The APA opposes portrayal of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth and adults as mentally ill due to their sexual orientation and supports the dissemination of accurate information about sexual orientation, and mental health, and appropriate interventions in order to counteract bias that is based in ignorance or unfounded beliefs about sexual orientation. That is the site’s main purpose. To educate the uneducated and ignorant, and to also help homosexuals better understand themselves without any condemnation. In 1973, the APA confirmed the importance of the new research by removing the term “homosexuality” from the official manual that lists all mental and emotional disorders. Then in 1975, the APA passed a resolution supporting this action, urging all mental health professionals to help dispel the stigma of mental illness that some people still associate with homosexual orientation. The site has many supporters, such as the American Psychiatric Association, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, National Institute of Mental Health, Sex Information and Education Counsel of the United States, Parents and Friends of Lesbian and Gays, and the Chinese Society for the Study of Sexual Minorities.
This site uses an essentialist theoretical perspective or way of understanding sexuality. The APA believes that sexual behavior is determined by orientation. We all have a fixed stable identity. This site argues for biological sexual orientation. This site is very interested in the cause of sexuality. It believes that people can be defined by their sexuality, because that is the basis of your identity and is fixed biologically. It supports facts that these categories aren’t just fixed, but real differences exist. People can be understood on the basis of their sexuality. This site doesn’t believe that sexual orientation is a choice, but that it emerges for most people in early adolescence without any prior sexual experience. The site supports its etiological debate, or shall I say essentialist perspective in many ways. The site’s biggest goal is to educate society as a whole to accept homosexuality, and accept the fact that it is not a choice but a fixed stable identity. The site’s strongest debate is in the area of therapeutic treatments, also known as “conversion therapy” to alter sexual orientation. The APA has taken the position that homosexuality is not a pathology, and is strongly against medical professionals practicing with the theory that homosexuality is a disorder. This site points out that there is no scientific evidence to justify pathologizing homosexuality. The APA is considering taking an official position on conversion therapy. According to the site, conversion therapy “rejuvenates the belief that homosexuality is pathological, adding to the isolation and alienation many homosexuals feel and the discrimination they face.” Many psychologist criticize attempts to treat homosexuals. The APA site has made efforts to officially discourage conversion therapy. Many psychologists believe that the therapy is ineffective at best, and possibly harmful. The APA acknowledges that some individuals may seek to change their own sexual orientation or that of another individual, even though homosexual orientation is not a mental illness and there is no scientific reason to attempt conversion of lesbians and gays to heterosexual orientation. The site points out that the reports that support conversion therapy and say it works, are mostly claims that come from organizations with a ideological perspective on sexual orientation, rather than from mental health researchers. The treatments and their outcomes are poorly documented, and the length of time that clients are followed up after the treatment is too short. In 1990, the APA stated that scientific evidence does not show that conversion therapy works and that it can do more harm than good. Changing one’s sexual orientation is not simply a matter of changing one’s sexual behavior. According to the site, it would require altering one’s emotional, romantic and sexual feelings and restructuring one’s self-concept and social identity.
There are various issues which
the site is for and against that support the essentialist perspective of
biological sexual orientation. The site strongly promotes acceptance of
homosexuals as normal individuals. They didn’t commit a sin and make a
choice to be homosexual. Sexual orientation is not a conscious choice that
can be changed. The site supports the rights of gay teachers. The
APA protests personnel actions against any teacher solely because
of sexual orientation or affectional preference. The APA deplores discrimination
on the basis of sexual orientation, and will not let its publications,
as advertising media, be used by others in support of discriminatory employment
practices. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) maintains a policy that
homosexual orientation is “incompatible with military service, ” and the
DoD will not knowingly admit bisexual, lesbian or gay individuals to military
service, including research and clinical internship programs in psychology.
The APA opposes the DoD policy which finds homosexual orientation ‘incompatible
with military service’ and takes a leadership role among national organizations
in seeking to change this discriminatory DoD policy. In addition
the APA will not permit its publications, as advertising media to be used
by the DoD unless their policy regarding homosexual orientation is rescinded.
Also, the APA supports educational
programs designed to address the issues of lesbian, gay and bisexual youths
in schools. The APA advocates efforts to ensure funding of basic and applied
research, and scientific evaluations of interventions and education programs,
including programs for HIV prevention targeted at gay and bisexual youths.
The APA takes a leadership role in promoting societal and familial attitudes
and behaviors that affirm the dignity and rights, within the educational
environments, of all lesbian, gay and bisexual youth, including those with
physical or mental disabilities, and from all ethnic/racial background
and classes. In addition, the APA opposes prejudice and discrimination
based upon race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, or physical
condition. It supports government’s collection and publication of
statistics on hate crimes and bias-related violence, provision of services
for victims and their loved ones, and interventions to reduce and eliminate
such crimes and violence, and policies that perpetuate them.
The APA is the largest scientific
and professional organization representing psychology in the United States
and is the world’s largest association of psychologists. The APA’s
membership includes more than 132,000 practitioners, researchers, educators,
consultants and students. I think this is an incredible site with
very positive and helpful educational tools. This site has a great deal
of influential supporters, and is very powerful in its attempts to educate
all of society about homosexuality as an unchangeable biological sexual
orientation. It emphasizes its views in many important areas including,
conversion therapy, gay teacher rights, DoD policies, youth educational
programs, and even hate crimes. I can only hope that educating all
people about sexual orientation and homosexuality, as this site does, will
help to diminish anti-gay prejudice. Society can’t continue to brush off
homosexuality as a medical condition that needs to be fixed, or a sinful
choice made by deviant individuals. I think that this site does a very
good job in presenting the facts about homosexuality, and showing individuals
how unfair we are in judging homosexuals and depriving them of rights that
we all take for granted.