About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline

14 Regent U. L. Rev. 383 (2001-2002)
Homosexuality: Innate and Immutable

handle is hein.journals/regulr14 and id is 391 raw text is: HOMOSEXUALITY:
INNATE AND IMMUTABLE?
A. Dean Byrd & Stony Olsen*
I. INTRODUCTION
This article focuses on the question of whether homosexuality is
medically or psychologically harmful. Can a homosexual be cured? Is
homosexuality an immutable, biological characteristic, or is it the product of
one's environment? The answers to these questions foster some of the
hottest raging debates in society and politics today. Answers to these
questions have many implications for policy makers and touch the very
foundations of society and morality in America. There is an inordinate
amount of conflict and politicization surrounding the topic. Controversies
range from what to teach our children (recall the debate over whether the
Boy Scouts of America should be allowed to bar homosexual scoutmasters)
to questions about marriage and the nature of the family in general.
It is useful to define homosexuality. Homosexual behavior refers to
overt sexual activities between two partners of the same gender.
Homosexual orientation refers to overall sexual responsiveness of someone
to members of his or her same gender. Homosexual identity refers to the
labeling of oneself as gay or lesbian.
This article examines the status of science in answering the question of
whether being homosexually oriented is a choice, or whether the T-shirt
thanking mom for the gay gene is accurate. Attention is given next to the
controversial slogan that gay activists loudly proclaim: Once a
homosexual, always a homosexual. In contrast, can homosexuality be
cured as some professionals and ministries claim? Is it possible that
homosexual attraction can diminish and heterosexual attraction emerge?
Then this article discusses how homosexuality has in the very short span of
*   Professor A. Dean Byrd is a clinical professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the
University of Utah School of Medicine, and an adjunct clinical professor in the Department of
Family and Consumer Studies, also at the University of Utah. He is the President of the
Thrasher Research Fund, as well as the Vice President of NARTH, the National Association for
the Research and Therapy of Homosexuality, an organization of over 1500 psychologists and
psychotherapists. He holds a doctoral degree in psychology from Brigham Young University,
and a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. He also holds two
post-doctoral degrees from the Virginia Commonwealth University and Loyola University. He
has his own private practice in clinical psychology.
Stony Olsen is a recent graduate of the J. Reuben Clark School of Law at Brigham Young
University. There he was a Lead Article editor for the Brigham Young University Journal of
Public Law, as well as a Reference Assistant for the Howard W. Hunter Law Library. Special
thanks is given to Mr. Olsen for his research assistance.

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

profiles profiles most