by Amy Dunne

Created on: October 08, 2009   Last Updated: October 10, 2009

Is there a such a thing as a Gay Cure?

Homosexuality is a topic that has always caused heated debates. I believe the reason for this is because it can be looked at from many different aspects that affect and influence our day to day lives. Religion, sociology, psychology and other sciences are amongst a few examples that offer varying explanations for the existence of homosexuality.

The word 'cure' suggests that there is an illness or health problem that needs to be treated. The term gay cure is not a surprising concept when one looks back through the history of homosexuality.

Homosexuality was considered to be a mental illness for a long time, resulting in a variety of cruel therapies and treatments being devised and used. Aversion therapy is perhaps now seen as the crudest and most damaging. One example of aversion treatment to cure homosexuality, forced an association between homosexual imagery and the patient being shocked with electricity. Through the use of pain and inducing feelings of humiliation and revulsion the subject would eventually be cured of their homosexual feelings and urges. If anything is unnatural or goes against humanity, surely that is it.

It was later revealed that aversion therapy was not successful. So much so that in 1994 the American Psychological Association declared that aversion therapy is dangerous and does not work. It also later became clear that homosexuality is not a mental illness and The World Health Organization only removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses in 1992.

As homosexuality was no longer classed as being a mental illness people began to question what it was that caused people to be gay. Two main opposing theories that offered an explanation were put forward. They became known as the nature versus nurture debate. Some believed homosexuality was an innate predisposition caused by either a gene or another physiological factor. Others came to believe that it was environmental and social factors that influenced a persons sexuality.

Scientific proof for either theory has still not been proven.

If a gay gene is found and proven to be the cause of homosexuality, I cannot help but feel there is potential for a disaster. For the religions that believe homosexuality to be a sin, this would be the find they were hoping for. Once a gay gene is discovered it could eventually be used to 'cure' people. Some important religious figures have already claimed that once the 'cure' has been discovered, it should

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