DhaliClone
Well-Known Member
SimplyMe said:This is only partially true. While it is true there was no massive study done, the fact is that there couldn't be. It's the same as someone being put into a mental hospital who is normal and then having him try to "prove" he is not insane. You can't prove the negative.
An even better example is being left-handed, something that has also been considered abnormal. In fact, the medical term for left handed is "sinistral", which has the same Latin root as the word "sinister", to be left-handed was considered evil. As science progressed, "left-handedness was thought to be a pathological condition arising from damage to the brain suffered in the womb or postnatally. This theory was supported with the evidence that a greater number of epileptics and schizophrenics were left-handed." link Eventually people started realizing that being left-handed wasn't evil and it didn't cause problems, but it wasn't because of any new research but rather by observing left-handed people and finding, other than the hand they used more often, left-handed people were just the same as right-handed people.
The same process occurred with homosexuals. The basis of homosexuality being in the DSM was the idea that a person could not lead a happy life, be a productive citizen, and be a homosexual. Your document states, "Spitzer -- armed with research showing there were no valid data to link homosexuality and mental illness -- advocated forcefully for the strategy of deleting homosexuality from the disorders list and replacing it with a new one called 'sexual orientation disturbance.'" Further, "In 1972, for the first time, the annual meeting featured exhibits and discussions spotlighting positive aspects of the lives of gay individuals." They basically proved the DSM wrong, that gays could lead happy and productive lives and still be homosexual.
Last, you claim:
Again, your own document refutes that claim. While the move to remove homosexuality from the DSM may have been started by a small vote, your document clearly says, "In a key vote in December 1973, the Board of Trustees overwhelmingly endorsed Spitzer's recommendation. Opponents of the decision attempted to overturn it with a referendum of the APA membership in early 1974-just as Sabshin was beginning his 23-year tenure as APA medical director. The Board's decision to delete homosexuality from the diagnostic manual was supported by 58 percent of the membership." It was a vote of the full body of the APA that approved the change of the DSM, not just a few gay psychologists. I'm not aware of any major medical organization that claims homosexuality is any type of illness and have seen statements stating this from both APAs (Psychological and Psychiatric), AMA, WHO, and the AAP.
Nice job.
It looks like he ignored the parts of HIS OWN LINK that he didn't like.
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