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Can We Change Sexual Orientation?

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Abstract

The self-reports of individuals who claim that they have changed their sexual orientation are either dismissed as false or relied upon to promote sexual orientation change efforts. However, these reactions do not capture the complexity of the sexual reorientation phenomenon. This article provides an overview regarding the promise and effort of sexual reorientation and how this knowledge may inform our current understanding of human sexuality. Specifically, a brief history is given of the interventions used to change attractions to same-sex adults and the assumptions underlying these efforts. Information will be given regarding which conclusions can be derived from sexual reorientation studies. The limitations of these studies will be explained to strengthen future research. Hypotheses will be presented regarding the motivations and needs of those distressed by a same-sex erotic orientation and the impact that the hope of sexual reorientation may have for family members, religious leaders, and policy makers. A multivariate model of sexuality and sexual orientation, including scales of attraction and aversion, will be proposed based upon current understanding of sexuality and the distinctions found in sexual reorientation research. In the end, a therapeutic framework will be highlighted that may be used (and researched) to help those distressed by their sexual orientation.

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Notes

  1. This article will focus on the topic of changing attractions to adult same-sex others. Information about changing paraphilias, attractions to children and adolescents, and transsexual desires are beyond the scope of this article. Those working within these areas can determine if and how the following issues and recommendations apply to these populations.

  2. An Evangelical lay organization that states, “Thousands of individuals within our network have experienced [a change in homosexuality]” (Exodus International, 2009, Para 4).

  3. I use Freund’s (1974) definition of sexual orientation as the relative “erotic preference for the body of one sex over that for the other” (p. 26). It can often vary or be unclear how those who endorse or reject sexual reorientation define sexual orientation.

  4. Drescher (as cited in Shulleeta, 2010) noted how some traditionally religious, social conservatives promote that sexuality is not an essential component of a person’s existence, which is used politically to argue that LGB individuals should not be granted civil rights protections.

  5. A lay organization that “helps people who want to diminish same-sex attractions and overcome homosexual behavior” (Evergreen International, 2010).

  6. See Diamond’s (2009) review that indicated sex crimes have either decreased or not increased as pornography, including child pornography, has increased in availability.

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Acknowledgments

A version of this article was presented at the University of Lethbridge Workshop, The Puzzle of Sexual Orientation: What Is It and How Does It Work? Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, June 2010.

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    A. Lee Beckstead

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Beckstead, A.L. Can We Change Sexual Orientation?. Arch Sex Behav 41, 121–134 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-012-9922-x

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