Statement Regarding Historical Published Articles on Conversion Therapy - British Psychological Society

[IwantToRetire]

The British Psychological Society (BPS) acknowledges that in the past, our journals published articles by authors who explored and/or endorsed attempts to change sexual orientation and gender identity through therapy, often referred to as ‘conversion therapy’. We deeply regret the BPS's role in disseminating work endorsing conversion efforts, and the harm that psychologists caused to LGBTQ+ people historically in this regard.

Continues at https://www.bps.org.uk/news/statement-regarding-historical-published-articles-conversion-therapy

A recent review by the BPS History of Psychology Centre Advisory Committee identified articles published in BPS journals that pathologised LGBTQ+ people and/or endorsed conversion therapy from the 1920s to the 1970s.

Is this saying that the articles were published between the 1920s and 1970s or that more recent articles have endorsed conversion therapy that was practiced between 1920 and 1970.

I think it's the former.

hmmmmmmmm ... must admit I thought it was the later. ie that they were still "stuck in the past".

They are apologising for exploring an issue? How can you know if an approach is right or wrong if you do not explore it?

They have that 'we apologises for the fact that people in the BPS's past breathed' syndrome. They should probably see a phycologist for that 😂

Now maybe they will wake up to the conversion therapy they are practicing today, transing away the gay.

Exactly. Although I suspect many of them dont recognise that that is what it is.

Most conversion therapy was performed on adults voluntarily seeking to change their sexual orientation with fully informed consent of what the therapy involved. The problems with the therapy was that it was largely ineffective, highly distressing and often left the recipient in worse mental health, not that it was somehow coercive. (Only in very rare instances was coercion involved.) The solution was to de-stigmatize homosexuality and encourage the subject to accept their sexual orientation.

Trans therapy too is performed on adult seeking to change something - their sex. And the problem with this type of conversion therapy is that it's 100% ineffective (you can't change sex), highly distressing and often leaves the recipient in worse mental health. 🤔