Ex-Gay Therapy: NPR Forgets Infomercials are not Science

[Shana A]

Ex-Gay Therapy: NPR Forgets Infomercials are not Science
The harm done by unscientic "ex-gay therapy" gets ignored
Published on August 13, 2011 by The Psychoanalysis 3.0 Writing Group
By Jack Drescher, MD

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/psychoanalysis-30/201108/ex-gay-therapy-npr-forgets-infomercials-are-not-science

"Why is it OK for doctors to help a person change their sex from male to female but it is not OK to try and change a person's homosexual orientation to a heterosexual one?"

I first heard this question asked several weeks ago during Joy Behar's interview of a so-called ex-gay man and his wife (at about 7:20 minutes into the video). Then I heard it again on NPR in Alix Spiegel's August 1 interview of another "ex-gay" man (at about 7:30 minutes into the interview). [Disclosure, I declined to appear on Behar's show to offer a professional opinion as my office schedule did not fit their filming schedule. I was also interviewed by Spiegel for "background" on the NPR segment although not taped for the segment.) The questioners were either ex-gay or married to an ex-gay. But they also appear to make their livelihoods promoting and selling ex-gay "ministries" to (mostly religious) people unhappy about their homosexual attractions.