[Jack]

There have been recovered homosexual men, despite what you hear in the news.

How about studies and findings?

"Reparative therapy." The mass media and the Web are filled with claims these days from religious conservatives, orthodox psychoanalysts, anti-gay organizations, and even a professional football player claiming that people with a homosexual orientation not only can become heterosexual, but also should do so. However, claims by the Family Research Council, Charles Socarides, Joseph Nicolosi, and others of "successful" conversions through reparative therapy are filled with methodological ambiguities and questionable results (for reviews, see Haldeman, 1991, 1994; see also Haldeman's 1999 review paper is available on the web in HTML and Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format). They are also ethically suspect. [Bibliographic references are on a different web page] In many of these behavior-change techniques, "success" has been defined as suppression of homoerotic response or mere display of physiological ability to engage in heterosexual intercourse. Neither outcome is the same as adopting the complex set of attractions and feelings that constitute sexual orientation. Many interventions aimed at changing sexual orientation have succeeded only in reducing or eliminating homosexual behavior rather than in creating or increasing heterosexual attractions. They have, in effect, deprived individuals of their capacity for sexual response to others. These "therapies" have often exposed their victims to electric shocks or nausea-producing drugs while showing them pictures of same-sex nudes (such techniques appear to be less common today than in the past). Another problem in many published reports of "successful" conversion therapies is that the participants' initial sexual orientation was never adequately assessed. Many bisexuals have been mislabeled as homosexuals with the consequence that the "successes" reported for the conversions actually have occurred among bisexuals who were highly motivated to adopt a heterosexual behavior pattern. The extent to which people have actually changed their behavior – even within the confines of these inadequate operational definitions – often has not been systematically assessed. Instead, only self reports of patients or therapists' subjective impressions have been available. More rigorous objective assessments (e.g., behavioral indicators over an extended period of time) have been lacking (Coleman, 1982; Haldeman, 1991, 1994; Martin, 1984).1 Some psychoanalysts claim to have conducted empirical research demonstrating that their "therapies" are able to change gay people into heterosexuals. Their studies have multiple flaws, including a lack of safeguards against bias and a lack of control groups. Rather than having patients evaluated by an independent third party who is unaware of which patients received the "reparative therapy," these studies are simply compilations of self-reports from psychoanalysts who are attempting to change their patients' sexual orientation (and who are highly motivated to report "success").

Facts About Changing Sexual Orientation

You can also check out these resources:

# Attempts to Change Sexual Orientation, a revealing analysis by Dr. Gregory M. Herek, which finds that such attempts are a failure and unethical. # APA discourages use of "reparative therapy" - the position of the largest association of psychologists in the world on attempts to "cure" homosexuals. Such attempts are discouraged. # The American Psychiatric Association's Position Statement on therapies focused on attempts to change sexual orientation. # Why Reparative Therapy and Ex-Gay Ministries Fail, an illuminating report by Kim I. Mills, Human Rights Campaign. # A Critical Evaluation of Attempts to "Cure" Homosexuality, an essay by Dr. Niclas Berggren which takes a closer look at "reparative therapy" and concludes that one should be warned of it. # The Pseudo-Science of Sexual Orientation Conversion Therapy, by Dr. Douglas C. Haldeman. # They've Changed, So They Say, a note on the ex-gay claims, by Dr. Andrew Sullivan. # Finally Free: How Love and Self-Acceptance Saved Us from the Ex-Gay Ministries, personal stories from people who have tried to change their sexual orientation but realized that this cannot be done. Strong reading. (PDF-file; if you don't have Adobe Acrobat, which is needed to access this document, download it for free here.) # Finding a Real Cure, the personal story of 21-year-old Wade Richards, who used to be part of the ex-gay movement. # The Ex Files: Not Your Usual Gays, a revealing essay by Mark Pietzryk on some leaders of the "ex-gay" movement. # Do Homosexuals Need to Be Healed of Their Homosexuality?, a question explored by Dr. Joseph Adam Pearson. # How Does Psychoanalysis View Homosexuality?, a clarifying letter from Dr. Ralph Rouhgton of The American Psychoanalytic Association, which does not embrace the views of NARTH. # Conversion Therapy Does Not Work, a collection of citations documenting this. # The Real Changes Taking Place in the Ex-Gay Movement" Dr. Ralph Blair takes a closer look at the "ex-gay" movement, often run by Christians, who claim that it is possible to change. The findings reveal that there is no basis for such a claim. # Ex-Gay Nomad, a refreshing site by people who are former ex-gays. # Introduction to Reparative Therapy, a good overview of the problems with "ex-gay" claims. # Fact or Friction?, an article which interviews "ex-ex-gays" who reveal what "ex-gay" organizations are all about. # "Psychologist says efforts to 'cure' homosexuality can cause lasting damage", an article from The Detroit News. # The Bible as Medicine: Bible and Prayer as Miraculous Cure against Homosexuality", a text by the priest and doctoral student Lars Gaardfeldt of the University of Gothenburg, which describes and analyzes the teachings of Christian "healer" Leanne Payne. # Changing Sexual Orientation: Does Counseling Work? - a clinical study of the effects of attempts to change a person's sexual orientation. If you have been a party to such attempts in the US, do not hesitate to contact the researchers through this site!

Is it possible to change from gay to straight?