I am very glad to quickly break my own hiatus.
LOL, that must have been the shortest that there was. Since I put it up less than 24 hours ago.
Remember, it is April the First. Fools day…..
But, there was this thing about Exodus International and Reparative Therapy to post.
In my opinion, efforts to promote and provide so-called reparative therapy cross the boundaries of protected speech under the first amendment at this time in history, especially when it comes to children and minors. From a medical and scientific perspective, homosexuality is not a medical or mental health condition. Based on the findings of multiple investigators from various disciples over decades of research, a powerful case can be made that claims to cure or change sexual orientation are patently false. The American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academic of Pediatrics, the American Counseling Association and other professional organisations have found such practices to be unwarranted, ineffective, unethical and harmful, and have opposed them in no uncertain terms.
According to the Roman axiom, caveat emptor (aka "buyer beware"), adopted into British-based common law, competent adults who seek unorthodox treatments to repair "broken sexual identities" may do so at their own risk. However, where children and vulnerable adults are involved, caveat emptor does not apply; and the burden of proving that treatments are safe and effective shifts to adults who should know better.
This may explain why groups like Exodus International have kept my work in their sights. Without scientific grounds for their stand on the treatment issues, such groups have either taken pot shots at seminal research that is incompatible with their practices or have twisted the findings to suit their own purposes.
Adolescent sexuality and its health implications have been the central themes of my research in pediatrics and adolescent medicine. When the work began some 25 years ago, "homosexuality" and other versions of the diagnosis (for example, "ego dystonic homosexuality") had recently been removed from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatry. The existence of homosexual children and youth was barely recognised; and homosexuality was widely believed to be an adult phenomenon. Children and youth who said they were gay were considered misguided, delusional and in need of psychiatric attention.
Early studies done with colleagues in pediatrics and public health were among the first to involve youth with well-established gay identities. They chronicled the normal processes of sexual orientation development in childhood and adolescence. They described the impact of isolation and stigma on the occurrence of medical and psychosocial problems. Based on what was learned about adolescent sexual behavior, the spread of HIV/Aids to adolescents was anticipated at a time when the illness was known only as an adult "gay-related immune deficiency". The research led to the establishment of the Youth and Aids Projects, one of the first HIV/Aids service organisations for young people. Beyond HIV/Aids, the research has uncovered evidence of other significant healthcare disparities related to sexual orientation and suicide, substance use, tobacco use, eating disorders and other problems of public health significance.
At the risk of sounding self-congratulatory, these works are mentioned as the basis of actions taken to stop distortions of research and harm to vulnerable children and youth. I wrote to Apple asking that the corporation remove an app from the iPhone because it misrepresented our findings and used them in support of erroneous claims that adolescents are confused about sexual orientation and that they can be changed. As I wrote then, and still believe now, associating my work with these claims was "professionally injurious and grievous
Uh, these are the people who some of the proponents of the Anti-Homosexuality bill in Uganda, aka Buturo, Bahati want to bring in Uganda.
Oh, I know that Stephen Langa and others are busy doing cure of homosexuality. Buturo says he has a cohort of over 60 cured homosexuals….. He knows it works.
Sigh….
Poor Uganda.
It is very interesting. The fact that they are nothing but fakes, those people at Exodus. Nothing but…..!
gug
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