Authors : David Scasta, M.D., and Philip Bialer, M.D.
Approved by the Board of Trustees, December 2013
Approved by the Assembly, November 2013
American Psychiatric Association
While recognizing that the scientific understanding is incomplete and often distorted because of societal stigma,
the American Psychiatric Association holds the following
positions regarding same-sex attraction and associated
issues. It is the American Psychiatric Association’s position
that same-sex attraction, whether expressed in action,
fantasy, or identity, implies no impairment per se in judgment, stability, reliability, or general social or vocational
capabilities. The American Psychiatric Association believes
that the causes of sexual orientation (whether homosexual
or heterosexual) are not known at this time and likely are
multifactorial including biological and behavioral roots
which may vary between different individuals and may
even vary over time.
The American Psychiatric Association
does not believe that same-sex orientation should or needs
to be changed, and efforts to do so represent a significant
risk of harm by subjecting individuals to forms of treatment which have not been scientifically validated and by
undermining self-esteem when sexual orientation fails to
change. No credible evidence exists that any mental health
intervention can reliably and safely change sexual orientation; nor, from a mental health perspective does sexual
orientation need to be changed.
The American Psychiatric Association opposes discrimination against individuals with same-sex attraction
whether it be in education, employment, military service,
immigration and naturalization status, housing, income,
government services, retirement benefits, ability to inherit
property, rights of survivorship, spousal rights, family
status, and access to health services. The American
Psychiatric Association recognizes that such discriminations, as well as societal, religious, and family stigma,
may adversely affect the mental health of individuals with
same-sex attraction necessitating intervention by mental
health professionals, for which, the American Psychiatric
Association supports the provision of adequate mental
health resources to provide that intervention.
The
American Psychiatric Association supports same-sex
marriage as being advantageous to the mental health of
same-sex couples and supports legal recognition of the
right for same-sex couples to marry, adopt and co-parent.
