Photo: Pink Dots particpants forming the word 'love' at the Speaker's Corner. Courtesy of Pink Dot.

Terence Lee / Deputy Editor

Some religious leaders preach it, but psychologists deny it. The word is change, and the subject is homosexuality. While some individuals in the LGBT community seek to change their sexual orientation, are they in fact chasing an illusion?

In this four-part series, the writer explores the idea of conversion therapy and the notion that Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, and Transgendered (LGBT) people can change, if they choose to do so.

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Clarification |

Mr Leslie Lung claims that he has changed.

But while the 45-year-old Christian believes he is different from who he once was, he still calls himself a “transsexual”.

“No, I do not reject my identity. In fact, I’m proud of it,” he says. These words would surprise many, especially when the notion of whether Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) people can change has been subjected to heated debate.

Mr Lung, who is also a founder of Liberty League, a secular organisation that facilitates discussion groups for individuals dealing with family and sexuality issues, shared with The Online Citizen about his past life of cross-dressing and involvement in the scene, which he was a part of since 14 years old.

Speaking in a sprightly, somewhat feminine voice, he recalled how as a teenager, he would be constantly teased and ridiculed for his mannerisms.

“I felt depressed, to be honest, because of the social expectations of how guys should behave. Also, I had difficulty dealing with my sexuality and the Christian view of it,” he confesses.

But with help from friends, counselors, and church ministers, he soon got over his depression, even though it was a long process. He even dropped the notion of going for a sex-change operation. The key, he says, lies in accepting himself, but living a chaste life as demanded by the Bible.

“If God has made me this way, then it doesn’t make sense to reject my gender identity. Yet at the same time it is quite clear what the Bible says. It’s quite clear what’s right and what’s wrong,” he adds.

He does not consider himself gay, but to him, the same-sex attraction he feels is no different from heterosexual attraction, or even a homosexual one. This is because no matter what sexual orientation or gender identity one has, he believes that sex outside marriage is out-of-bounds, and chastity is a virtue every Christian should uphold.

(Photo, left: Mr Leslie Lung is the founder of Liberty League, which was started in 2004)

But while his Christian beliefs are largely conservative, he rejects the label, calling it “divisive”. This is especially so in the context of the recent Aware saga and its immediate aftermath, where labels like “conservative” and “liberal” have been thrown around in public discourse.

Homosexuality, transsexualism, and conversion therapy

The idea of conversion therapy, also known as reparative therapy, has surfaced as a topic of contention. This is because Church of our Saviour (COOS), which was embroiled in the Aware controversy, is the only church in Singapore that allegedly practices conversion therapy.

In a sermon preached by senior pastor Derek Hong on 26 April, he said that “change is possible” for LGBTs, and that the nature argument is merely propaganda espoused by gay activists.

Choices Ministry is the arm of COOS that allegedly  helps individuals overcome homosexuality. The website states that it is affliated with Exodus International, which is “a coalition of Christian agencies founded in 1976, providing ministry to people who are overcoming homosexuality.”

However, according to a publication released by the American Psychological Association (APA) and 12 other religious, educational, and health organisations, conversion therapy has not been proven to be “safe or effective”.

Furthermore, some critics allege that it can even cause harm to certain individuals, inducing depression and suicidal inclinations.

This is part of the reason why the APA no longer classifies homosexuality and bisexuality as a “mental disorder” since 1973. This redefinition, however, is contested by the National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), an American grouping of therapists and psychologists founded in 1992 that supports the use of conversion therapy.

Nevertheless, those at NARTH are in the minority. The APA, on the other hand, represents over 150,000 psychiatrists throughout the country.

While NARTH may contend that research has backed up the effectiveness of conversion therapy, critics argue that these research studies either have too little participants, or have displayed sampling bias – the idea that participants are selected in such a way that manipulates the research results towards a certain outcome.

An example of sampling bias will be the famous study by Dr Robert Spitzer in 2001 where over 200 men and women who have gone through conversion therapy were interviewed.

While the results concluded that more than 66 percent of the men and 44 percent of the women showed significant change, Dr Spitzer himself commented that these individuals were “unusually religious” and may not be representative of homosexuals in the United States.

As for transsexualism, it is still considered a disorder by the American Psychiatric Association, although this definition has not raised as much ruckus as the idea of “converting” homosexuals.

Also, while homosexuality is a sexual orientation – which determines whether a person is attracted to males or females, transsexualism is a gender identity – which dictates whether a person considers himself a male or female, regardless of his biological sex.

Causes unclear, conversion therapy discouraged

It seems unavoidable for now that these matters of definition will continue to be hotly debated. A cursory glance of available scientific research reveals no scientific consensus about the cause of homosexuality or even transexuality.

The APA states on its website: “although much research has examined the possible genetic, hormonal, developmental, social, and cultural influences on sexual orientation, no findings have emerged that permit scientists to conclude that sexual orientation is determined by any particular factor or factors… nature and nurture both play complex roles; most people experience little or no sense of choice about their sexual orientation.”

This is further complicated by an observation from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health that “for some people, sexual orientation is continuous and fixed throughout their lives. For others, sexual orientation may be fluid and change over time.”

In Singapore, conversion therapy is discouraged by psychologists.

Ms Cate Hey, a clinical psychologist at the Singapore American Community Action Counsel (SACAC), says that “ no clinicians at SACAC use conversion therapy as to our knowledge it would be viewed by the profession as outdated and inappropriate.”

Another organisation, Ooga Chaga, which is a “counselling and personal development organisation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and questioning (“LGBTQ”) individuals”, echoes the same view.

In a statement made to The Online Citizen, the organisation says that it does not “provide conversion therapy as we believe it has a long term negative impact on clients, as indicated by [the] APA, peer-reviewed research and many mental health professionals.”

End of Part One.

In Part Two, The Online Citizen will speak with several ex-members of Choices who have failed to change. Look out for it in the next few days.

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Clarification |

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