A significant percentage of the parents in the world are concerned when they discover that their children are exhibiting gay tendencies. It may start with a simple bias or preference to spend time with members of the opposite gender. They may choose to socialize outside their sexuality by playing exclusively with children of the opposite sex. Eventually, when the child displays clear signs that they are romantically inclined to same-sex individuals, then many parents try to change the situation. Advice is first sought from trusted bodies of authority in the society. Religious families may approach churches for assistance. None religious families go to youth groups and like-minded human rights organizations. Their collective aim is to change the mind for the 'lost' child and put them back on track. This mentality has led to the growth of 'Conversion Therapy 'as a psychological intervention (Alexander, 2016).
The words Conversion Therapy mean different things to different people. It can be loosely defined as the attempt to change a person's sexual orientation through counseling and other therapeutic means. It is also called reparative therapy or sexual orientation change efforts.(SOCE) When this practice began, there was no legislation in place to structure the treatment methods. To date, there is limited legislation on conversion therapy because it is not considered a conventional therapy option. Even the law that is currently in place is loosely worded, thus making it open to misinterpretation. Initially, the treatment only applied to young adults (Panozzo, 2016).
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Treatment often began with regular therapy sessions that were mainly conversational. They would progress into programming sessions based on Pavlov's dog's classical conditioning experiment. Erotic material displaying same-sex couples would be presented. At the same time, the therapist would physically abuse the patient by caning. Burning or freezing the patient's fingers would also be done so that the patient would associate homosexual behavior with pain. The next sessions would involve presenting erotic material but with heterosexual couples. This would be done in a pleasant environment devoid of any torture or abuse.
When all this failed, then the treatment would even result in shock therapy or more violent methods. Electroconvulsive therapy is applied by introducing electric shock to a patient. The patient goes into shock which induces a seizure. The seizure may cause memory loss and other unpleasant side effects. The patients who went through this therapies experienced varying levels of success. However, the majority eventually returned to practicing homosexuality.
George (2016) points out that the above techniques were used mainly for adults or teenagers. Recent times have shown that children are going through adolescence earlier. This means that sexual awareness is expressed in earlier years. It is not uncommon for pre-teens to be aware and exhibit their sexual attraction to same-sex peers. Conversion Therapy has now been custom made for children showing gay tendencies. The therapy is applicable for children as young as seven years old. The children undergo therapy for between six months to two years. To determine the benefits or lack thereof of conversion therapy on children, we take a look at the different methods used and the effect it has on the children. The most basic strategy that is used on children is scared tactics. The scare tactics include an introduction to statistics about gay people. The statistics are not usually factually correct, but their main aim is to make homosexuality appear as the most distasteful activity. Some typical examples used are as follows.
The patient is informed that AIDS and HIV are caused and spread by homosexual individuals. They may also be told that gay behavior is punishable under the law. They may be told that there are no more gay people in the world, so it is advisable for them to change.A favorite scare tactic among religious conversion therapists is the statement that gay people will go to hell. Gay behavior is considered an abomination by those in religious circles. Some even threaten to ostracize the patient in question and detach them from society. This method was found to make children grow into unstable adults who had a hard time being honest about their sexuality. Instead of stopping the gay behavior, the children just learned how to hide it better. Alexander (2016) also states prostitution was also used. Female prostitutes were brought to the gay male patients and vice versa. Their job was to arouse the patients and even have sex with them. Repeated exposure was supposed to lead to a change in the sexual orientation. This therapy method had the worst effect on the children. Children were exposed to unprecedented levels of promiscuity. They developed a lifestyle of risky sexual behavior and poor judgment calls.
Overdosing on homosexuality is another approach. It is a conditioning therapy like Pavlov's. In this one, the patient is fed with nausea-inducing drugs. They are then put in a room full of same-sex pornographic material such as pictures and movies. The room is also filled with glasses of urine placed strategically. These three factors lead to an overwhelming feeling of disgust. The therapy hopes to get the patient to associate homosexual behavior with disgusting and unbearable conditions. Children who had experienced this therapy report that they developed an irrational resentment of contact with same-sex individuals. This included nonsexual touches such as hugging a close friend or relative (Panozzo, 2016).
Hormonal treatments have also been used. Estrogen injections were administered to men with the aim of reducing the levels of testosterone. This was to reduce the attraction they felt towards men. The hormone treatment caused some number of health issues arising from the hormonal imbalance. They included the development of female sexual features such as breasts and full hips. This created a new set of psychological problems for the patient. Additional side effects included low libido, erectile dysfunction and in some cases the development of prostate cancer in later years.
George (2016) further argues that exorcism is the most popular method of conversion in churches and other religious organizations. These sessions are performed after a patient is informed that they are demon possessed. They include long sessions of prayer in candlelit rooms. Other religious groups may use Holy water and oil during the prayers Some churches hold camps named "Pray the gay away ." This strategy creates a sense of negativity towards a church. It becomes a place of shame and many who were brought up in church lose their faith. They develop apathy to religion and its dispensers.
Another absurd method that was used for a while is bicycle therapy. It was recommended by the neurologist called G.M Hammond. This was based know the assumption that gay tendencies were brought about by nervous exhaustion. Excessive bicycle riding was to address this. Hypnosis was also attempted. The therapist put the patient in a zombie state where he then tried to change his subconscious self. Cocaine and strychnine shots were sometimes used on lesbians to increase their sexual awareness towards men.
According to Panozzo (2016) while all these conversion methods have harmful side effects, they collectively send one recurrent message to the young patient. You are unusual, strange, wrong and unwanted. These perceptions of being isolated and rejected compound into despair and loneliness. The American Psychiatric Association(APA) has documented the outcome of a large percentage of minors who have undergone conversion therapy. Majority of this gay children have suffered from depression, anxiety disorders, and mental instability. Suicide attempts have been reported among this pool. Some deaths have been recorded as a result of suicide. Moreover, conversion therapy creates psychological problems that make their patients need more therapy later in life.
Additionally, none of this therapy methods were reported to have quantifiable success. All of them said changes in behavior but none reported a permanent change in sexual impulses and feelings. Psychiatrists, doctors, and psychologists today agree that homosexual behavior is not a medical condition. Many of them dispute the benefits of conversion therapy because of the devastating side effects. The APA has this year taken a position against conversion therapy for minors. In a fact sheet that it has distributed to schools, camps and other institutions that deal with young people, it outlines the adverse effects of this practice. The report is a comprehensive analysis of health care professionals, educators, and some religious leaders. This report is based on findings of the APA as well as 12 other reputable bodies. First-hand accounts of people who have suffered from depression and suicidal thoughts are some of the considerations that give validity to this report. Various states and cities around the US are currently setting up legislation to remove conversion therapy from the acceptable forms of psychological interventions (Ludwig, 2016).
Conclusion
Since being gay is not a mental disorder, I strongly oppose the use of conversation therapy that has continued to gain popularity among many people. It is harmful, and besides, it is only meant to scare away the gay children, alienating them further from their peers and the society at large. Moreover, many of these children that have been reported to go through this program tend to experience thoughts suicide and trauma compared to their counterparts who do not take the therapy. It is therefore evident that conversion therapy has more adverse effects on the victims than not initially thought. Furthermore, since it is difficult to identify the most suitable method of conversion that has been proven to change a person's sexual orientation permanently, there is no reason to subject minors to it. Sexual orientation is not a physical illness that should be treated. Conversion therapy is morally and ethically wrong, and it should be classified as a form of child abuse.
References
Alexander, M. B. (2016). Victim to Victor: A Right to Health Perspective on Ferguson v. Jonah.
George, M. A. (2016). Expressive Ends: Understanding Conversion Therapy Bans. Ala. L. Rev., 68, 793.
http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/just-the-facts.aspx
Ludwig, C. (2016). Conversion Therapy, Its Detrimental Consequences, and Its Place in the National Spotlight. Rutgers JL " Religion, 18, 121.
Panozzo, D. (2016). Lessons From Reparative Therapy Applied to Post-Abortion Grief Counseling. Journal of homosexuality, 63(6), 764-782.
