Today in Labor History December 15, 1973: The American Psychiatric Association voted to remove homosexuality from its official list of psychiatric disorders, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. In the 1950s and 1960s, some therapists used aversion therapy to "cure" male homosexuality. Like in Anthony Burgess’s, “A Clockwork Orange,” they would show patients pictures of naked men while giving them electric shocks or drugs to make them puke. In the 1973 vote, 5,854 members voted to remove homosexuality from the DSM, while 3,810 voted to retain it. In a compromise, they agreed to remove homosexuality from the DSM, but replaced it with "sexual orientation disturbance" for people "in conflict with" their sexual orientation. They did not completely remove homosexuality from the DSM until 1987.
@MikeDunnAuthor@bookstadon
What an insane world that 5,000 PhDs got to 'debate' and determine what's 'curable' and what's not; but I guess letting a bunch of elected Libertarian wallies make regressive choices is just as nuts
In the Aotearoa New Zealand the people who voted for 'parental choice' and against removing conversion therapy as a 'treatment' are part of NZ's Coalition of Chaos #nzpol#conversiontherapy#mentalhealth
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