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The shock experienced by a family on realising that their child is homosexual can be best understood by some of the extreme measures they take to “rectify” the problem.
When the family of a DU student came to know about his sexual behaviour, he was taken to a psychologist who promised the young boy that he would become straight.
“I was taken to a leading psychiatrist against my wish and what unfolded was a nightmare for the next three months. The psychiatrist asked me to change my thinking. When I told him that I was not attracted to girls at all, he made me sit on a chair and attached electrodes to my finger tips. I was given mild electric shocks. After each shock, I was shown the picture of a nude male, to induce aversion. When it didn’t work, I was sedated and asked to lie down on a bed with electrodes attached to my skull. My hands and legs were tied and my mouth gagged to prevent me from biting my tongue during the shock treatment. The session lasted for 15 to 20 minutes with a cooling period of 30 seconds after each shock. I received 21 shock treatments in three months. It was terrible. I could not even talk properly. I was literally imprisoned in my house for three months. My study got disrupted and my degree got delayed by a year.
“Frankly speaking, all this treatment hasn't made any change in my sexual orientation. I am still gay and will always be the same. Though I am now ‘normal’ to my family,” he said.
A girl, who requested anonymity, revealed she was raped by one of her paternal cousins to ‘correct’ her sexual orientation.
“When my parents told me that I would be married to my paternal cousin, I refused and told them I am not interested in men. At that time, I was 19. I was tortured and abused for a long time. One day, I was raped by my cousin and would-be husband when I was sleeping to make me straight. Ironically, it was done with the consent of my parents. Unable to bear the everyday horror, I had to flee home,” she said.
So what do experts have to say about changing sexual orientation?
LGBTQ - Is There A Cure For Homosexuality
Experts stress that all homosexuals do not have natural inclination towards the same sex. Such people, as the doctors believe, suffer a sexual disorientation problem which can be cured through sexual reorientation therapy. This therapy includes medication, counselling and behaviour modification through Pavlovian Conditioning - a learning process in which an innate response to a potent stimulus comes to be elicited in response to a previously neutral stimulus; this is achieved by repeated pairings of the neutral stimulus with the potent stimulus.
“Turning homosexuals into heterosexuals depends on what kind of sexual orientation is there. Sometimes, people become homosexual because of some underlying mental disorder much like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. It can be treated through re-orientation therapy, which changes the sexual behaviour of the person,” Dr RN Sahu, secretary of the Madhya Pradesh Mental Health Authority, told Indiatimes.
He further said sometimes, homosexuals or bisexuals “suffer from deep distress because of their sexual behaviour”. “It is a disorder of sexual development and orientation and people suffering from it are called ego-dystonic. The World Health Organisation (WHO) diagnosis covers when gender identity or sexual orientation is clear, yet a patient has another behavioural or psychological disorder which makes that patient want to change it. Such people have to be treated,” he added.
But homosexuality, says Dr Sahu, primarily per se is “not a developmental aberration or a disease” and hence cannot be treated or cured”. “Homosexuality is a variation of human sexuality. It is not a neuropsychiatric disorder,” he says, adding that “the best way to counter such practices is to increase public awareness and acceptance of homosexuals. To say that those sexually abused as children will turn out to be homosexuals is a fable”.
The WHO also notes that any particular sexual orientation (heterosexuality, homosexuality, or bisexuality) is not a mental disorder by and of itself.
Dr Manish Jain, a well-known psychiatrist in Indore, says, “Not all but few homosexuals have deviated sexual behaviour, which is called Paraphilia - a psychiatric disorder. People suffering from this problem have inclination towards the same sex. They reject the opposite sex.
“It can be cured through reorientation therapy, which generally takes months,” he added. He claimed to have treated two persons with such sexual behaviour. “I recently treated two patients with such symptoms. One of them is now leading a normal life and is also expecting a baby from his wife in the near future,” said Dr Jain.
He believes that “all are not genetically homosexuals”. “A majority of population, which remains confined to themselves under societal pressure, does develop thoughts that they are inclined to same sex and start feeling uncomfortable with the opposite sex,” he concluded.
Is it just a power dynamic of society to control homosexuality?
Gender experts reject the theory that homosexuality is a disease or malfunctioning of human body or mind. “I don’t think being homosexual is a kind of disease or malfunctioning of human body or mind. It’s not psychological or physiological disorder of any form. One is born with one’s sexual orientation. All human beings born have both femininity and masculinity. Social surroundings and circumstances prevail one over the other. During puberty, gender stereotyping is thrust upon all. The whole social structure runs with gender power and politics,” said Dr Himadri Roy, associate professor, School of Gender and Development Studies, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).
Sharing the same sentiment, outspoken gender and sexuality rights activist, Gunjan Sharma, says you have to be ill to be cured of something. “Jab beemari hi nahin to ilaj kiska (When there is no disease, then what is this treatment)?” she asked.
“This is such a dull conversation now. We need to get over it. Issues of sexuality and identity have fast tracked into much more nuanced and complex issues and here we are still talking about can we cure homosexuality. Please call me when we begin talking about can we cure heterosexuality,” she added.
Asked whether she thought of homosexuality as a normal developmental aberration as some doctors suggest, Sharma sarcastically replied, “Ya sure...a departure from what is normal, usual, or expected, typically an unwelcome one."
“So what is normal,” she asked adding that “dull, painful and non-consensual sex packaged with guilt and violence, that's the offer? Be normal? Don’t be the ‘departure’, embrace the values of normal - shaadi karo; sirf raat ko hi sex karo (Get married; have sex only at night). However, boring and unpleasant it may be for your partner and how ever many times the ‘gentleman’ may want it – karo (Do it)!! Normal bano (Be normal)!! Bacche beshak 2 paida karo (Have only two children), lekin sex, baar baar karo (But have sex again and again) and that is ‘normal’ for the straight brigade”.
[h=3]“Let people be"[/h] Let them find their true potential as just regular people - brother, singer, gay, artist, sister, Dalit, Christian, footballer, dancer, lesbian, electrician, drag queen, dog lover, single, child bearing, child fearing, hijra (eunuch), priest, disabled, transgender, actor, father, Muslim.... Let people be,” she urged.
When the family of a DU student came to know about his sexual behaviour, he was taken to a psychologist who promised the young boy that he would become straight.
“I was taken to a leading psychiatrist against my wish and what unfolded was a nightmare for the next three months. The psychiatrist asked me to change my thinking. When I told him that I was not attracted to girls at all, he made me sit on a chair and attached electrodes to my finger tips. I was given mild electric shocks. After each shock, I was shown the picture of a nude male, to induce aversion. When it didn’t work, I was sedated and asked to lie down on a bed with electrodes attached to my skull. My hands and legs were tied and my mouth gagged to prevent me from biting my tongue during the shock treatment. The session lasted for 15 to 20 minutes with a cooling period of 30 seconds after each shock. I received 21 shock treatments in three months. It was terrible. I could not even talk properly. I was literally imprisoned in my house for three months. My study got disrupted and my degree got delayed by a year.
“Frankly speaking, all this treatment hasn't made any change in my sexual orientation. I am still gay and will always be the same. Though I am now ‘normal’ to my family,” he said.
A girl, who requested anonymity, revealed she was raped by one of her paternal cousins to ‘correct’ her sexual orientation.
“When my parents told me that I would be married to my paternal cousin, I refused and told them I am not interested in men. At that time, I was 19. I was tortured and abused for a long time. One day, I was raped by my cousin and would-be husband when I was sleeping to make me straight. Ironically, it was done with the consent of my parents. Unable to bear the everyday horror, I had to flee home,” she said.
So what do experts have to say about changing sexual orientation?
LGBTQ - Is There A Cure For Homosexuality
Experts stress that all homosexuals do not have natural inclination towards the same sex. Such people, as the doctors believe, suffer a sexual disorientation problem which can be cured through sexual reorientation therapy. This therapy includes medication, counselling and behaviour modification through Pavlovian Conditioning - a learning process in which an innate response to a potent stimulus comes to be elicited in response to a previously neutral stimulus; this is achieved by repeated pairings of the neutral stimulus with the potent stimulus.
“Turning homosexuals into heterosexuals depends on what kind of sexual orientation is there. Sometimes, people become homosexual because of some underlying mental disorder much like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. It can be treated through re-orientation therapy, which changes the sexual behaviour of the person,” Dr RN Sahu, secretary of the Madhya Pradesh Mental Health Authority, told Indiatimes.
He further said sometimes, homosexuals or bisexuals “suffer from deep distress because of their sexual behaviour”. “It is a disorder of sexual development and orientation and people suffering from it are called ego-dystonic. The World Health Organisation (WHO) diagnosis covers when gender identity or sexual orientation is clear, yet a patient has another behavioural or psychological disorder which makes that patient want to change it. Such people have to be treated,” he added.
But homosexuality, says Dr Sahu, primarily per se is “not a developmental aberration or a disease” and hence cannot be treated or cured”. “Homosexuality is a variation of human sexuality. It is not a neuropsychiatric disorder,” he says, adding that “the best way to counter such practices is to increase public awareness and acceptance of homosexuals. To say that those sexually abused as children will turn out to be homosexuals is a fable”.
The WHO also notes that any particular sexual orientation (heterosexuality, homosexuality, or bisexuality) is not a mental disorder by and of itself.
Dr Manish Jain, a well-known psychiatrist in Indore, says, “Not all but few homosexuals have deviated sexual behaviour, which is called Paraphilia - a psychiatric disorder. People suffering from this problem have inclination towards the same sex. They reject the opposite sex.
“It can be cured through reorientation therapy, which generally takes months,” he added. He claimed to have treated two persons with such sexual behaviour. “I recently treated two patients with such symptoms. One of them is now leading a normal life and is also expecting a baby from his wife in the near future,” said Dr Jain.
He believes that “all are not genetically homosexuals”. “A majority of population, which remains confined to themselves under societal pressure, does develop thoughts that they are inclined to same sex and start feeling uncomfortable with the opposite sex,” he concluded.
Is it just a power dynamic of society to control homosexuality?
Gender experts reject the theory that homosexuality is a disease or malfunctioning of human body or mind. “I don’t think being homosexual is a kind of disease or malfunctioning of human body or mind. It’s not psychological or physiological disorder of any form. One is born with one’s sexual orientation. All human beings born have both femininity and masculinity. Social surroundings and circumstances prevail one over the other. During puberty, gender stereotyping is thrust upon all. The whole social structure runs with gender power and politics,” said Dr Himadri Roy, associate professor, School of Gender and Development Studies, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU).
Sharing the same sentiment, outspoken gender and sexuality rights activist, Gunjan Sharma, says you have to be ill to be cured of something. “Jab beemari hi nahin to ilaj kiska (When there is no disease, then what is this treatment)?” she asked.
“This is such a dull conversation now. We need to get over it. Issues of sexuality and identity have fast tracked into much more nuanced and complex issues and here we are still talking about can we cure homosexuality. Please call me when we begin talking about can we cure heterosexuality,” she added.
Asked whether she thought of homosexuality as a normal developmental aberration as some doctors suggest, Sharma sarcastically replied, “Ya sure...a departure from what is normal, usual, or expected, typically an unwelcome one."
“So what is normal,” she asked adding that “dull, painful and non-consensual sex packaged with guilt and violence, that's the offer? Be normal? Don’t be the ‘departure’, embrace the values of normal - shaadi karo; sirf raat ko hi sex karo (Get married; have sex only at night). However, boring and unpleasant it may be for your partner and how ever many times the ‘gentleman’ may want it – karo (Do it)!! Normal bano (Be normal)!! Bacche beshak 2 paida karo (Have only two children), lekin sex, baar baar karo (But have sex again and again) and that is ‘normal’ for the straight brigade”.
[h=3]“Let people be"[/h] Let them find their true potential as just regular people - brother, singer, gay, artist, sister, Dalit, Christian, footballer, dancer, lesbian, electrician, drag queen, dog lover, single, child bearing, child fearing, hijra (eunuch), priest, disabled, transgender, actor, father, Muslim.... Let people be,” she urged.
