Same-sex attractions in youth

Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 12:18 AM By Dan
The ferocity with which the homosexual lifestyle is defended leaves no room for opposing points of view. The folks at NARTH render society in general, and confused young people in particular, a most valuable service for which they are predictably castigated by the ideologues.

Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 12:29 AM By charlio
Our youth today are subject to systematic, traumatic early sexualization by the media. In past eras, it was normal for middle adolescents to form same-sex emotional attachments – they were called “crushes”. These were part of the normal process of developing mature, normal adult sexual identity. It was only when children’s innocent latency was violated that aberrant behavior occurred. Even in today’s sex-saturated culture, most middle adolescent youth with SSA will spontaneously grow up to normal adult sexuality – if only they can be left alone by “anti-bullying” recruiters for the homosexual lifestyle.

Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 3:23 AM By Thomas Edward Miles
The far right and the far left; please, just the facts, avoid confusion in the minds of these young people!!

Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 6:07 AM By MIKE
All PARENTS need to know this. They need to know what happens in schools that influence the conscience and behavior of their Children.

Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 6:34 AM By peter
“Youth have the right to be provided with the accurate medical and psychological knowledge about homosexuality by pediatricians, mental health professionals, school counselors, educators and parents. ” And that’s exactly what happened. What’s the issue?

Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 6:42 AM By Jo Ann
When homosexuals failed at the ballot box, they said “We will go after your children”. I am paraphrasing but I know some schools have blocked PFOX ( Parents and friends of ex-gays) from even entering the building to give their program! Young children know next to nothing about human sexuality and should be informed of the STD’s, alcoholism, depression, and suicide that can accompany this disorder. And It is a Disorder! Their goal has been, and remains, seeking total approval. It would be better if a millstone was hung around their neck than to lead little children astray!

Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 7:07 AM By Peter
Peter: They are not. To accept “gayness” as normal would mean to accept that God created men who could do nothing else but commit mortal sin – sins for which He destroyed entire cities at the hands of angels. That is absurd; therefore the sins must be avoidable; therefore the homosexual condition cannot be normal. Youth must here that – as they do in my religion classes.

Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 7:42 AM By JLS
peter, your deceptive mentality is the result of your homosexual tweequing of nature.

Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 7:45 AM By JLS
charlio, a “crush” is not a gay attraction, but a heterosexual attraction.

Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 7:53 AM By Dan 
“The far right and the far left; please, just the facts, avoid confusion in the minds of these young people!! ” Thomas, it seems to me you didn’t read the article. What is at issue are the “facts,” and access to them. Same comment to Peter.

Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 8:39 AM By keithp
This is the harsh reality of life today. Parent have to be aware of what is being taught in their schools, stand against it, withdraw their children from assignements or classes if they don’t meet Catholic teaching. Communicate your concerns and requirements to the school authorities. Parents should study Human Vitae and use it to help educate their children. Don’t rely on the State to educate your children. This is a BIG deal.

Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 9:21 AM By Sandra
Peter 6:34AM — the problem is how this information is presented. How is it slanted? Does it teach God’s truth–that same sex attraction is disordered? Or is it just more propaganda from the homosexual lobby? Those are the issues.

Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 9:39 AM By MD
Peter-The fact that this issue has yet to be determined medically is good reason not to try to indoctrinate young people. The funny part about your posts is that you back away when challenged in a succinct and logical manner. You are trying to sell a lie, a lie you believe and you have no desire to seek the truth although it is written on your flesh and the flesh of all men and woman. I pity you and pray for you. God Love You.

Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 9:46 AM By Don Guillermo
“Let truth and error be made the same” seems to be the gay mantra. Now medical science is chanting it, too.

Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 11:51 AM By k
peter, did you read the whole article? There are some obvious problems, such as correlation is not causality (lots of heterosexual people have the same problems with self esteem and loneliness), but it has some very important things to say. If you read the whole article, please post back. There is a lot in it that can be discussed.

Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 12:55 PM By JFK
If you are over weight you are told what your health risks are, if you smoke you are banned from public buildings and told what your health risks are, if you are not wearing your seatbelt you are fined and told what your health risks are. All of these things condemed by society but are not sinful. Homosexual behavior is not only harmful to your physical and mental health and a drain on the healthcare system, but it is also mortaly sinful! Hear in Canada we have horrible pictures of cancer on the cigarette packages but you can’t make them tell kids of the health risks of homosexual behavior? Sickening!

Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 2:55 PM By Maryanne Leonard
Excellent points, JFK. Ads on TV featuring older homosexual men who have suffered psychologically, socially, spiritually and physically could give our young people some “straight” facts about choosing to act on homosexual impulses they may feel as hormones start raging through their systems and they find themselves overwhelmed and confused, as well as pushed by society into reframing these impulses as normal. It becomes a confusing, downward spiral when other kids bully those confused youth who try to send signals through mannerisms, dress, style of speech and behavior that they are open to being involved with other members of their own gender. Self-hatred spirals out of control and spills over to snarky behavior toward many others and extreme attention to questions of style, homosexually “with it” choices, and before you know it, they have lost their religion. Next step: go after the Catholic Church and its sacred symbols and after specific Catholics. Become a Catholic-hating, Catholic-baiting troll on websites like this one intended for Catholics and turn it into a cesspool of snarky rage, causing high-minded Catholics to turn away, and ultimately destroying the website that was intended to be a safe place on the internet for seriously faithful Catholics. This is clearly the work of the devil, and it should be avoided before our minds are so polluted from the cesspools that we no longer think of Jesus, Mary, and the saints, as our minds become clogged with the filth and the desire to cleanse ourselves of it. Editors, is it asking too much to raise the standards here? Must we be subjected to this sort of filth . . . on a Catholic website? Do we have no refuge for serious discussion on CCD without being exposed to this slime?

Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 5:18 PM By JonJ
THIS is where the focus of anti-gay efforts should be, not so much on “social” battles. Basically, if you want to defeat the “gay” agenda, figure out why homosexuality occurs and HOW TO FIX IT with high reliabilty. And, when I say “FIX IT” I mean the capability to have healthy and normal sexual relationships–not considering living a lifetime in chastity supressing homosexual desires a “success”. That’s failure! In the long-term, you then will win. The reason why is sociobiological forces will push parents toward wanting heterosexual kids, and if you can reliably fix the problem then parents will seek this treatment once they believe that it truly works. The problems is people right now do not believe, and the evidence does not support, high success rates. Instead, most “reparative” therapy consists of cramming prayer down LBGT throats and usually ignoring the therapudic causes. And, they’ll report “success” as refraining from gay activity, rather than achieving healthy hetero relationships. For all the “shooting” going on in this area, there’s really very little reliable research. The spitzer 2003 study heavily cited in this article has been renounced by spitzer, who regrets ever publishing it. Part of it has been the homosexual backlash, part of it is some of the questionable methods of the study that included “reparative” therapy that consisted mostly of prayer and bible study without therapy, and inadequate follow up of study participants. Right now, some psychiatric groups want to ban any attempt at reparative therapy in their member bylaws. To me THAT’S a critical battle to fight. B/c if the church is right about homosexuality being treatable, you’ll never fix it if you can’t even study it. And, I truly doubt people become homosexuals due to a failure to say enough “Hail Mary’s”, instead it probably is rooted in psychiatric trauma that occurs around the time adolescents sexually mature, and subsequent trauma due to social stigma.

Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 6:00 PM By Kenneth M. Fisher
Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health was appointed by the Obamanation. What else could one expect from one THE ONES appointments. God bless, yours in Their Hearts, Kenneth M. Fisher

Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 6:05 PM By Kenneth M. Fisher
WILL THE TWO OBVIOUSLY DIFFERENT PETERS CLEARLY IDENTIFY WHICH ONE THEY ARE, PRO-SSA OR PRO-CATHOLIC TEACHING! God have mercy on those who think they can fool Him! God bless, yours in Their Hearts, Kenneth M. Fisher

Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 7:50 PM By Steven P
From this article (full): Dr Spitzer’s study of 200 men and women, who had sought professional help to deal with SSA ,and who were out of the lifestyle for five years, found that 64 percent of the men, and 43 percent of the women, subsequently identified themselves as being heterosexual. 31 Contrary to the claims made by the opponents of therapy, they did not experience an increase in psychological conflicts as a result of therapy……Dr. Spitzer in April 2012: Dr. Robert Spitzer repudiated his much-criticized 2001 study that claimed some “highly motivated” homosexuals could go from gay to straight. His retraction occurred in an American Prospect magazine article. Spitzer’s rejection of his own research, which was originally published in the prestigious Archives of Sexual Behavior, is a devastating blow to “ex-gay” organizations because it decisively eliminates their most potent claim that homosexuality can be reversed through therapy and prayer. He also appoligised to the homosexual community and any harm that he caused.

Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 8:24 PM By Steven P
Then there is the sly and crafty political angle to all of this. If a homosexual person can be reversed or repaired to a heterosexual then they have no rights to marry. Dr. Spitzer’s confession last April changes all of that. Once again, NYU constitutional professor Kenji Yoshino explained the significance: First of all, the reason immutability is important is because under the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment, there’s a standard called heightened scrutiny. And there are certain classifications like race, national origin, sex, nonmarital parentage, lineage that get that scrutiny. The question of this case is whether or not sexual orientation is going to be added to that list. And one of the criteria that`s been looked at to determine whether or not a group gets heightened scrutiny is immutability. the fact that Spitzer retracting this and the fact that the testimony in the Prop 8 trial was overwhelming for the fact that sexual orientation is very hard to change could figure into that analysis. Yoshino also suggested that Spitzer’s apology could impact Defense of Marriage (DOMA) litigation, which relies on a similar gays-can-change claim.

Posted Thursday, May 24, 2012 9:20 PM By JonJ
Btw, that Dr. Fitzgibbon cited a disavowed study in this paper is no stain upon his scholarship, bc looking on the net shows that Spitzer did not issue his retraction until a month after this paper was presented. Further research does show that Spitzer’s study has some legitmate design flaws, such as a biased sample (he obtained participant lists from Narth and Exodus, which gives rise to the problems of a cherry-picked sample), and some of the participants were employees of Narth and Exodus so had a conflict of interest and Spitzer only conducted his interviews over the phone and relied of self-reporting. Of course, if the science is sound these aren’t really problems; you just have to repeat the study with a truly randomized sample among participants without a bias. And, do much more rigorous follow-up.

Posted Friday, May 25, 2012 1:53 AM By Steven P
Dr. Spitzer’s apology to the victims of “pray away the gay” therapy and the greater LGBT community marks a watershed moment in the fight against the “ex-gay” myth. We commend him for it, because not only will it solidify his legacy as a respected doctor and significant historical figure, but it will help to greatly hasten the day when the scourge that is reparative therapy is eradicated forever and LGBT people can live openly, honestly, and true to themselves.

Posted Friday, May 25, 2012 2:04 AM By Steven P
NSH UK, Transgender activists have successfully lobbied the UK government to fund chemical castration studies on twelve year old lesbian and gay children. In a stunning success for transgender lobbyists the NHS this week approved medical experiments which will chemically castrate gay children in attempt to correct gender-nonconformity. The children have all been referred for psychiatric treatment due to non-compliance with sex-based gender stereotypes. The large majority of these “feminine male” and “masculine female” children are not transgender, but homosexual. The experiment is designed to test the effects of powerful sterilization drugs on gay children, preventing natural puberty from occurring. Trans activists say this is important because it will increase the attractiveness and gender-conformity of a tiny minority of these children who may be transgender, by preventing natural puberty from ever occurring. They claim that the long term physiological and psychological effects on the predominately gay and lesbian kids are acceptable casualties for such an outcome. From the Mirror: “The controversial treatment halts puberty, stunting sex organs and preventing the growth of facial hair and sperm in boys, and breasts in girls. The injections, previously available only to over-15s with gender identity disorder, are being made available to younger people under an NHS study after pressure from families and doctors. Doctors admit most children with the problem do not go on to have a sex change, often turning out to be gay.” Is this the next workshop for the Bishops?

Posted Friday, May 25, 2012 4:14 PM By Mark from PA
Steven P, you offer us a lot of food for thought. In regard to chemical castration, those drugs are toxic and it is abusive to experiment on young people with such drugs. They need to be kind and accepting to these kids and let them mature without drugs as the drugs could really mess with their bodies and their heads.

Posted Friday, May 25, 2012 5:28 PM By Kenneth M. Fisher
The bottom line for those who call themselves Catholic is that, even though they may get the illegal legal right to such, it won’t mean a hill of beans before THE THROWN OF GOD WHERE IT COUNTS FOR ALL ETERNITY! God bless, yours in Their Hearts, Kenneth M. Fisher

Posted Friday, May 25, 2012 7:42 PM By JLS
JonJ, once again I can bust your bubble on statistics and science: If one gay converts, then the statistics have no value.

Posted Saturday, May 26, 2012 3:51 AM By Steven P
Doctors Urge Puberty Blockers for Children Considering Sex Change by LifeSiteNews. Mon Jan 05, 2009 – By Kathleen Gilbert CHEVY CHASE, Maryland, January 5, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – An international medical organization has recommended that children as young as 12 who question their sexual identity should be given drugs to block the physical changes of puberty. The New Scientist reports that the injunction comes as part of a set of guidelines, the first of its kind, published last month by the Endocrine Society. The “Guidelines For Health Organisations Commissioning Treatment Services For Trans People” call for healthcare administrators around the globe to provide full coverage for hormonal and cosmetic procedures sought by individuals identified as “transsexual.” New Scientist quoted the guidelines as saying. The document also noted that children under 16, who would normally need parental consent, ought to be allowed “treatment” against their parents’ wishes, if they have been deemed “Gillick” competent by a clinician – referring to the 1985 court case Gillick v West Norfolk and Wisbeach which found that if a child is found to have adequate understanding the requirement of parental consent may be overcome. The recommendations rest upon the results of trials at a Netherlands clinic where puberty blockers have been administered to more than 70 children under sixteen, with one patient as young as 11. Currently Canada, Australia, Germany, and some clinics in the U.S. permit the puberty-blocking drugs. The effects of the drug are designed to wear off should the patient discontinue use, but the long-term effects of chemically delaying puberty are virtually unknown.

Posted Saturday, May 26, 2012 5:48 AM By Steven P
The real question is: if you intervene early in a young person who would otherwise change their mind, do you reinforce their gender identity disorder? Do you remove the chance for change?” asked Viner. Bioethicist Wesley Smith told LifeSiteNews that encouraging the use of untested chemicals that interfere with normal biological development treads a dangerous line. “Do we know what the impact of such heavy hormonal interference will be on the health of these young people?” he asked. “If not, doesn’t this border on unethical human experimentation?”

Posted Saturday, May 26, 2012 11:03 AM By MAC
Rather than turning to Satan or chemicals, children should be taught to turn to God. Until and unless they are taught that all sex outside of marriage between one man and one woman is sinful and has the potential to send them to Hell forever (if there is no repentance), – sinful lifestyles will continue. A world without God is a mess.

Posted Saturday, May 26, 2012 1:27 PM By JLS
Different aspects of a child’s physical, emotional, mental and spiritual development take place at different rates, different proportions, different times, and all this is different from one individual to another. All this research is a total waste of time, money and social focus. What I’ve described is obvious. The people who study it are those who either find a way to gain grant money or are dull witted due to their own moral derangement.

Posted Saturday, May 26, 2012 3:18 PM By Mark from PA
Steven P, I think it is unethical human experimentation.

Posted Saturday, May 26, 2012 8:44 PM By JonJ
JLS, put it this way, the methodology of Spitzer’s study was so defective, it cast doubt on whether any of the reported conversions are, in fact, real.

Posted Saturday, May 26, 2012 11:04 PM By Kenneth M. Fisher
By the Way, the infamous Mengelee (I hope I spelled it correctly) was also a Medical Doctor as were many other so called scientist. Food for thought. Place your trust in God, not medical Quacks. God bless, yours in Their Hearts, Kenneth M. Fisher

Posted Sunday, May 27, 2012 3:46 AM By Steven P
Mr. Fisher, President Obama is not the only one that has appointed him, Dr. Francis Collins has served as the director of the National Institutes of Health since August, 2009. He is the former director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, where he led the successful effort to complete the Human Genome Project—which mapped and sequenced all of the human DNA and determined aspects of its function. The project built the foundation upon which subsequent genetic research is being performed. He is a member of the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences. In 2007 Collins received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, and in 2009 Pope Benedict XVI appointed him to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Collins has also published several books about the intersection of science and faith, including the New York Times bestseller “The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief.”

Posted Sunday, May 27, 2012 5:59 AM By JonJ
The people who don’t want to even attempt to fix homosexuality, yet rail against it as mortal sin, make me wonder if they actually prefer having gay people around to ensure that there is some social group they can look down upon. It would sort of be like an inquisitor who is upset when he found no heretics, because he had no one to torture.

Posted Sunday, May 27, 2012 8:40 PM By Kenneth M. Fisher
JonJ, 5:59 AM, Get REAL. For your information this is supposed to be a Catholic Website, not one for those who oppose the Church to vent their spleens. By the way, I seem to remember quite a bit of opposition to Collins’s appointment to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Awards from the Obamanation mean nothing to real Catholics. Even Mengelee probably had his good points. God have mercy on your poor soul, Kenneth M. Fisher

Posted Sunday, May 27, 2012 8:53 PM By JLS
Stephen P, interesting about the human genome project and the genius that it took to complete it. Reminds me of the ancient King Nimrod. He orchestrated his brightest people to discover how to make and then make a tower reaching into the heavens. Then deftly Nimrod had others develop a means to go even further into the heavens. In his case it was a bow and arrow, but in today’s case it is the space ship, such as the one the other day, called The Dragon. In Nimrod’s case he shot his arrow in an attempt to get God’s eye; he missed and God tumbled that tower down. The consequence was that the one earthly language became broken up into a hodge podge of babble, hence the Tower of Babble. As for the Dragon space ship, we find in Apocalypse 12 that Blessed Mary Ever Virgin and Her Child Jesus are being chased after by, you guessed it, The Dragon. There really is no conclusion, but what there is, is Heaven or Hell. Pays yer money and takes yer choice.

Posted Monday, May 28, 2012 12:57 AM By Steven P
October 15, 2009 · Francis Collins Appointed to Pontifical Academy of Sciences The recent appointment of NIH director and Human Genome Project pioneer Francis Collins to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences might seem fitting in some ways, and puzzling in others. Fitting, because Collins is an outspoken advocate of the compatibility of science and faith, and puzzling because Collins’ ethical views are at odds in some areas with the Church. The Pontifical Academy of Sciences is a body that is charged with giving the Vatican the most up to date, most scientifically accurate information regardless of religious (or non-religious) affiliation. It was established by Pope Pius XI in 1936 to promote the sciences and its members are some of the most heavy-hitting, Nobel-prize winning scientists of the 20th century, many of whom probably disagree with the Church on a great many things.

Posted Monday, May 28, 2012 1:07 AM By Steven P
Mr. Fisher, In 2007 Dr. Collins received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, and in 2009 Pope Benedict XVI appointed him to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences…. If the 2007 date is correct, President Bush probably gave him that medal. So, what’s your take on that?

Posted Monday, May 28, 2012 2:34 AM By Aaron
My 3 brothers and I were born into a very strict Catholic family. I always felt I was different; at age 5 or 6, I became curious not about girls, but about other boys. When puberty set in, I had dreams about boys, not girls, the precise opposite of my brothers. I thought I would outgrow it and become interested in girls-alas, it never happened. I married, fathered 2 terrific kids, but making love required me to have erotic thoughts about men. I dearly loved my wife, kept my wedding vows, appeared to be heterosexual but inside, I was and always will be attracted to my own gender. Sorry for all your anti gay rhetoric, but please understand God made me a homosexual-I had absolutely NOTHING to do with it. Sexual attraction, whether same or opposite sex is immutable. I did not accept my ss attraction until age 60 after my wife died. Both my children & grandchildren love and respect my 100% monogamous male partner of 11 years!

Posted Monday, May 28, 2012 7:14 AM By OSCAR
peter – - The CDC (US Center for Disease Control) has spent millions of taxpayer dollars looking for a cause to homosexuality. Some of the researchers were employed on this project – all wanting excuses for their perverted actions. The CDC has found no reason for homosexuality. SSA (same sex attraction) is merely a temptation, much like the temptation toward porm, adultery and fornication. Temptations can not be approved, and children must be taught to fight against them.

Posted Monday, May 28, 2012 7:20 AM By ANNE
Children need to be taught that ALL SEX outside of Marriage (between on man and one woman) is a MORTAL Sin. – PERIOD. And that anything that causes temptation is to be avoided.