Myth: Homosexuality can be treated.

                                                HOMOSEXUALITY CAN AND SHOULD BE “TREATED”

The most hurtful and alienating myth yet is that homosexuality is a behavior that one can stop or even worse, that it is a condition that one can get treated for and get better from. Stating that there is a treatment is inflicting the idea that this is an unacceptable way of life that people need to have corrected. The same anti-gay activists claim that if an individual is not born gay, then it is completely possible to leave the behavior and actions of homosexuality. This view is shared amongst conservative activists and can be found most prominently in evangelical groups. Religious Christian extremists view homosexuality to be a sin that humans can reject to partake in because of their god-given free will. This has led to religious backed and church funded efforts to correct homosexuality in individuals. Their methods are mental therapy and restructured and refocused religious teachings. Reparative or sexual reorientation therapy has been rejected by all the established and reputable American medical, psychological, psychiatric and professional counseling organizations. Again, the American Psychological Association conducted a study which found that conversion therapy’s success to be almost non-existent. The APA’s resolution stated that, “The report concluded that compelling evidence suggested that cases of individuals going from gay to straight were "rare" and that "many individuals continued to experience same-sex sexual attractions" after reparative therapy. Further more the American Medical Association completely and officially opposes reparative therapy because it is “based on the assumption that homosexuality per se is a mental disorder or based on an a prior assumption that the person should change his/her homosexual orientation.” (AMA, 2012).The American Medical Association said it best, these methods are fundamentally unsound. Therefore, methods will me ineffective because it alienates the group they claim they are trying to help. These methods are immoral and irresponsible. They are not conducive to a peaceful and open-minded future. In terms of progress being made in dialogue being shared between two opposing sides, these tests and studies and hypotheses are conversation stoppers, not conversation starters. These myths that have birthed so many relentless studies to disprove homosexuality as a born identity, or to invalidate an individuals life will get us as a society moving nowhere in regards to progress. We as a united people must keep an open mind even when we hear opinions that might be hurtful or expressions that we may disagree with. It is our responsibility to hold individuals accountable for what they say by constantly fact checking these damaging myths and stereotypes.