# One blogger's journey to undo his homosexuality, Part II **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 26, 2004, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-bloggers-journey-to-undo-his-homosexuality-part-ii/252269 "2004-06-26T02:25:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Priam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/77aa72/32.png) [@Priam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Priam)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2004, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-bloggers-journey-to-undo-his-homosexuality-part-ii/252269/21 "2004-06-27T13:14:45Z")
Didn’t see your question **Leaper** Pretty much what **Zagadka** said. If there is evidence a certain line of treatment may have effectiveness, one’s duty is not to blanket condemn but to further study why it is effective here versus not there and tailor the correct approach based on new findings. However all of this rests of evidence solely provided by a flawed study. Without this evidence, and, as I said in my last post, significant evidence that reparative therapy can lead to major depression or suicide, psychologists would be remiss in ever recommending such a path for their patients. You do not simply leap into such a path without indication that significant good is likely to come weighed in the balance with significant potential harm. ---
**Author:** ![MaceMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@MaceMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaceMan)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-bloggers-journey-to-undo-his-homosexuality-part-ii/252269/22 "2004-06-28T04:47:05Z")
I would like to address the myths surrounding Dr. Spitzer. Although he was the committee chairman, he was never really the pivotal force for change. And he has always believed in therapy for sexual orientation. From the following website: [http://gaytoday.com/viewpoint/120803vp.asp](http://gaytoday.com/viewpoint/120803vp.asp) > [@](#): > > Dr. Judd Marmor led the fight for the change." (p. 131) Spitzer was only the meeting chairman. > > In fact, Spitzer never changed his mind about providing treatment for homosexuals who want to become straight. His 1973 position paper successfully argued to create a new psychiatric disorder for those disturbed by their homosexuality. Besen does not mention this very important paper by Robert L. Spitzer, M.D., “A Proposal About Homosexuality and the APA Nomenclature: Homosexuality as an Irregular Form of Sexual Behavior and Sexual Orientation Disturbance as a Psychiatric Disorder,” American Journal of Psychiatry (1973) 130:11, pp. 1214-1216. Also, see page 14 of the following pdf file “Peer Commentaries on Spitzer (2003),” from the Archives of Sexual Behavior, Vol. 32, No. 5, October 2003, pp. 419–468 in which Jack Drescher, MD, provides evidence that Spitzer’s stance on this issue has essentially remained the same over the years. [http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/Herek/courses/Library/Spitzer\_commentaries\_2003.pdf](http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/Herek/courses/Library/Spitzer_commentaries_2003.pdf) Truly Dr. Spitzer is not the impartial, “gay rights supporter who finally began to question his own decision” that various so-called “ex-gay” organizations are portraying him as. ---
**Author:** ![SentientMeat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@SentientMeat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SentientMeat)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-bloggers-journey-to-undo-his-homosexuality-part-ii/252269/23 "2004-06-28T10:36:16Z")
[Fascinating article](http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,3605,1183596,00.html) on this issue in the Guardian a couple of months ago. The last paragraph is, I feel, very telling. This is not _therapy_, it is _brainwashing_. How would one distinguish between _this_ program and one in which _straight_ people were encouraged to “turn homosexual”? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-bloggers-journey-to-undo-his-homosexuality-part-ii/252269.md?page=1)