Monday 30 March 2009

Therapist Headline Exposes Ignorance

On Thursday I reported that the Metro was carrying on its front page the news that 17% of our country's therapists have attempted to 'cure' gay patients. Well today in the Scottish editions letter page we find this response which I quote in full apart from the senders name.




If homosexuality is a mental illness then, obviously, little credibility should be given to the opinion of homosexuals - like most mentally ill people they will deny that there is anything wrong with them. Homosexuality clearly is a mental abnormality - because it isn't 'normal' - but then so is having an IQ of 150. It doesn't necessarily mean that it is malevolent or dangerous, but to suggest it is normal is wrong. The vast majority of normal people find homosexuality unnatural and offensive. Legislation has not changed these opinions a though it has eroded the freedom to express them.




Well there are a few points that have been cleared up, firstly you have to right to express those opinions, they were published in the Metro. However, if you start to use those opinions to discriminate, or incite hatred or violence then you are in difficulty.

As for the majority finding it offensive I'll refer her to one poll that found a strong case on homophobia in Israel this month. Even though 32% in that opinion poll found homosexuality disgusting 56% had no problem with it. I'll also refer her to a poll amongst protestant church members in the US which said that 70% felt that homosexuality should be accepted by society. In the UK this 2007 poll said that 92% had no problem with a work colleague or a player on their supported football team being gay. Far from being a majority finding it offensive it is actually quite the opposite.

She also ignored the fact at the end of the Metro report which said that the BMA and Dept of Health both agree that homosexuality is not a mental illness and does not require treatment. Pity she seemed incapable of reading to the end of such a short article before writing off her letter.

But then with my sexuality and IQ being as high as it is I'm obviously too abnormal for her to take my opinion from reading these views of others credibly.

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