Hello dear Steemians and welcome to the second edition of the @PRP-LGBT Magazine!
Introducing PRP-LGBT the Curation & Magazine Account for LGBT+ Content
Table of Contents
- Healing homosexuality: today
- Healing homosexuality: Earlier
- "I Am Michael" (Movie)
- Extra Curation @doejane
- The PRP-LGBT Account
Healing homosexuality: today
The reporter asks an elderly lady why she does not consider homosexuality as natural. She simply replies:
No, that's not natural. This is a very small percentage of people who are new. There are also calves that are born with two heads or otherwise misshapen creatures and in my opinion that's one of them, I do not despise them - I'm sorry for them.
I think such statements and comparisons are just disgusting.
Well, at least it's about healing, which of course is supported by most of the opponents there, since they regard homosexuality as a disease. First and foremost it comes from churchgoers. Catholic doctors call homosexuality a mental disorder, which can be treated by praying to god.
A German psychiatrist explains the consequences of conversion therapy:
- Deep depression
- Anxiety disorders
- Panic attacks
- Loss of love and relationship ability
- Suicide
Due to this consequences these therapies have been banned in California since 2013 and in Malta since the end of 2016. Why? Because these practices are not based on any scientific or medical knowledge.
During a medical therapy one prays and one should "discard" his homosexuality. Cast out the devil, that's how a doctor describes it. Mostly religious rituals are performed, but they are nothing compared to what was practiced in the past. However, there are also variations in which unwanted behavior is punished with unpleasant stimuli such as electric shocks.
Today, there are still methods of healing offered at medical fairs. In addition, there are some smaller sects and groups that are specialized in this field. I find it simply frightening, especially that something like this still exists today.
Healing homosexuality: before
A known case is that about Alan Turing, which wasn't too long ago. He was charged because of his sexuality. He should decide - prisonment or therapy, he chose the therapy. He was then given estrogens in addition to psychiatric therapy, which visibly made him female. He got depressed and took his own life.
There is a general dispute whether more homosexuals than heterosexuals are commiting suicide, but I have not been able to find a proven study on the Internet. I personally think that more homosexuals are committing suicide than heterosexuals.
Another known and at the same time very inhuman case is the one of a concentration camp doctor named Carl Værnet. He conducted human trials on homosexual men during the Nazi era.
Believing homosexuality to be a treatable disease, Værnet implanted a metal sexual gland filled with a hormone cocktail artificially produced by biochemists into his involuntary patients.
He tried to legalize his "treatment" and offer these pharmaceutical companies, but this was rejected everywhere - fortunately. He was never convicted for it.
In general, homosexuals were usually captured, tortured or killed in the past. A common thought back at that time was: You have to cut off their testicles, then they are healed.
My personal conclusion
I find it frightening and sick to try to cure something like that. I became very sad during my research and the documentaries simply shocked me. I just don't understand how you want to change other people's lives - isn't everyone entitled to their own decisions? What's your opinion on that? What do you think why humanity has been trying to cure homosexuality for decades?
A post from the community is that of @doejane about her personal experiences with this topic, check it out! Stories out of the closet | Dear @doejane, because your post has no high payout and you wrote this article especially for the magazine, you will get 2SBD for free!
"I am Michael" - a drama movie
This movie really fits the topic perfectly. It is about 2 partners of which one "becomes heterosexual". IIt is based on a true story which makes it even sadder for me. The main character Michael founds the queer magazine "Young Gay America" and is also generally committed to homosexuals - he is a valued member of the LGBT+ community. Since his father seems to have an incurable heart condition and may have to die, Michael reconsiders his life. So he gets into a Mormon church, starts meditating, abandons his homosexuality to find God again, and finally gets to know the believing Rebekah at a Bible school...
I can highly recommend it, especially since there aren't many well-made films dealing with such topics.
Extra Curation: A post from the community
A question of honor. Staying underground vs. Coming out
In this post she writes about a bad experience and hiding in gay clubs in Russia.
While she was in the club tear gas bombs were thrown in by 10-15 men who ran away afterwards. Luckily no one was hurt worse. She writes about how many friends have left Russia because they can no longer live freely. There's more to this post, so make sure you check her out!
How you could get featured:
Posts under the tag #lgbt will be upvoted, provided that they have quality. Quotes should be indicitated as such and sources of literature and images should be named.
The PRP-LGBT Account
Next I would like to thank all followers! The account is growing and growing, I hope also the LGBT community on Steemit.
Last but not least I would like to thank @shaka and @jaki01. This is the last time I'll mention you two. I don't mention you to beg your upvotes but to thank you again for them. They totally pushed the first edition and thus also the account.
@prp-lgbt is primarily intended to curate and share contributions on all possible LGBT topics. At the moment there are not many LGBT related posts and I want to change that with this account. I want to reward people who deal with this topic and show others that you don't have to hide here on Steemit! Steemit is a wonderful platform and I want to spread even more love! If you want to be part of the team, feel free to write me a DM on Discord!
Sources:
https://www.vice.com/de/article/wdkgvw/reparativtherapie-fuer-homosexuelle-teil-1-281
https://www.dbna.de/leben/therapie-von-homosexualitaet-untersagt-14086
The picture is self-drawn, so it belongs to me. (@misomaniac) You are welcome to include it in your posts but you must give credit to this account!(@prp-lgbt) The Page Dividers are from @javehimself so if you want to use them it would be nice if you credit him as well.
I am very proud to support this magazine and curation effort. I think the efforts to "cure" homosexuality, often under the aegis of a church, are tremendously harmful. Families, churches and communities can bring a tremendous amount of pressure and guilt to bear on lgbtq+ individuals, and I think it is important that families, churches and communities are active opponents to such practices and allies/advocates for the lgbtq+ community. Particularly in the Christian faith in the US, I hope to see more church and community leaders taking an active stand in support of lgbtq+ members of the community. What would Jesus do? Well it is pretty clear. He would have loved his lgbtq+ neighbor just as much as he would have loved his cisgender heterosexual neighbors. Jesus preached a gospel of love and acceptance. It blows my mind how so many "Christian" communities throw the teachings of Christ out the window and turn toward the old testament to justify their behavior. Perhaps they should quit calling themselves "Christ"ian in that case.
Much love - Carl
Thank you for ... well for being rational.
I see it the same way as you do. Some statements of the Church (in the documentation) were also that we must accept those who are against LGBT persons. Why? Why should I accept people who spread hatred and destroy others' lives? I don't see it and I just find it very sad. Nevertheless, the world is changing in the right direction and it is slowly moving forward. I would like it if religion and LGBT are no longer opponents in many places, but instead love is spread as it should be.
Dear @carlgnash, you leave so much love and support here and I can't thank you enough.
You are really touching me. You're a great person! <3
Buddy! I'm glad I didn't miss this! You already know I love this and the concept and everything! ❤️
It's really sad, but this is our reality still today. Some conservative US politicians consider same-sex marriage a parody oif "real" marriage so... There are also some sort of reformation camps, I don't know exactly... to chase the gay away, I think. The movie "But I'm a Cheerleader" does a satirical take on the idea.
Thank you, and keep it up!
Hey! It's so nice to see you here again ❤️
Yes it is. I've seen a little movie about the reformation camps in the US, the article is in German but the little movie is in English. Click
Thank you so much for your comment!
Hmmm I'm not sure I quite understand what I just read. You're saying that the change from homosexuality to heterosexuality should not be forced, and that you prefer the unforced way too and agree to the change? Is that correct? Or that no one should try to change anyone's sexual preference except the person/people themselves?
Everyone has the right to self-determination. So yes my opinion is this:
Oh ok. Thanks for clarifying. 👍
Then I agree to that too. No one can change anyone else. Any kind of real change with any aspect of our lives begins within us and not because someone wants us to do what they want us to do. We can't change other people, we can only change ourselves. 😉
Thanks for your comment! :)
And yes, you are absolutely right! We can't change other people and we should not try to.