In 1973, the
American Psychiatric Association (APA) removed the diagnosis of “homosexuality”
from the second edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM). This
resulted after comparing competing theories, those that pathologized
homosexuality and those that viewed it as normal. In an effort to explain how
that decision came about, this paper reviews some historical scientific
theories and arguments that first led to the placement of homosexuality in
DSM-I and DSM-II as well as alternative theories that eventually led to its
removal from DSM III and subsequent editions of the manual. The paper concludes
with a discussion of the sociocultural aftermath of that 1973 decision...
APA’s 1973 diagnostic revision was the beginning of the end
of organized medicine’s official participation in the social stigmatization of
homosexuality. Similar shifts gradually took place in the international mental
health community as well. In 1990, the World Health Organization removed
homosexuality per se from the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10)
[64].
As a consequence, debates about homosexuality gradually shifted away from
medicine and psychiatry and into the moral and political realms as religious,
governmental, military, media, and educational institutions were deprived of
medical or scientific rationalization for discrimination.
As a result, cultural attitudes about homosexuality changed
in the US and other countries as those who accepted scientific authority on
such matters gradually came to accept the normalizing view. For if
homosexuality was no longer considered an illness, and if one did not literally
accept biblical prohibitions against it, and if gay people are able and
prepared to function as productive citizens, then what is wrong with being gay?
Additionally, if there is nothing wrong with being gay, what moral and legal
principles should the larger society endorse in helping gay people openly live
their lives?
The result, in many countries, eventually led, among other
things, to (1) the repeal of sodomy laws that criminalized homosexuality; (2)
the enactment of laws protecting the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) people in society and the workplace; (3) the ability of LGBT
personnel to serve openly in the military; (4) marriage equality and civil
unions in an ever growing number of countries; (5) the facilitation of gay
parents’ adoption rights; (6) the easing of gay spouses’ rights of inheritance;
and (7) an ever increasing number of religious denominations that would allow
openly gay people to serve as clergy.
Most importantly, in medicine, psychiatry, and other mental
health professions, removing the diagnosis from the DSM led to an important
shift from asking questions about “what causes homosexuality?” and “how can we
treat it?” to focusing instead on the health and mental health needs of LGBT
patient populations [65]...
Full article at: http://goo.gl/FdUZKh
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2Department of Psychiatry, New York Medical College, 20 Hospital Rd, Valhalla, New York, NY 10595, USA
3Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, New York University, 547 La Guardia Place, New York, NY 10012, USA
4William A. White Institute, 20 West 74th Street, New York, NY 10023, USA
Academic Editors: Carol North and Alina Suris
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