Health body affirms right to ‘gay cure’ therapy
THE World Health Organisation has affirmed the view of controversial groups which say it is medically orthodox to seek treatment for unwanted homosexuality.
It follows a “gay cure” conference organised in Belfast last week by a group called Core Issues. Gay rights groups picketed the event and argued that homosexuality is not a medically recognised disorder.
However, Mike Davidson, of Core Issues, who has successfully undergone reparative-type therapy, said yesterday that the unwanted homosexual feelings he has experienced are a medically-recognised condition.
“People who wish to be known as gay need to be respected and honoured,” he said.
“But there are others like me who have a condition defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as Ego Dystonic Sexuality. This affirms that people may receive treatment if they do not accept their sexuality.”
A WHO spokesman said Ego Dystonic Sexuality is a disorder where “the gender identity or sexual preference (heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, or prepubertal) is not in doubt, but the individual wishes it were different because of associated psychological and behavioural disorders, and may seek treatment in order to change it.”
WHO was also clear that it does not consider homosexuality per se a disorder.
PA MagLochlainn, president of the Northern Ireland Gay Rights Association, also recognised the WHO diagnosis.
“Ego Dystonic Sexuality is a recognised condition but I have met very few people with it,” he said.
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Thursday 23 February 2012
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