Saturday 20 February 2021

Pray Away the Gay

 


Gay conversion therapy is much beloved by the fundamental Christian brigade, especially in the ‘Bible Belt’ of the US. The idea being that being gay and being Christian are incompatible and that having sexual desire for a member of the same sex is a grave and heinous sin. This is where gay conversion/coercion therapy comes into play. The premise being that an adult’s sexuality is somewhat plastic and therefore malleable and subject to change. Therapy sessions, of dubious provenance, are organised to convert gay Christians to heterosexual Christians, perhaps over a weekend. Often times those subject to gay conversion are under immense social pressure to ‘convert’ and conform to please those close to them, such as friends, family members and individuals of authority in the church.

I used the word ‘dubious’ in the above paragraph for good reason as the scientific consensus on this topic is very clear. Thus, the data is unequivocal in stating that, so called, ‘Conversion Therapy’ is a complete waste of time. It has been convincingly shown that an individual’s sexual preference is an innate characteristic and is likely fixed at birth. Sexuality is analogous to one’s eye or hair colour, in that it is, for the most part, genetically determined and consequently immutable. Let us be clear: therapy of any sort cannot change or influence a person’s sexuality and yet many religious folk, especially those conforming to a simple and strict interpretation of their religious dogma remain adamant that psychological conditioning can overwrite homosexuality and replace it with, heterosexuality. But it gets worse, some religious folk honestly believe that prayer can cure homosexuality as if being gay is an organic disease. And of course, this ridiculous state of affairs is driven, not by empirical science, but by a fanatical devotion to a primitive and obsolete knowledge system. Tis a virtue, after all, to believe in notions counter to reason, especially if it conforms to their particular religious stance, irrespective of that stance’s relation to reason and the real world. Faith is blind for a reason and those that walk in faith’s path are liable to fall/fail.

When the proponents of ‘gay therapy’ cite anecdotal success in conversion they have no real way to objectively measure success in these instances. ‘Success’ relies upon personal testimony which is highly unreliable. It is oft the case that folk delude themselves and their so-called ‘therapists’. This might be okay in the short term, but once the individual finally realises that nothing fundamentally has changed, deleterious psychological harm ensures. Some folk will realise right from the beginning that the conversion has not worked but find it prudent to mislead their therapists and their loved ones in order not to appear as a ‘failure’.

Consider the counter situation: do you think that ‘Conversion Therapy’ could work the other way? That is, convert a heterosexual to the homosexual persuasion? Once the problem is so stated it becomes clear that sexual orientation is firmly fixed. An individual has no volition or control over their sexual preference, it is a quality/quantity of their organic being and a constant. To think otherwise is an exercise in madness.

A recent New Zealand survey revealed that 72% of citizens are in favour of banning homosexual conversion therapy and the incumbent Prime Minister has vowed to make the practice illegal during her time in office. Now usually I’m not a great fan on legislation that restricts people’s personal and behavioural liberty, but on this occasion I am willing to make an exception as I think there is a good case to argue that 'Conversion Therapy' can result in great psychological stress and harm. And again this conclusion is backed up by serious scholarship. I entreat my readers to source and read the extensive literature on this topic. It makes for an interesting and in some instances, harrowing read. While I’m on topic I would like to clear up a common misconception that some folk harbour against the flaxen haired one. I know it might seem ridiculous, but I have been accused of being homophobic. Let me be clear: I am in no way prejudiced toward homosexuals. In fact I would actively encourage sapphism if the protagonists are ‘hot’ and I can watch. In fact, none of my friends are mincing, limp wristed, pooftahs with a predilection of putting their winkies up da arse of other men. However, I am possessed of a wicked sense of humour, mixed with wonderment, and while I have breath in my body I will exercise it with vigour (nay gusto), and according to my wont. Nuff said.

Anyway, good readers, let me know in the comment section what you think of the notion that gays can somehow be changed to become essentially heterosexual. Mayhap we can start a lively and healthy debate on this topic: surprise me!



4 comments:

  1. All those problems with priests?
    Wrong prayers or not hard enough?

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    1. Absolutely shocking the way the Catholic church protected gay priests to the extent of moving them to other parishes, sometimes on multiple occasions. The church rarely helped the victims and only helped people so they would remain quiet so not to raise a scandal.

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  2. It's well known that young men can go through a phase and then go on to marry and have children - e.g. Evelyn Waugh - esp. when deprived of access to female company, as it used to be in Oxford.

    Conversely, there are gay recruiters - Frankie Howerd was notorious for it - asking someone to apply embrocation to a sore shoulder, then dropping the shirt further etc.

    So I'd say that for many, there is an element of choice.

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    1. Human behaviour is highly complex. It is well known that heterosexual men can show homosexual activity when deprived of feminine access. Once the restriction is removed they revert back to heterosexual relationships. As you know there are bisexuals out there. Often their sexuality is quite fluid. For instance, I had a bisexual friend at Uni. However, if given the opportunity he would have sex with a women every time. But as he related: If he went to a 'normal' club the chances of him picking up a women was low. But if went to a gay club he was virtually guaranteed to pick up a male sex partner. There is an interesting case in the literature with a tragic outcome. In essence: a baby boy during an operation had his penis burnt off. Subsequently, it was decided to raise him as a girl and he was castrated. Things did not go well. He showed masculine traits throughout and no feminine traits. It got to a stage where the parents informed their child that he was a biological boy (in his teens). Soon after he decided to continue as a boy. As he aged he suffered from extreme depression and his life was chaotic. In his thirties he committed suicided. I might write a post on this case and/or bisexuality. Thanks for your interesting contribution.

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