‘Ex-gay’ researcher retracts claims
The psychiatrist behind a controversial 2001 study that suggested gay people could change their sexual orientation under rare circumstances has retracted his claims.
Dr Robert Spitzer used an interview in the May issue of American Prospect magazine to publicly disown the research.
Spitzer said he was drawn to the topic of ex-gay therapy because it was controversial and that his goal was to determine whether the claim that no one had ever changed his or her sexual orientation through therapy was true.
But he admitted that many of the criticisms leveled at the research were probably valid.
“In retrospect, I have to admit I think the critiques are largely correct,” he said.
“The findings can be considered evidence for what those who have undergone ex-gay therapy say about it, but nothing more.”
Spitzer said he spoke with the editor of the Archives of Sexual Behavior – where the study was published – about writing a retraction, but the editor declined and that repeated attempts to contact the journal went unanswered.
Spitzer, who was instrumental in removing homosexuality from the list of mental disorders in 1973, said he was proud of that effort but that he was afraid that the 2001 study would tarnish his legacy and perhaps hurt others.
He said that failed attempts to rid oneself of homosexual attractions “can be quite harmful”.
He asked American Prospect to print a retraction of his 2001 study, so he didn’t have to worry about it anymore.
Spitzer’s study was based on 200 interviews with so-called ‘ex-gay’ patients.
It has been widely used by ex-gay organisations as proof of the success from reparative therapy.
You can read the full retraction and interview here.
What about nudity? Could that change a person’s sexual orientation? Could a gay man become straight, and a straight man become gay?
i think the correct word to use is HOMOSEXUAL,”Gay”is not a sexual orientation is a word that means HAPPY ,so why are their psychologists tryingt to change happy people into well one must assume unhappy or depressed people ,i never knew happiness was taken out of the DSM as a defined mentalo illness.
Homosexualality was around 1973,being happy illness was never defined as a DSM catagory.
So if we want to be taken seriously please use the banned “H” word after me ,”Gay is not a Sexual Orientation ,Homosexuality IS!”,BIG POINT to all the phillistine anti-scientific in the “Community”.
HOMOSEXUAL is NOT a dirty word start using it ignorance isn’t bliss.
And could people stop calling people like me Homophobic ,I am pro Gay=Happy and Homosexual=Sexual orientation.
Sounds like he didn’t anticipate his study would be used by anti-gay groups. No one should feel pressured to change sexual orientation, but the question of whether it’s *possible* to change is interesting. If I’m attracted to older husky guys can I have a rewarding sexual connection with someone who doesn’t fit my template? If we can learn to shift the nature of our attractions a little, can we change a lot? Asking the question is NOT saying we *should* change. It’s just an empirical question. The big problem is that such studies will ALWAYS be used for anti-gay purposes, so it’s dangerous even to ask this question in an age where homophobia thrives.
I remember writing about this at the time, and Spitzer was shocked at how upset GLBT communities were about this. How could he not be?
This was the man who had homosexuality removed from the DSM, and now he was turning around and saying it could be changed (and, in effect, was a defect). His study was shoddily put together and based on self-reporting over the phone as well. It was eviscerated by peer review, but by then the media has gone to town and the damage had been done.
I wonder if this retraction will help any of the people who have been fucked over by the ex-gay “treatments”. Sadly it’s all to late for those that have lost their life to suicide.