BMJ  2004;328:955-956 (17 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7445.955-c

Letter

Treating homosexuality as a sickness

Step in the right direction has been taken

EDITOR—Smith et al bring a new voice to a practice that had been hidden in the closet of medical history,¹ and Lovitt is right to say that this openness may start a path to reconcile the psychiatric and gay populations (first letter). Some schools of psychotherapy, however, still view homosexuality as an aberration capable of cure, and several targeted religious programmes of intervention exist that are a hair's breadth away from aversion therapy.

Rape, bestiality, and paedophilia are all crimes because they involve the abuse of victims unable or unwilling to give consent. Homosexuality relates to sexual orientation and, like heterosexuality, in terms of sexual acts relates to consensual intercourse between consenting adults.

Moves at the United Nations to integrate sexual orientation into the antidiscrimination sections of the Human Rights Act are being championed by Brazil and blocked by the Vatican. Liberalisation of civil partnerships in the United Kingdom and United States has been met by legal challenges from the fundamental extremists, and the Gender Recognition Bill, which aims to give more rights to postoperative transgender people, bounces between the two Houses of Parliament in Great Britain.

Medicine is perhaps among the slowest of professions to move to meet the demands of the new millennium's population mix. Removal from medical coding is a step in the right direction, but the real challenge lies in facing up to the responsibilities of being doctors and healthcare professionals and delivering a standard of care that is accessible and appropriate to all.

For mental health professionals, accepting that homosexuality is no longer a disease but is part of an individual that has credence and validity is one step. Delivering care in a way that recognises the rights of same sex partners and the cultural needs of lesbians and gay men outlined over six years ago in diagnosis homophobic (www.pacehealth.org.uk/homophobic.html) reflect the moves which are still waiting to be made.

Greenwich Primary Care Trust, London SE10 6QQ Justin.varney{at}greenwichpct.nhs.uk

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Competing interests: None declared.

References

1. Smith G, Bartlett A, King M. Treatments of homosexuality in Britain since the 1950s—an oral history: the experience of patients. BMJ 2004;328: 427-0. (21 February.)[Abstract/Free Full Text]

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Relevant Article

Treatments of homosexuality in Britain since the 1950s—an oral history: the experience of patients

Glenn Smith, Annie Bartlett, and Michael King
BMJ 2004 328: 427. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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