Andre Engels wrote:
On Tue, 14 Sep 2004 20:22:29 +0100 Timwi timwi@gmx.net wrote:
The reason homosexuality was considered an "illness" is because psychologists believed they could cure it.
Today there is conclusive evidence to show that it is not something you can "cure". You can only force these people to fit into society by denying their own identity.
I disagree. None of the proposed "cures" for homosexuality seems to have been very effective, but that does not mean that there might not be other means that do work. Not to mention that there are some researchers who claimed at least some success. Also, very similar "illnesses" such as sado-masochism and pedophilia are still considered so by the psychiatric community, even though there's just as little proof that they can be "cured".
Rather than whether we can cure it, I think the main question is: If we _could_ cure it, would we _want_ to do so. 30 years ago the answer was yes, now it is no. That's what has differed.
There's always the historical perspective. Considering homosexuality an illness was a step forward from considering it a criminal act.
Ec