New Study: Sexual Behavior Changes but Not Sexual Orientation

More bad news for Christofascists who peddle the ex-gay myth for political and financial profit - and, of course for lisping, mincing Marcus Bachman: A new study by of all people Mark Yarhouse at Regent University (not exactly a gay friendly institution) pretty much confirms what we in the LGBT community have always known. Namely, one can change their sexual behavior and try to pretend to be straight, but guess what. You're still GAY! One of the obvious fall outs ought to be that ZERO state or federal funds be paid to quacks like Marcus Bachmann who are fleecing the ignorant and religiously brainwashed by claiming to be able to turn them straight. Both Ex-Gay Watch and Warren Throckmorton (with whom I've had numerous e-mail exchanges in the past), a one time proponent of witch doctor like reparative therapy who has now seen the light, look at the new findings which cut charlatans like Bachmann and the folks at Exodus International off at the knee caps. First this from Ex-Gay Watch:
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[R]esearch has suggested that men in mixed orientation marriages — that is, married ex-gays — remain just as gay in orientation. And the data comes from an unlikely source: Mark Yarhouse, a social scientist at Pat Robertson’s Regent University and one of conservative evangelicalism’s foremost researchers into sexual orientation change.
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Yarhouse, best-known for the 2007 Jones-Yarhouse study with Stanton Jones, drew his latest conclusions from a survey of 106 husbands and 161 wives in mixed orientation marriages. The men had an average age of 45 and had been married 16 years. Conservative Christian therapist Warren Throckmorton summarizes the findings for us: [The data] demonstrates that the Kinsey scores shift more toward the heterosexual side when the participants were asked about their sexual behavior but when asked about their attractions, fantasies, and emotional attachments, there was no change. The Kinsey Expanded scale included an average of participant Kinsey assessment of behavior, attractions, fantasies and emotional attachments. … At any rate, the results are consistent with what I am finding as well. People adapt their behavior to their beliefs and commitments but their orientation does not shift, on average.
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Sexual orientation cannot be made to change; behavior can. (Incidentally, Throckmorton says his own research suggests that men in mixed-orientation marriages actually tend to become more gay over time.)
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The honesty of this research is welcome. It does, however, raise an ethical issue for Yarhouse, according to Timothy Kincaid at Box Turtle Bulletin. Yarhouse is something of a darling of the Christian Right for his previously published studies on sexual orientation change. So will he let himself continue to be used as a propaganda tool for anti-gay religious conservatives like Fischer and Quinlan? Or will he speak unambiguously to such ideologues about the reality of ex-gays and the myth of “change”?
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As for Throckmorton, here are brief highlights from his blog:
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Media have been all over the Bachmann clinic story this week with lots of related discussion about how much, if at all, sexual orientation changes. As a part of this discussion, I noted that a study I am writing up found that over all married gay people assess themselves as growing more same-sex attracted over time.
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Along the way, colleague Mark Yarhouse wrote to remind me that he found something similar in a study recently reported in the new issue of the Christian journal Edification . . .
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In all of the bluster about change therapies and clinics, I think evangelicals need to face what evangelical academics are finding in research. Also, a word to the media, both Christian and mainstream, quoting advocacy groups will get you two sides for dramatic tension, but if you want to know how research informs the questions you are asking, please consult those who, despite their religious loyalties, will report accurately.