can lesbians and gays change their sexual orientation through therapy or anything similar?

Answer 1

Research suggests that no, sexual orientation is largely predetermined at a very young age and cannot be altered via therapy later in life. Regardless of whether you believe in nature or in nurture, even people who believe that homosexuality is a result of environmental factors agree that the most impressionable years are at a very young age.

But counterquestion: Why would somebody even want to stage such an intense intervention into something so ingrained into their own individuality? That screams self-hate to me. Michael Jackson tried to go from black to white and look how he turned out.

Answer 2

Hardly any of these answers seem to understand your question. I understand that it is two different things (being gay and being transexual). You said that if an individual, through his own choice, decides to seek therapy, that we should not deny them. You are correct. Many many gay people seek therapy, a change in orientation is not ALWAYS the goal of such therapy. Therapy is tailored for the individual patient. That one sees that one is gay, but does not want to be gay is certainly a good reason to go into therapy. Of course, a good clinician will try to figure out a therapy to help one cope with the orientation and understand it, rather than suppress it. But my answer stands, you are correct. It is none of our business about how people feel about their sexual orientation. If one thinks one needs therapy, one should be able to seek it, no matter the reason. Auntie Kookoo

Answer 3

Certainly not through therapy. Homosexuality is no longer considered a mental disorder by the American Psychological Association. It's no longer in the DSM. No self-respecting therapist would actively try to change a person's sexual orientation.

And in my opinion it can't be changed through any other way, either. You're born with your sexual orientation, just like you're born with eye color, fingerprints, hair color, and anything else that makes you uniquely you.

Answer 4

NOOOOOOO what are you reading??? Iam a lesbian and I did therapy before and now Im into reiki meditation and alot of metafisica, nothing can change the way I am. I like woman most than everything else.....

Answer 5

If you are gay, you were born that way. When a fetus is developing, its brain decides which way it's going to go. Sometimes it just changes your sexual orientation, sometimes it does nothing, and other times it even makes a person decide they want to be the opposite sex.

Answer 6

You can control behavior, and no one's arguing that. But actual orientation never goes away. Even the leaders of all the "ex-gay" camps admit that.

Answer 7

you can use wil power and choose not to act on certain urges. Anyone can do this, gay, straight, whatever. I don't think it changes your sexual orientation though, because you simply choose to deny yourself freedom to be who you are inside. That's free will... I think people should choose to be happy and themselves, whoever that may be.

Answer 8

No. There is no need for them to do so.
Any form of therapy of that sort will ultimately fail simply because it is attempting to force someone to go against their true nature.

Answer 9

No. Some of them try to convince themselves but it ends up a catastrophe later when they can no longer lie to themselves.

Answer 10

No---but there have been many men who have tried...sadly they end up lying to their wives and kids ...what kind of a life is that?