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from About NARTH
NARTH Position Statements
1. Right to Treatment
NARTH respects each client's dignity, autonomy and free agency.
We believe that clients have the right to claim a gay identity, or to diminish
their homosexuality and to develop their heterosexual potential.
The right to seek therapy to change one's sexual adaptation should be considered
self-evident and inalienable.
We call on our fellow mental-health association to stop falsely claiming to have
"scientific knowledge" that settles the issue of homosexuality. Instead, our
mental-health associations must leave room for diverse understandings of the
family, of core human identity, and the meaning and purpose of human sexuality.
2. Gay Advocacy in Public Schools
When schools offer information on sexual orientation, the facts should be
presented in a fair and balanced manner.
Groups such as the American Psychological Association currently recommend that
schools censor all "ex-gay" materials, and prohibit discussion about those who
have chosen to change their orientation. Respect for diversity, however,
requires teaching about all principled positions. We live in a multi-cultural
society where tolerance for differences is essential.
And when homosexuality is discussed, it must not cross the line into lifestyle
advocacy. Ultimately, sexual lifestyle decisions hinge on matters of deeply held
values. Schools should respect the right of families to convey their own social
values to their children.
3. Pedophilia
Early sexual experiences with an older, same-sex person are commonly reported by
our homosexual clients. And some studies do suggest that such experiences may be
more common among homosexuals than heterosexuals; in proportion to their
numbers, that is, homosexuals may be more likely to sexually abuse a same-sex
minor.
However, the data remains inconclusive for several reasons.
Studies have not always been able to determine the sexual orientation of the
same-sex molester (was he a heterosexual man crossing over into same-sex
behavior? a bisexual? or a homosexual?) Also, clinical reports suggest that a
very substantial proportion of homosexual molestation is not reported to adults
or legal authorities because the child was ashamed, fearful or considered the
same-sex contact with an older person to have been "consensual."
For these and other reasons, it is difficult to come to a conclusive answer on
the basis of the evidence now available.
4. Homophobia
The term "homophobia" is often used inaccurately to describe any person who
objects to homosexual behavior on either moral, psychological or medical
grounds. Technically, however, the terms actually denotes a person who has a
phobia--or irrational fear--of homosexuality. Principled disagreement,
therefore, cannot be labeled "homophobia."
5. Same-Sex Marriage
Social science evidence supports the traditional model of man-woman marriage as
the ideal family form for fostering a child's healthy development.
6. On the Meaning of Tolerance and Diversity
"Tolerance and diversity" means nothing if it is extended to activists and not
traditionalists on the homosexual issue.
Tolerance must also be extended to those people who take the principled,
scientifically supportable view that homosexuality works against our human
nature.
7. On the Causes of Homosexuality
NARTH agrees with the American Psychological Association that "biological,
psychological and social factors" shape sexual identity at an early age for most
people.
But the difference is one of emphasis. We place more emphasis on the
psychological (family, peer and social) influences, while the American
Psychological Association emphasizes biological influences--and has shown no
interest in (indeed, a hostility toward) investigating those same psychological
and social influences.
There is no such thing as a "gay gene" and there is no evidence to support the idea that homosexuality is simply genetic. However, biological influences may indeed influence some people toward homosexuality; recent studies point to prenatal-hormonal influences, especially in men, that result in a low-masculinized brain; also, there may be genetic factors in some people -- both of which would affect gender identity, and therefore sexual orientation. But none of these factors mean that homosexuality is normal and a part of human design, or that it is inevitable in such people, or that it is unchangeable.
Numerous examples exist of people who have successfully modified their sexual
behavior, identity, and arousal or fantasies.
Updated: 27 February 2008
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