Groundbreaking Study Confirms Sexual Orientation Change Possible

September 19, 2007

Colorado Springs, Colo. – A new study confirming that long-term change away from homosexual orientation can occur through religious mediation has challenged the theory that sexual orientation is immutable.

The scientific evidence confirming change was compiled by Stanton L. Jones and Mark A. Yarhouse during their work on the world’s first longitudinal, peer-reviewed study of its kind. The full results were released last week in the book Ex-Gays? A Longitudinal Study of Religiously Mediated Change in Sexual Orientation (InterVarsity Press).

The researchers tracked the progress of men and women who had undergone religious mediation such as group discussions, individual counseling, journaling, Scripture reading and prayer. At the end of the three-year study, 67 percent of participants either reported a change towards heterosexual orientation or were successfully continuing work towards that goal. The researchers also found that religious mediation does not cause participants psychological harm.

“While we’ve known all along that long-term change is possible for people with unwanted same-sex attractions, it’s interesting to note how high the percentage of reported change was,” said Melissa Fryrear, director of Focus on the Family’s Gender Issues Department. “These results are comparable with the success rates for dealing with other difficult issues, like depression, and more favorable than those reported by U.S. Department of Labor tax-funded programs in overcoming substance abuse.”

Fryrear is also a speaker at the organization’s Love Won Out conferences, which educate attendees on the issues surrounding homosexuality and is led primarily by men and women who, like Fryrear, previously self-identified as homosexuals. “This study bolsters our position of advocating for people’s right to self-determination. If someone has unwanted same-sex attraction, it is their right to seek alternatives to change,” she said.

Currently, many within the leadership ranks of both the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association claim that homosexuality is not changeable and that any efforts to do so are harmful.

To access in-depth information on the book Ex-Gays? A Longitudinal Study of Religiously Mediated Change in Sexual Orientation, including a description of research methods and a white paper, please visit http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=2846.

For more information, contact Gary Schneeberger at (719) 548-5853 or press@family.org, or Sonja Swiatkiewicz at (719) 548-4570 or culturalissues@family.org.