The National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) recently held its annual convention in Denver.
Dr. Neil Whitehead was the keynote speaker at the Nov. 7-9 event. His wife, Briar, also spoke.
The Whiteheads are co-authors of My Genes Made Me Do It! A Scientific Look at Sexual Orientation and have lived and worked in India, France, Japan, Afghanistan and the U.S. They currently reside in New Zealand.
Dr. Whitehead has published more than 130 scientific papers. He holds his Ph.D. in biochemistry and worked as a scientist with the New Zealand government for 24 years. He has now been a consultant for seven years.
Briar Whitehead is a journalist, researcher, writer and speaker. She is the author of Craving for Love and God Speaks from a Little Box.
The Whiteheads spoke with CitizenLink during the Denver conference.
1. Dr. Whitehead, you’ve done extensive research in the area of homosexuality. What have you found with regard to the causes of male homosexuality?
There are multiple causes, and some of them are sexual abuse and failure to identify with the masculine world, sometimes a rebellion against it, sometimes exclusion and bullying by peers, sometimes failure to copy a father.
The twin studies show that genetics could not be a high factor. If you have identical twins, they have the same genes and probably the same family environment. So, if you have identical twins, one of whom is homosexual, will the other be homosexual, as well? Only about 10 percent of the time. That means it’s mostly not genetic.
2. In the United States, there is a lot of resistance to helping people who have unwanted same-sex attractions. Do you find that in New Zealand, as well?
Indeed. There are far fewer therapists in New Zealand (interested in such therapy).
3. Briar, how did you get into all this?
I’m a writer by training. I thought I might look at homosexuality; it just interested me. I found a fellow who had been a homosexual activist and prostitute, who had become a Christian, who had had an experience that was so profound of God’s love that he wanted to get out of homosexuality. I met him and I thought, “Wouldn’t it be good to do a racy biography of this guy? It could sell well.”
We started with interviewing, and I found I had no empathy whatsoever. I was very switched off by what he had to say about what he did. And then God took me on a crisis in which I discovered … a series of emotional dependencies in my life on men old enough to be my father. I could not break these things. I could not shake these things. If I relocated geographically, I would find another one. And I would hook in again, and my emotional world would shrink down to the size of this person who I could not do without.
And God healed me of this. He profoundly spoke to me and explained the reasons for this, and at the end of it I found I was able to empathize with the homosexual person. The book I wrote was called Craving for Love.
4. Dr. Neil, modern psychiatry says that if you treat someone for homosexuality, you are doing them harm. Is that true?
No. There haven’t been any studies which have shown conclusive, significant harm. One study, which looked deliberately for harm, found a lessening of suicides afterward. So, therapy must be doing a tower of good.
5. Briar, how do you respond to those who say, “I’ve read your book, but I don’t think that can work for me”?
God deals with us as individuals. There are different paths for different people. We’re uniquely made, and God relates with us uniquely. And what heals one person will not necessarily heal another. But there are things you can find in common. When it comes to homosexuality, you can get out of this thing. It’s not quick; it’s a process. But it is a steady movement out.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Visit the Whiteheads’ Web site, where you can download their book My Genes Made Me Do It! and read about their research.
