Chapter 21 . Half-truths in defense of homosexuality . . Along with recent studies -from the late 1990s to 2015- that are unambiguous to the effect that homosexuality is very problematic in terms of mental health, with the clear implication that same-sex sexuality is pathological, there have also been a number of studies from the past decade or so that take the view that, "well, yes, homosexuals do seem to have more than their share of psychological problems but this is because of discrimination and the effects of harassment." . The first thing to note is what is most obvious: These studies concede what is undeniable; there is no way to pretend any more that homosexuals are well adjusted, no different than heterosexuals in psychological functioning, and are otherwise "normal." To be sure, many homosexual leaders and spokesmen for homosexual groups still make those kinds of statements, sometimes on television, but speaking of actual researchers familiar with professional psychology or its specializations like psychiatry or psychoanalysis. . It simply is impossible to defend the naive view that there are no psychological difference between homosexuals and heterosexuals and impossible not to admit that homosexuals have far more problems. The evidence is overwhelming. . However, homosexuals and their supporters have vested interests in the issue and now offer defenses based on the theory that the real problem is heterosexual prejudice. Eliminate that prejudice, their argument runs, and then homosexual mental health would be approximately what it is for heterosexuals. And so we have a new type of homosexual or pro-homosexual apologetics, aka, special pleading. . This said, it is illuminating to examine what is conceded about homosexual mental health. Even a minimalist interpretation of studies that connect homosexuality with pathologies can be read to make the case being argued here: The evidence says that homosexuality not only is closely linked to psychological disorders of many kinds, it is itself a psychopathology. . Here are examples of this new development; note, each of these studies was commissioned to promote homosexuality: . . (1) American Psychological Association February 2002 . This is a report by Tori DeAngelis entitled: "New data on lesbian, gay and bisexual mental health New findings overturn previous beliefs." This begins- . The results of several breakthrough studies are offering new insights on gay men, lesbians and bisexuals. Among the key findings: . * Several studies suggest that gay men, lesbians and bisexuals appear to have higher rates of some mental disorders compared with heterosexuals, although not to the level of a serious pathology. Discrimination may help fuel these higher rates. . * A study found lesbians reported equally strong levels of mental health as their heterosexual sisters and higher self-esteem . * A new study of gay and lesbian youth finds that they are only slightly more likely than heterosexual youth to attempt suicide, refuting previous research that suggested much higher rates. . . However, no sooner than these conclusions are spelled out the writer cites research by Susan Cochran, an epidemiologist in the UCLA School of Public Health published in Volume 56, Number 11, of the American Psychologist which tells us that homosexuals suffer from- . "Higher rates of major depression, generalized anxiety disorder and substance use or dependence..." . "Higher rates of recurrent major depression among gay men." . "Higher rates of anxiety, mood and substance use disorders, and suicidal thoughts among people ages 15 to 54 with same-sex partners." . "Higher use of mental health services..." . Moreover, Cochran said, cited in the article, "the data contradict previous findings that there are no significant differences in the mental health of heterosexuals and LGB people" although the writer added that "she is concerned that these findings may give ammunition to people who want to falsely promulgate the argument that gay people are by nature mentally ill." .
Sounds like a good guess. . Exactly why Cochran and others discussed in the report did not bother to do any comparative analyses is unknown, but because this was not done they felt justified in saying that the solution to the problem of high levels of homosexual psychological disorder was better, more customized treatment. . It is peculiar, though, that other studies were effectively ignored. That is, some kind of cross section of studies, not just other studies she liked for her own (unstated) reasons. . Is this because Cochran doesn't know how to do comparative analysis? Is it because she regards all previous studies as invalid? Is it because she insisted on a design that, she hoped, would show homosexuals in a more favorable light? In any case, this is a serious problem because comparative analyses ought to be regarded as essential -unless one has clearly articulated reasons for rejecting other studies, for which there is no evidence in the report. . Then, too, one wonders about this statement, given the acknowledged elevated incidence rates of mental dysfunction among homosexuals: "These are certainly not levels of morbidity consistent with models that say homosexuality is inherently pathological." O, no? . Next is the statement, as summarized in the article, that "the data simply don't prove either pro- or anti-gay arguments on the subject, whether it's that the inherent biology of homosexuality causes mental illness or that social stigma provokes mental illness." But who said anything to the effect that any mental illness is biological? Possibly some are, but critics of homosexuality are pretty much agreed whatever the reasons are for their objections, that there is no biological basis for homosexuality. It is an irony that they all (or nearly all) take the view that homosexuals took in the years before AIDS, that homosexuality is a choice. Its just that the critics think it is the worst imaginable choice rather than something else. . Following this material we get to a statement about the causality for psychological disorder. Cochran examined data from a study of 2,844 heterosexuals and 74 homosexuals, which, not incidentally, is the rough proportion of homosexuals in general society, around 3%. But what is startling is the questionable quality of examples of "discrimination" used as measures. After all, while a homosexual may be denied a bank loan this may be for reasons unrelated to sexuality. Similarly, homosexuals are hardly the only people who are turned down when applying for a job; it never occurred to me that all I had to do was walk into a business, fill out an application and say, "I am a heterosexual," and that would be sufficient to be hired on the spot. In other words, Cochran can't be serious, yet she was. . One measure may have some validity, overt disrespect. That is a reasonable definition of "discrimination." But is it when there are no controls? That is, yes, someone may discriminate against a homosexual and maybe that would be true no matter what. However, other people might not feel horrible aversion on the basis of someone's homosexuality by itself. Does a homosexual have a ring in his or her nose? Are body tattoos visible that show weapons like axes or guns? Is the homosexual a typical limp wrist or bull dyke? I mean, even if she had been a chaste pietist Christian saint, I sure in hell would not hire someone who looked like Andrea Dworkin. Would you? If you answer "yes" then you really need to see a psychiatrist... . Which is to say that the statement that homosexual "respondents reported higher rates of perceived discrimination than heterosexuals in every category related to discrimination," may or may not mean very much. Yet on the basis of a clearly flawed research-design survey, Cochran concluded that "the social stigma felt by LGB people has important mental health consequences." . Is that so? Where is this? It is hard to imagine that this is remotely true in San Francisco, Los Angeles, or metropolitan New York. What was the geography of the study? A plausible case can be made that if all the respondents lived in rural Texas the results might be reliable. But what if they lived in Houston, which elected a female homosexual mayor? Or Portland, Oregon, where the homosexual was male? Or Tempe, Arizona? . Tori DeAngelis' report went on to say that the suicide rate among homosexuals isn't as bad as earlier studies have suggested. What is this? An argument on the basis of "be thankful for small favors"? . "On an even more positive note, two large-scale studies of lesbians and bisexual women report good news about lesbians' mental health, particularly if the women are "out." This is based on a Vermont study conducted by Esther D. Rothblum and Rhonda Factor. With no further details it is not possible to know whether this study reported on socially "liberal" Vermont and northern New England culture or whether it really had something to do with female homosexuals and their "lifestyle." The authors did speculate that their study group might have been better educated than women generally, but what it did not explain -again because there was no analysis based on comparisons with other studies that show very different results- was why their outcomes were contrary to previous research findings. . What this study did do was to confirm the conclusions of other studies to the effect that those lowest in self-esteem were bisexual females. . . (2) Daily Kos, April 26, 2011 . Reference is to an essay by "CA TreeHugger" with the title: "When homosexuality was mental illness." The relevant material starts out with an objective comment: "Until 1973 homosexuality was listed as a mental illness in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of the American Psychiatric Association. Originally listed as a "sociopathic personality disturbance." . However, considering the essay as a whole, it is a rather remarkable statement, apparently by someone who is transgendered -or as Thomas Szasz once put it, someone who has sex organs that look like they were picked up at the local butcher shop. . The purpose of the essay was to argue that critics of homosexuality and of 'transgenders' are on the rise everywhere. According to this writer, we are living in an era of new authoritarianism. Intolerance is normative across the map. And there is no chance, he/she said, that the American Psychiatric Association will remove transsexuality from the DSM. . Indeed, people like Kenneth Zucker, someone "who practices NARTH-style reparatist therapy on transkids," run the show at the APA. There is no hope, this writer said -as if there should be. . All of which is mostly beside the point for our purposes, but what is fascinating is the writer's rationale for a transgender agenda. What is needed she/he said, is a sense of realism. At which this individual launched into an synopsis of the history behind the 1973 decision by the APA to declassify homosexuality as a mental illness. What is so amazing is how right his/her short history happens to be. And what is just as amazing is the writer's lack of awareness that the historical sketch provided is basically the argument of critics of the APA that homosexuality should never have been removed from the DSM as a mental illness. . Read it for yourself; it is three paragraphs long. It is presented here verbatim because otherwise it would be unbelievable if I simply told you that someone, published in the Daily Kos, which is a pro-homosexual publication par excellence, argued that the basis for declassifying homosexuality as an illness was the result of fraud: . "In 1973, when homosexuality was removed from DSM-II, there was a great deal of controversy about that decision in the psychiatric community. Many psychiatrists and psychologists still believed that homosexuality was a psychopathology which must invariably cause impairment and distress. Others recognized that the impairment and distress often seen by clinicians were a byproduct of stigma and social repression of homosexuals. This group argued that the pathologization of homosexuality in the DSM was a form of social control that itself contributed to the social stigma and to the harm it did." . "The famous decision did not come about as a result of a lengthy professional debate on the scientific merits. It happened in an important national political context - the Watergate Affair - and revelations surrounding Nixon's "Enemies List" and his conduct of the Vietnam War. This was an era in which much of academia was very loathe to be seen as authoritarian, and very sensitive to charges of political complicity in upholding the cultural status quo. This was the heyday of "humanist psychology" and of second wave feminism. The "backlash" of "angry white men" was still a gleam in the Koch brothers' eyes." . "This anti-authoritarian atmosphere undoubtedly contributed to the willingness of the head of the APA to "do the right thing" and remove homosexuality from the DSM. His decision occurred immediately before the actual vote, and as a result of being taken into a room in which many psychiatrists he knew personally were present and came out to him as homosexual. Thus, this major change in the legal status of homosexuals turned on a knife edge and actually had nothing to do with "scientific evidence". The issue had never been about "science", only about political prejudice posturing as "science". The fear that the APA would be stigmatized as an "establishment institution" was the primary driving factor behind the change in the DSM." . The conclusion has interest of its own: . "I believe that if the decision to remove homosexuality from DSM were being taken today, by these people, it would remain an official mental illness. But they don't have that choice." . , (3) 2013 Psych Central, January 30, 2013 . This article by Jane Collingwood is entitled: "Higher Risk of Mental Health Problems for Homosexuals." . This is classic denial; while the report is forthright about the serious psychological problems faced by homosexuals it concludes by saying that surely the cause of these issues is discrimination. . The study under review used data from the very reputable study, Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2007, carried out under the aegis of University College London, with a sample size of 7,403 adults. The head researcher was Dr. Apu Chakraborty. Findings were published in the British Journal of Psychiatry. And it made some use of comparative analysis. . We learn that "rates of depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, phobia, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and alcohol and drug dependence were significantly higher in homosexual respondents." . While gross totals are only in the single digits for this study, nonetheless homosexuals are twice as likely to experience clinical depression. Alcohol dependence rates for homosexuals it also twice that for heterosexuals, 10% vs 5%, numbers which are far lower for homosexuals than comparable studies in the USA but that are consistent in that the British researchers confirmed much higher homosexual percentages. Almost the exact same ratios prevail for self harm. The only example of near parity was for a category that described feelings of self satisfaction in life, with 30% of homosexuals self-reporting such feelings vs. 40% for heterosexuals. . Of course it should be added that the survey asked about someone's feelings or experiences in a typical week, not over a year or some other length of time. At least this is how I read the description. . Dr, Chakraborty was quoted as saying that these findings are “very worrying.” and that “our study confirms earlier work carried out in the UK, USA and Holland which suggests that non-heterosexual people are at higher risk of mental disorder, suicidal ideation, substance misuse and self-harm than heterosexual people.” . This perplexed the doctor who, while admitting that discrimination against homosexuals in Britain is quite low, could think of no other explanation for the numbers. It seems to be the case, he said, that "people who feel discriminated against experience social stressors, which in turn increases their risk of experiencing mental health problems.” . The possibility that homosexuality may itself be the cause of these disorders seemed to have been literally unthinkable to Chakraborty. . Also reported at Psych Central was a critical study undertaken by Michael King and a team of researchers under his direction in 2008, also at University College London. The group examined 28 papers that represented surveys of 214,344 heterosexuals and 11,971 homosexuals during the years 1966 to 2005. . As Jane Collingwood's article noted, "their analysis revealed twice the rate of suicide attempts among lesbian, gay and bisexual people. The risks of depression and anxiety disorders were at least one and a half times higher, as was alcohol and other substance abuse." Although "most of the results were similar in both sexes, ...women were particularly at risk of alcohol and drug dependence and men at a higher risk of suicide attempts." . But once again the cause of all of these problem was seen as discrimination. In the words of Michael King and his team: “There are a number of reasons why gay people may be more likely to report psychological difficulties, which include difficulties growing up in a world orientated to heterosexual norms and values and the negative influence of social stigma against homosexuality." . The one concession to some other causal factor than prejudice against homosexuals was their opinion that bad childhood experiences may be to blame. But this seems to rest on the assumption that heterosexuals never have bad experiences growing up. If so, it may be maintained that there are reasons to be skeptical about such a viewpoint . . (4) The Independent , September 4, 2014 . This is a report on a sample of 27,000 homosexuals in England -including a small percentage of bisexuals. The Jamie Merrill story is entitled: "Gay people more likely to have mental health problems, survey says." . What this survey looked for was chronic long-term mental health problems; the results were about what you would expect. The one surprise was that, at least in this study, bisexuals had more problems than homosexuals of either gender; otherwise homosexuals were far more likely than heterosexuals to suffer from psychological maladies. . The numbers were not as dramatic as other studies but that might be explained by the survey design. . This is said because of the stated goal of the study: "We need to ensure both that doctors recognise the needs of sexual minorities, and also that sexual minorities have the same experience of care as other patients." . This certainly sounds even-handed and fair but when you give this some thought it should be no problem to identify the built-in bias. An assumption is made that there is psychological parity between homosexuals and heterosexuals, that there can be no psychological issues with being homosexual. This is not demonstrated, it is taken for granted. And this ostensibly being the case, "the needs of sexual minorities" should be served before all else and, in the process, the needs of heterosexuals assumed to be less important! . The suspicion must be raised that as a result the survey was structured to give benefit of the doubt to homosexuals. And yet a similar pattern to other recent studies emerged anyway, showing a far greater likelihood of psychological problems among homosexuals. . In any case female homosexuals were twice as likely to have a psychological disorder than heterosexual women; almost the same exact ratio was found for homosexual males in contrast to heterosexual men. For example, about 5% of normal men reported some kind of lasting pathology, for homosexual males the number was 11%. For female homosexuals vs., heterosexual women the tallies were 12% to 6%. . As one researcher summarized the findings: “The survey shows that sexual minorities suffer both poorer health and have worse experiences when they see their GP.” Yet the discredited bromide that these negative findings are probably caused by " hostile and stressful social environments created by ...stigma, prejudice and discrimination" was emphasized which, of course, dismisses without study any possibility that homosexuality may well be the cause of these problems -or at a minimum contribute to them. . Regardless, especially since the researchers made much of their loyalties to the Labour Party, even a skewed survey could not spin facts out of existence. You can design a study that minimizes the rate of psychological disorders among homosexuals but even then major disparities are there to be observed. Some people should be capable of understanding the facts for what they are. . (5) National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 2015. This is a web source created by an organization that deals with a range of mental health issues, by no means limited to the issue of homosexuality. However, NAMI has a major webpage with the heading, "LGBTQ" that discusses homosexuality and provides those with an interest with various options to go to for psychological help. . This site starts off with blame placed on others for the mental health dysfunctions of homosexuals: "The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) community faces mental health conditions just like the rest of the population. However, you may experience more negative mental health outcomes due to prejudice and other biases." . In other words, everyone else is at fault, homosexuals are never responsible for their problems. NAMI gets to cases almost immediately after that but in most instances there is more blame directed at other people. Here is an example: . "LGBTQ individuals are almost 3 times more likely than others to experience a mental health condition such as major depression or generalized anxiety disorder. This fear of coming out and being discriminated against for sexual orientation and gender identities, can lead to depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, thoughts of suicide and substance abuse." . The next paragraph is another tear jerk: . "LGBTQ people must confront stigma and prejudice based on their sexual orientation or gender identity while also dealing with the societal bias against mental health conditions. Some people report having to hide their sexual orientation from those in the mental health system for fear of being ridiculed or rejected. Some hide their mental health conditions from their LGBTQ friends." . Next comes a litany of woe, all that is wrong with society that supposedly causes homosexual psychological disorders. These include "social stigma, discrimination, prejudice, denial of civil and human rights, abuse, harassment, victimization, social exclusion and family rejection." There may even be cases of "violence." Taken together all of this is given a name, “minority stress.” . Conditions are bleak, indeed -because of family members, friends, co-workers, public officials, clergy, teachers, journalists, the guy who fixes your car at the garage, the girl at the check out counter, and you name it. They are all responsible, not the homosexual. So it goes for each category of psychological disorder. However, there is no need to review all of the excuses NAMI provides homosexuals so that they do not need to take responsibility for their life choices. This matter clarified there is one service that the National Alliance on Mental Illness does give people, an overview of the various all-too-real mental deficiencies of homosexuals. They are: . * "Three times more likely to attempt suicide, experience suicidal thoughts or engage in self-harm than straight people." . * They have "higher rates of drug, alcohol and tobacco use than that of straight people." Indeed, from 20% to 30% of homosexuals are substance abusers, vs. approximately 9% for the population at large. . * About 25% of homosexuals are alcoholics compared to 5% or so of the general population. . * Among teens and early twenties suicide is one of the leading causes of death. Homosexuals and other sexually abnormal individuals are four times as likely in this age group to kill themselves -for transgenders the rate is uncertain but the reported range is 38% to 65% who have at least contemplated suicide. . There is one statistic that seems dubious but could be true, the claim that young homosexuals who are rejected by their families commit suicide at 8 times the rate of homosexuals who were accepted by their families. The implication is that mom, dad, brother and sister, are to blame when a youthful homosexual ends his or her life. . What might be asked instead is whether a teen or twenty-ish homosexual gave any thought to the effects his or her decision to become sexually deviant might have on everyone else. That kind of bad choice can be devastating to a parent, can humiliate a sibling, or cause feelings of deep shame for all concerned including cousins, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. None of that counts? But this should give you an idea of what NAMI is all about. . And the preceding discussions should give you an idea of how pervasive misinformation is in society. Which is not only to discuss minimizing the significance of research data or conclusions but sometimes outright lies. Here is one particularly egregious example : . . This is from the site, Take Part. The story headline reads: "American Scientists to World: Homosexuality Isn’t a Mental Illness." The author is Hayley Fox; publication date is September 4, 2014. . At issue for Hayley fox was the fact that the WHO -World Health Organization- as of that date anyway, in its International Classification of Diseases, lists “homosexuality-related psychological disorders.” This, needless to say, outrages homosexuals. But have no fear, Susan Cochran is rushing to the rescue, the same UCLA epidemiologist who whitewashed homosexuals in another study under he direction. Along with a hand-picked panel of pro-homosexual doctors a report was prepared to send to WHO requesting / demanding that the organization change its classification. . Of course, they had already done something like this in 1990 at the urging of other homosexuals or their associates. "Homosexuality as a mental illness [was] removed from the WHO directory" that year, but what was left intact was that set of “psychological and behavioural disorders associated with sexual orientation and development." For example, to use an illustration from the pro-homosexual report, "if a married man wakes up one day and realizes he’s gay and wants to leave his wife, he could be diagnosed with having sexual relationship disorder.". . Exactly what kind of rubbish is this? Homosexuality is not innate, or at most, according to some studies, prenatal development may have some bearing. But despite the human genome project and studies prepared as long ago as the nineties, there has been no evidence of a homosexual gene. . Which is to say that, while maybe some day some researcher will find some kind of genetic component, so far no evidence to this effect exists. Therefore, what? Assume that it exists and make pronouncements as if this idea is established fact? In what way is that science? It isn't. . What all relevant evidence currently suggests is that homosexuality is not genetic and until different evidence surfaces the only honest thing to say is that it looks very much like homosexuality is caused by conscious choice. For which view there also are a number of compelling logical and observational reasons. . But that is not what we find here or in other studies with similar propaganda purposes. . What if the real reason -if the report's hypothetical married man wakes up one day and wants to become homosexual- for his new attitude is that his wife has not had sex with him for the past 10 years? Or maybe a close friend recently "came out" and the man, feeling stranded in a loveless marriage, then decided to spite his wife by imitating his friend's behavior. Or maybe this man is a weasel and since his boss at work is homosexual here, at long last, is a way to get that long deferred promotion. . But, no point is eliminating any other possibilities than the unfounded assumption that this mess of a human being "necessarily" has a genetic disposition to homosexuality. . So now it is the World Health Organization that is being pressured by homosexuals and their lackies. -- -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
