# Is it possible to make a gay man straight? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 12, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-gay-man-straight/148184 "2003-01-12T20:36:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![80sHairMetalMaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/8/ed655f/32.png) [@80sHairMetalMaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/80sHairMetalMaven)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-gay-man-straight/148184/1 "2003-01-12T20:36:50Z")
I was flipping the channels on tv and wandered across this religious program on cable somewhere saying that they were able to make gay people straight through religious conversion. Is it possible to make a hardcore (meaning permanent in this case)gay person straight, through religious conversion or otherwise? IDBB ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-gay-man-straight/148184/2 "2003-01-12T20:40:12Z")
Geez, you don’t even have to do a search for this debate. It’s going on right below your nose… [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=155005](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=155005) ---
**Author:** ![milroyj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@milroyj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/milroyj)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-gay-man-straight/148184/3 "2003-01-12T20:40:21Z")
Why would want to? ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-gay-man-straight/148184/4 "2003-01-12T20:44:28Z")
Answer to the OP: No. Think about this: do you think that a 100% hetrosexual can become a 100% homosexual by changing his/her religion? Same principle. ---
**Author:** ![vanilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f19dbf/32.png) [@vanilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vanilla)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-gay-man-straight/148184/5 "2003-01-12T20:47:15Z")
no ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-gay-man-straight/148184/6 "2003-01-12T21:08:08Z")
Orientation? Probably not (barring a miracle). Behavior? It depends. Keeping in mind that _only_ behavior can be sinful. Temptation != sin. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-gay-man-straight/148184/7 "2003-01-12T21:38:51Z")
It’s always possible to find _someone_ who has been (or firmly believes they have been) “converted”, for the simple reason that human sexuality covers a large continuous spectrum and the human mind is actually pretty flexible. I’m disinclined to say anything is impossible when it comes to human psychology. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-gay-man-straight/148184/8 "2003-01-12T22:20:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by I\_Dig\_Bad\_Boys \* > I was flipping the channels on tv and wandered across this religious program on cable somewhere saying that they were able to make gay people straight through religious conversion. Is it possible to make a hardcore (meaning permanent in this case)gay person straight, through religious conversion or otherwise? Is it possible to make a straight person gay? Is it possible to make a religious person rational? :eek: (err, less superstitious) Are some of these questions offensive? Why? ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-gay-man-straight/148184/9 "2003-01-12T22:32:43Z")
Well, if you pull really hard on both their legs and their head, they’d be more or less straight. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-gay-man-straight/148184/10 "2003-01-12T23:18:14Z")
I’m with **Byan** on this one; I think maybe it _is_ possible, in **some** cases; just like it’s possible to make a sane person insane; apply sufficient pressures and stimuli of just the right kinds for long enough and I’m sure you could sometimes end up with a person who, if not actually _changed_ in a ‘real’ sense (whatever that actually means), would truly _believe_ that they are changed and act that way. I’m not sure how many guinea pigs would be sacrificed in the effort though. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-gay-man-straight/148184/11 "2003-01-12T23:19:46Z")
**Bryan** , sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-gay-man-straight/148184/12 "2003-01-12T23:25:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mangetout \* > \*\ ***Bryan** , sorry. \*\* It’s okay. But do it again and I’ll hit with a can of stimuli! ---
**Author:** ![boyohboy17](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c4cdca/32.png) [@boyohboy17](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boyohboy17)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-gay-man-straight/148184/13 "2003-01-12T23:28:16Z")
Yes. Through a cult-ish group it is not only possible to change someone’s orientation but it is easier than any other methods. It works on the same principle as Alcoholics Anonymous. You place someone within a highly-cohesive social (or religious) group and that person will change until his opinions and actions are very similar to the accepted normal of the group. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-gay-man-straight/148184/14 "2003-01-12T23:31:55Z")
Hit who? ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Dickerson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Scott\_Dickerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Dickerson)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2003, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-gay-man-straight/148184/15 "2003-01-12T23:40:49Z")
The OP was phrased this way: “…Is it possible to make a hardcore (meaning permanent in this case)gay person straight, through religious conversion or otherwise?..” If “permanent” means “never changing” and the attribute “to be gay” has a meaning that does not include the attribute “to be straight”– then the question amounts to: “Can this specified permanent attribute ‘A’ be replaced by some other attribute?” No. It is a logical contradiction to define an attribute as permanent and also allow that it can be changed. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-gay-man-straight/148184/16 "2003-01-13T00:12:48Z")
Well spotted **Scott**. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-gay-man-straight/148184/17 "2003-01-13T21:42:49Z")
Who was the prominent “I went from gay to straight” conversion poster boy who got caught in a gay bar? Anyway, no, it isn’t possible. ---
**Author:** ![Mars\_Horizon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mars_horizon/32/2804_2.png) [@Mars\_Horizon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mars_Horizon)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-gay-man-straight/148184/18 "2003-01-13T21:57:01Z")
John Paulk. He was looking for other poster boys 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-gay-man-straight/148184/19 "2003-01-13T23:30:54Z")
In my humble hetero opinion, I dont think it is possible. I dont think anyone “chooses” to be gay, lesbian, or transexual with all of the discrimination, violence, and teasing they get. What normal heterosexual would “choose” to be one of those? It is the way they are wired. A gay person can no more choose to be hetero any more than you can make a hetero choose to be gay. You cant make someone that way, and you cant change them back. On the other hand, there are people who will have sex with anyone like: Anne Heche who is “bi”, and who can prefer men or women, depending on her particular mood at any given time. ---
**Author:** ![ffabris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a87d85/32.png) [@ffabris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ffabris)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-gay-man-straight/148184/20 "2003-01-13T23:42:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Susanann \* > **I dont think anyone “chooses” to be gay, lesbian, or transexual with all of the discrimination, violence, and teasing they get. What normal heterosexual would “choose” to be one of those?** Precisely. I agree … and I’m one of the ones who went through all that (OK, so not actual violence), plus self-loathing for a long time. No, I would not chose to live that sort of life voluntarily. But I am what I am. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-make-a-gay-man-straight/148184.md?page=2)