Texas politicians seem to think they’re the only correct thinkers in a nation that seems to be going in the opposite direction.
An example? Gay conversion therapy, which is drawing opposition from medical professionals and politicians throughout the land, appears to be showing no signs of slowing down in Texas, according to the Texas Tribune.
http://www.texastribune.org/2015/04/18/opposition-gay-conversion-therapy-grows/
Have mercy on us all.
Gay conversion therapy seeks to persuade people that they aren’t actually gay. Never mind scientific evidence that someone’s sexual orientation is built into their DNA the same way, say, their hair and eye colors are built in.
That hasn’t stopped politicians from suggesting that a healthy dose of religious teaching, which the critics contend is occurring, will get rid of someone’s homosexual urges. As the Tribune reports, “The American Psychiatric Association has condemned it, and experts say it can cause mental harm to individuals.”
Hey, what does a group of trained medical professionals know?
The Tribune reports further: “David Pickup, who practices reparative therapy in California and Texas, said he was upset by the president’s words last week and feels reparative therapy has been mischaracterized.
“’Words hurt sometimes, and some of our clients have been upset about his public condemnation of these things — it has really hurt their feelings,’ Pickup said. ‘Reparative therapy is there for people who believe that for them, homosexual impulses arise not because of something genetic but because of emotional and sexual abuse.’”
State Rep. Celia Israel, D-Austin, has been trying to get a hearing before the House State Affairs Committee. She’s been stonewalled so far. Israel is hoping at least to get the subject on the table for some open debate.
Something tells me that with conservatives owning a supermajority in the House of Representatives and a strong majority in the Senate, the chances of at least a hearing are somewhere between slim and none.
Meanwhile, Texas will stand increasingly alone in standing by the notion that you can convert gay people into something they are not.
You really should study the actual science on this a little more, John. The American Psychiatric Association, while saying a person’s sexuality is not a choice, does not simply jump to the conclusion it is built into a person’s DNA. Neither does the person who has come out with the strongest link between sexuality and DNA. He only says a person’s genes account for 30-40 percent of a person’s sexuality. But what would you know. You’re not a scientist. You just ridicule and name call those who actually study the science on this subject (I’d know being someone you accused of homophobia on this subject, despite being more progressive than you regarding civil rights for gays/lesbians).
You say scientific evidence says someone’s sexual orientation is built into their DNA. Prove it. My sources are below. Where are yours?
American Psychiatric Association: “There is no consensus among scientists about the exact reasons that an individual develops a heterosexual, bisexual, gay or lesbian orientation. No findings have emerged that permit scientists to conclude that sexual orientation is determined by any particular factor or factors. Many think that nature and nurture both play complex roles; most people experience little or no sense of choice about their sexual orientation.”
http://www.apa.org/topics/lgbt/orientation.aspx
Dr Michael Bailey, Northwestern University in Chicago: “Our findings suggest there may be genes at play. But it is not completely determinative; there are certainly other environmental factors involved.”
Genetic factors account for between 30% and 40% of what decides whether a man is gay or straight, the researcher says.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/science/homosexuality-dna-say-scientists-3145703
Again … thanks.