ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the major assertions behind anti- Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual (LGB) public policy that can be traced to the basic, but false, presumption of mental illness. It finds out how the Christian right portrays homosexuality as a mental illness. The chapter evaluates claims about whether sexual orientation can be changed. There are many ways in which anti-LGB proponents attempt to portray homosexuality as a mental illness. Resolution on Sexual Orientation and Mental Health, passed by the Governing Council of the American Counseling Association, March 27, 1998. LGB rights activists know full well that some mental health practitioners cling to the belief that homosexuality is evidence of psychological disorder. Historically, there have been a number of psychotherapeutic approaches that purported to change a person's sexual orientation from lesbian or gay to heterosexual. Their practices are referred to with a variety of interchangeable labels including conversion therapy, reparative therapy, and reorientation therapy.
