Psychology magazine slammed for listing ‘gay cure’ therapists
A leading psychology magazine and website has been heavily criticised by the Human Rights Campaign for allowing listings promoting the controversial practice of gay conversion therapy.
Psychology Today was criticised by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) for “propping up a fraudulent industry”, and offering a “veneer of credibility” to the practice, which is widely condemned by health bodies.
According to the Huffington Post, an HRC legal team-member last month noted that a therapist’s profile on Psychology Today’s directory advertised conversion therapy.
The California-based therapist offered that he has “helped men with unwanted same-sex attraction (SSA) reverse their attraction to men and increase their attraction to women.”
However despite calls by the HRC for the magazine to remove such listings, the magazine told the Huffington Post that it would not.
Fred Sainz, a spokesman with HRC, called on Psychology Today to ban such ads and condemn the practice in an editorial.
He said: “There is no credible evidence that conversion therapy can change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, and it is abundantly clear that conversion therapy poses devastating health risks for LGBT young people,” Sainz wrote in a letter to Psychology Today’s chief executive and publisher. “Psychology Today has the opportunity to take a leadership role in protecting the public from these harmful and illegal practices by taking prompt action to limit this type of advertisement and creating awareness about the danger of conversion therapy.”
According to the Huffington post, a spokesman for the magazine said it is not “a fan” of gay “cure” therapy, but that it would not remove listings, unless illegal.