Ex-Gays: Controversy and a Question of who is mentally Ill

Ex-Gays?

Rich Nathan
Congregational Email - February 2008

Ex-Gays?

Everything about homosexuality is controversial. What causes homosexuality is controversial. The definition of what homosexuality is, is controversial. Whether there can be a change in one's sexual orientation so that a homosexual can become heterosexual or in anyway cease to be homosexual is controversial. The therapeutic attempt to change a client's homosexual orientation, even when a client desperately wishes to change is controversial. In fact, there is even a controversy about whether a therapist or counselor should ever assist a client to change, even when asked.

Dr. Stanton Jones and Dr. Mark Yarhouse, two professors of psychology at Wheaton College (almost certainly the most respected evangelical university in America), have recently written a ground-breaking and, of course, controversial book titled Ex Gays in which they, through a carefully executed clinical research study, attempt to answer two enormous questions.

Is it possible for people to change their homosexual orientation?
Is the attempt to change one's homosexual orientation potentially harmful?
It is rare that I do a book review, but I believe this book is a hugely important addition to the current literature on homosexuality and ought to be widely read.

The Percentage of Homosexuals in America
According to what is likely the most extensive study of the sexual orientation of American adults conducted by Dr. Laumann, about 2% of males and 0.9% of females experience a consistent, persistent, same-sex attraction. We commonly refer to this consistent, persistent same-sex attraction as "a homosexual orientation." Among these, an even smaller percentage of adults identifies himself or herself as gay or lesbian, that is, they take on the sociocultural identity as "gay."

The Setting for the Study
The "diagnostic Bible" of the mental health professions is called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). In the first edition of the DSM in 1952 homosexual orientation was labeled as a personality disorder. During the 1960's new editions of the DSM began to move homosexuality away from being categorized as a psychological disorder. In 1973 the American Psychiatric Association voted to remove homosexuality from the DSM as a disorder altogether. Today, the DSM-IV-TR (2000) not only has removed homosexuality from being categorized as a disorder, but has come up with a new diagnosis, "Sexual Disorder Not Otherwise Specified" (NOS). Within the Sexual Disorder NOS, one of the criteria is "persistent and marked distress about sexual orientation."

In other words, a few decades ago, to be homosexual was to be disordered. Now, to be distressed about one's sexual orientation and to want to change is to be disordered. Thus, according to the most recent DSM, individuals who want to change their sexual orientation are now considered pathological.

Further, according to the American Psychological Association's official website, homosexuality is not changeable. And therapists are warned that assisting clients to change their sexual orientation is potentially harmful to the patient. While therapists are not currently banned from assisting clients to change their sexual orientation, they are strongly warned about the potential of increasing client depression, anxiety, and self-destructive behavior through attempts to change one's sexual orientation.

The Biblical Material
Drs. Jones and Yarhouse are not only psychologists, but are also very thoughtful biblical scholars. They make a wonderfully convincing case for homosexual behavior as well as premarital sex and extramarital sex being unequivocally condemned by the writers of scripture. Their book, Ex-Gays?, does a very nice job of unpacking the scriptural treatment of homosexuality. In addition, Jones and Yarhouse do a very credible job of setting homosexuality in the wider biblical setting of God's purpose in giving us the gift of sex.

The Study
Using the very best scientifically recognized research methods, Drs. Jones and Yarhouse recruited 98 subjects, who had been participating in Exodus International groups across America. 90 of the subjects believed themselves to be born-again. 8 of the subjects said they were not born-again. All of them were seeking to change their homosexual or lesbian sexual orientation via Christian meetings, worship, journaling, individual counseling, and small group accountability.

Findings
The study measured individual change in sexual orientation using a battery of generally recognized scales for measuring sexual orientation. Through individual interviews and quantitative analysis, Jones and Yarhouse found the following:

15% of the sample group experienced complete resolution of their homosexual orientation and were converted to heterosexual attraction. In other words, these folks were saying, "I'm healed; I rarely experience homosexual desires and I enjoy a good sex life with my spouse (or am dating and am very attracted to my love interest)."
23% of the research subjects experienced "success via chastity." These subjects reported that feelings of homosexual attraction are almost entirely gone and they no longer feel unduly tempted. They are confident of continuing progress. So, these folks were saying, "I'm healed; I rarely experience homosexual desires and I'm very content to enjoy healthy male and female relationships without necessarily trying to become 'heterosexual.' God may bring about further change in the future."
29% of their subjects would be described as "continuing in the program." They have experienced some diminishing of homosexual attraction, but their desires have not dramatically changed. They are hopeful and committed to the change process. These folks were saying, "It is still very much of a struggle and my sexual orientation has not changed a lot, but I am experiencing healing in many emotional ways and I am confident in the path I continue to pursue with Christ."
15% of the people offered non-responses. They were saying, "I have not changed my experience of sexual attraction at all. I'm discouraged and not doing much on this at the present. I still want to change, but maybe I need a different approach."
4% were classified as failure: confused. These people had no significant sexual orientation change and have given up on the change process. They do not know whether they will try to change in the future or go back into the gay lifestyle. They were confused.
8% of the people could be classified as failure: gay identity. These people have given up on the change process and re-embraced their gay identities.
Now, one might ask why a higher percentage of people than 38% (success: conversion, plus success: chastity) did not experience radical change in their sexual orientations. But as Drs. Jones and Yarhouse point out, sexual orientation is an incredibly complex human behavior. And if we compare the change these individuals experienced with the change that other individuals in therapy experience, with respect to chronic depression, or chronically troubled marriages, the change in sexual orientation is actually extremely high. The vast majority of people who are chronically depressed do not suddenly become happy never to experience depression again. And the vast majority of people who are in chronically bad marriages do not suddenly discover wonderfully happy and untroubled marriages. Most complex human behaviors are stubborn and require diligent effort to make even moderate changes.

Jones' and Yarhouse's study further found that there was no evidence to support the claim that harm was caused to any of the subjects who attempted to change their sexual orientation. In fact, the one consistent finding was that individuals engaged in changing their homosexual orientation actually experienced less psychological distress in their lives and more joy.

Conclusion
Many of us have friends, colleagues at work, or family members who self-identify as gay . If you want to read the best of the current research on homosexuality from a sympathetically Christian perspective that is also scientifically objective, you cannot do better than to read Ex-Gays? I would strongly encourage college students, in particular, to pick up this book and review its findings since this research will conflict with what is commonly taught in college psych classes. And if you are struggling with issues concerning homosexuality, and you are asking the question, "Can I change?" or can a loved one change, you must read this book! You will find yourself very encouraged to personally pursue a God-honoring, God-pleasing life of sexual purity.