"On the Diagnosis and 'Treatment' of Homosexuality: When Prejudice Masquerades as Science. A Retrospective on Ethics”

Few people know the civil rights struggle of how the diagnosis of homosexuality evolved and was finally deleted from psychiatry's official nomenclature. Over the years, many people suffered severe psychological injury by the very people who were ostensibly there to help them. Some of this tragic legacy continues today and mental health organizations have yet to acknowledge their responsibility for the harm they inflicted, either directly or indirectly. This multi-media presentation tells this story and, in particular, describes how the scientific community joined forces with social activists in the 1960's and 1970's to compel American psychiatry to examine its reasoning and its methods. During this presentation we will explore how internalized prejudicial attitudes affect everyone, including those who come asking for help and those who provide treatment.

Presented by William S. Meyer, MSW, BCD