Of late, I have given several talks to a variety of evangelical groups about the current research on sexual orientation. Along the way, I have been contacted by evangelicals who ask about the current status of sexual orientation research. After the conversations and speeches, many questions come up. One question I hear after almost all of these conversations is: Why haven't we seen anything about these studies? Many of the questioners read evangelical publications and consume evangelical … [Read more...]
Sexual identity: Our bodies tell us who we are
June 13, 2011 By 23 Comments
(First posted October 1, 2007) Warning: Long post… This post could be part three of the series on sexual identity therapy and neutrality but I chose this title because I want to focus on one specific issue, at least in my mind, with telling psychotherapy clients that “our bodies tell us who we are.” Saying something like this to a client is the expression of a natural law argument that is expressed by Dr. Joseph Nicolosi in his article “Why I Am Not a Neutral Therapist.” Our … [Read more...]
Factsaboutyouth.com: A critical review
April 6, 2010 By 32 Comments
Yesterday, Focus on the Family's Citizenlink promoted a new website from the American College of Pediatrics, called Facts About Youth which purports to be a resource created by health professionals to provide policymakers, parents and youth with the most current medical and psychological facts about sexual development. The website makes additional claims about the information presented. Amid debate in the medical and mental health fields concerning the causes and proper approaches to youth … [Read more...]
Brain plasticity and sexual orientation: Train it to gain it?
September 4, 2009 By 143 Comments
This article about brain plasticity by Neil and Briar Whitehead posted on Anglican Mainstream caught my attention for several reasons. Some relate to classes I teach but for this post, I am interested in discussion surrounding the main reason the Whiteheads wrote about neuroscience: sexual reorientation. I have a few questions. Sex and gender researchers working in the belief that the brain and its functions were more less set, believed they might find evidence that homosexuality was … [Read more...]
Reparative therapy information
April 22, 2009 By 6 Comments
I have done several articles and numerous posts on reparative drive theory and related issues. This page serves to bring those together in one place. The format for now will provide the link and a brief explanation of the post or article. I Am Not a Reparative Therapist - This article was controversial at the time and is a good starting point to understand some of my concerns about reparative drive theory and related therapy. Sometimes I am referred to as a reparative therapist which is … [Read more...]
Study examines brain differences related to sexual orientation
June 17, 2008 By 245 Comments
This post summarizes a new study by Ivanka Savic and Per Lindstrom, titled “PET and MRI show differences in cerebral asymmetry and functional connectivity between homo- and heterosexual subjects” and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. This is being reported widely in the press. The abstract reads Cerebral responses to putative pheromones and objects of sexual attraction were recently found to differ between homo- and heterosexual subjects. Although this … [Read more...]
Multiple factors involved in sexual orientation: New study
June 16, 2008 By 71 Comments
A new study released online with Archives of Sexual Behavior and via press release today propose a relatively small role for family attitudes in the direction of sexual attraction, with more of the explanation being factors not shared by siblings. Society's attitudes have little impact on choice of sexual partner [PRESS RELEASE 16 June 2008] A unique new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institute (KI) suggests that the attitude of families and the public have little … [Read more...]
Our bodies tell us who we are
October 1, 2007 By Leave a Comment
Warning: Long post... This post could be part three of the series on sexual identity therapy and neutrality but I chose this title because I want to focus on one specific issue, at least in my mind, with telling psychotherapy clients that "our bodies tell us who we are." Saying something like this to a client is the expression of a natural law argument that is expressed by Dr. Joseph Nicolosi in his article "Why I Am Not a Neutral Therapist." Our Bodies Tell Us Who We … [Read more...]
Year in review – Top ten stories from 2006
December 29, 2006 By Leave a Comment
As much for my own reference and recollection as anything else, I compiled this top ten list of stories from 2006. Since I am the only voter, the list is subjective and regular readers might arrange them differently or think I should have included another story over one of these. I am interested to hear any reactions along those lines. They are arranged in the order of the interest the story seemed to create here on the blog, not their actual importance in the real world. I first note the … [Read more...]
Another Press Snafu: The UPI misinterprets the lesbian story
May 16, 2006 By Leave a Comment
As if to say, "me too!" The UPI is taking its turn at incorrectly reporting the Savic pheromone study. Here is what the UPI report said: Lesbians like men - with major difference WASHINGTON, May 16 (UPI) -- Lesbians react to body odors like heterosexual men but with an important difference -- they are not sexually aroused, Swedish researchers say. In a study of lesbians who smelled a derivative of progesterone found in male sweat and an estrogen-like steroid found in female urine, the … [Read more...]
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