The American Psychological Associationreleased a Statement on
Homosexuality in 1994-JULY. Their first two paragraphs are:
The research on homosexuality is very clear. Homosexuality is
neither mental illness nor moral depravity. It is simply the way a minority
of our population expresses human love and sexuality. Study after study
documents the mental health of gay men and lesbians. Studies of judgment,
stability, reliability, and social and vocational adaptiveness all show that
gay men and lesbians function every bit as well as heterosexuals.
Nor is homosexuality a matter of individual choice. Research
suggests that the homosexual orientation is in place very early in the life
cycle, possibly even before birth. It is found in about ten percent of the
population, a figure which is surprisingly constant across cultures,
irrespective of the different moral values and standards of a particular
culture. Contrary to what some imply, the incidence of homosexuality in a
population does not appear to change with new moral codes or social mores.
Research findings suggest that efforts to repair homosexuals are nothing
more than social prejudice garbed in psychological accouterments.
In 1994-AUGUST, The APA sent a proposal to one of its committees that would
declare as unethical:
- attempts by a psychologist to change a person's sexual orientation
through therapy, or
- referral of a patient to a therapist or organization who attempts
to change people's sexual orientation