Just because it was classified as a mental illness prior to 1970, does not mean that classification is correct. In addition, a statement that "in the past it was such" is not a proof of a fact. In the past the world was flat, does that mean that scientists that come up with new theories or proof are activists?
I'm not debating whether homosexuality is "wrong". It seems you're trying to make it a "wrong" thing by anecdotal evidence. Using the mental health profession as an example does not bolster your argument
You can make an argument that homosexuality defies the laws of nature and I would agree with you (as sexual function for procreation) However, that doesn't explain homosexuality with other mammals in nature.
The Bottom Line: We agree on the premise of the original argument...I don't want the "gay lifestyle" taught to my child any more than you do. We just disagree on the reasoning.
Up until about 1970, homosexuality was classified as a mental illness. The activists got it changed. Which was a mistake. This is not normal behavior and the people who suffer from this illness have high rates of suicide, depression and substance abuse.
Just because it was classified as a mental illness prior to 1970, does not mean that classification is correct. In addition, a statement that "in the past it was such" is not a proof of a fact. In the past the world was flat, does that mean that scientists that come up with new theories or proof are activists?
The infiltration of the APA by homosexual activists was part of a well planned campaign to force the acceptance of homosexuality as "normal." The removal of homosexuality from the DSM was the equivalent of dropping a Hiroshima-sized bomb on our culture. The damage has been extensive - in the Church, in the public schools, and now with the institution of marriage.
Consider the following documentation:
An excerpt from "Psychology's sexual dis-orientation" by MIT Psychologist, Gerald E. Zuriff, Ph.D:
"Although the gay liberation movement's arguments were based mostly on the social implications of the diagnosis, the board tried to limit its consideration to scientific and medical arguments. The "scientific" considerations were based on two kinds of evidence. One was a body of research strongly pointing to a major biological basis for homosexuality. This included ethological studies finding homosexuality throughout the animal kingdom, cross-cultural investigations indicating homosexuality is a human universal (and in some cultures, socially accepted), and neuroendocrinological studies showing the effects of hormones on brain development. The implication was that homosexuality is not simply the result of childhood trauma. It is neither freely chosen nor "unnatural."
The more important evidence came from psychological studies of gay men and lesbians in the general population. A major criticism of pathological theories of homosexuality was that they were derived from observations of homosexual patients who were seeking professional help. Not surprisingly, they found that homosexuality was closely associated with a variety of psychopathologies. However, when nonpatient homosexual populations were studied, it was found that many homosexual adults were leading well-adjusted, fulfilling lives. In general, homosexuality was not associated with any increased incidence of psychopathology.
Neither of these bodies of evidence is decisive. To be sure, findings supporting a biological contribution to homosexuality undermine the early psychoanalytic explanations. But the evidence is not all in, and even today it is too early to prejudge the issue. More important, even if homosexuality is shown to be genetically based, biological determination does not preclude a condition from being a disorder or from being treated. Some forms of depression and anxiety are known to have biological causes but are nevertheless considered psychiatric disorders and are often effectively treated, both biologically and psychologically.
The second argument, that homosexuality is not associated with other conditions recognized as psychopathologies, also falls short. It begs the question as to whether homosexuality in and of itself is a psychopathology. From the fact that a person can be perfectly healthy except for a broken bone, we would not argue that fractures are not medical problems. One could just as well argue that because many people with phobic anxieties manage to cope well, live full lives, and show no symptoms other than their narrowly focused anxiety, phobias are not psychopathologies. Furthermore, several of the disorders retained in DSMII also do not necessarily involve subjective distress (e.g., fetishism).
The Politically Correct American Psychological Association
Thought Reform and The Psychology of Homosexual Advocacy
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2001;58:85-91
Background It has been suggested that homosexuality is associated with psychiatric morbidity...
Results Psychiatric disorders were more prevalent among homosexually active people compared with heterosexually active people.
Conclusion The findings support the assumption that people with same-sex sexual behavior are at greater risk for psychiatric disorders.