Back when my grandparents were school kids in the 1920s, children were not allowed to be left-handed. You can’t ‘unlearn’
to be homosexualHomosexuals aren't looking for a cure
from science—or Cal ThomasI know this because both of my grandparents are lefties. If Gramps wrote with his left hand when he was a boy, the nun would yank away the pen, whack his left hand and place the pen in his right hand. Grams tells similar stories about her school days.
They learned to hold a pen in their right hands. But they are still lefties.
I'm not a lefty, and I can't imagine someone training me to write with my left hand. I've tried it, and I can barely hold the pen.
Scientists have been studying left-handedness for some time. I've read a bunch of articles about it, but I really don't understand why some people are lefties. From what I've read, neither do the scientists.
Scientists also have studied homosexuality, mostly involving men, for some time. I've read a bunch of books and articles about homosexuality, and I've been a lesbian my entire adult life. I really don't understand why some people are gay. From what I've read, neither do the scientists.
Lucky for us, Cal Thomas understands homosexuality.
Thomas is a columnist whose work appears regularly in the Star-Bulletin. On Monday, his piece, "Therapy to change homosexual behavior," provided answers to questions that some people spend their whole lives asking.
Thomas contends that gay men and lesbians can change their behavior through "reparative therapy." He says "the facts (as opposed to the politics) are that people who want to change can change, because it is behavior at issue -- not race, gender or physical abilities."
Because behavior can be changed, he says, gay people can't argue for "special protection under civil rights laws designed for people whose status has nothing to do with behavior."
He does not specify what kind of "special protection" I should have as a woman that I should not have as a gay woman. There's no question that gay men and lesbians face discrimination. Why shouldn't we be protected under civil rights laws? I suppose that if scientists proved I was born this way, I would be entitled to civil rights protection in the eyes of Thomas. But why should my civil rights be linked to scientific theories? Religious minorities have civil rights protections, and people can clearly change their religious beliefs.
A couple of years ago, researchers said they found a "gay gene," possible evidence that homosexuality is caused by biological factors. Not all scientists agree with the "gay gene" theory.
Thomas addressed the study in a 1995 column, in which he noted that one of the researchers once "told the press that homosexuality is like being left-handed," and the press "dutifully reported the analogy."
Thomas has criticized scientists, and the press, for not being more skeptical about the gay gene findings.
In his Monday column, Thomas quotes the 1980 book "Overcoming Homosexuality," in which clinical psychologist Robert Kronemeyer wrote, "Buried under the 'gay' exterior of the homosexual is the hurt and rage that crippled his or her capacity for true maturation, for healthy growth and love. After a quarter-century of clinical experience, I firmly believe that homosexuality is a learned response to early painful experiences and that it can be unlearned."
Seventy years ago, the nuns believed left-handedness could be unlearned.
Rather than being skeptical of this 17-year-old book, or presenting more recent research to make his point, Thomas calls Kronemeyer's statements "clinical, observable facts."
Thomas also cites statistics from the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality. This group claims to be able to turn gay people into straight people. They don't say whether they can also turn straight people into gay people.
NARTH, as the group calls itself, has a direct interest in supporting the theory that people can change their sexual orientation. While their viewpoint is supported by Thomas, it is not universally accepted by the scientific community. Of course, neither is the gay gene theory.
I don't know why I'm a lesbian, and I don't think the scientific reason is important. Genetic, psychological, whatever. I don't need to know the cause, because I'm not looking for a cure. I don't want Cal Thomas or his fans to whack my brain with a ruler. No "reparative therapy" for me.
Maybe some gay men and lesbians can learn to act straight. If they are happy doing that, no problem. But for most of us, gay or straight, changing our sexual orientation would be just about as productive as being forced to write with our opposite hand.
Dana Williams is assistant city editor
of the Star-Bulletin. My Turn is a periodic column
written by Star-Bulletin staff members.