for their children. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected all of these claims in a unanimous decision upholding the law. However, the decision evokes concerns that other forms of psychotherapy could be subject to similar regulation. Tort remedies may provide less intrusive means for discouraging use of ineffective and potentially harmful therapies.