Tuesday June 20, 2006
Homosexuality a Psychological Disorder: Pentagon Document
By John Jalsevac
WASHINGTON, D.C., June 20, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A pro-homosexual group known as Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military (CSSMM), a think tank at the University of California, Santa Barbara, claims to have unearthed a current Pentagon document that lists homosexuality as a psychological disorder.
According to the CSSMM the Department of Defense Instruction that so categorizes homosexuality was signed by the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness in 1996 and re-certified as "current" in 2003.
Although homosexuality has traditionally been considered a psychological disorder the American Psychiatric Association (APA) removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses over thirty years ago, claiming that it "implies no impairment in judgment, stability, reliability, or general social and vocational capabilities." The APA’s decision, however, has been the subject of criticism in recent years with some alleging that the 1973 move to remove homosexuality from the list of disorders was highly influenced by homosexual activism and not objective scientific data (http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/feb/06020902.html).
The CSSMM responded to what it has called an outdated and offensive classification of homosexuality by issuing a “report card” on the military, giving it 'F's' in four out of five categories, including "Mental Health Classification," "Anti-gay Harassment and Command Climate," "Evidence-Based Assessment of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'" and "Family Support."
Dr. Aaron Belkin, director of CSSMM, expressed grave concern that the military continues to list homosexuality as a mental illness. "It's unclear why a DoD document would classify homosexuality as a mental disorder over thirty years after the psychiatric community acknowledged this is a mistake," said Dr. Belkin. The vast majority of other military documents no longer list homosexuality as a mental disorder.
Current military policy still requires the discharge of members who openly profess their homosexuality, although the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy forbids recruiters from inquiring into the sexual activities or preferences of the recruit. However, the number of discharges from the military on account of homosexuality have dramatically increased in the last number of years as members have increasingly openly challenged the policy. The Supreme Court has many times over refused to hear cases challenging the constitutionality of the policy.
A 1998 report on the effectiveness of the military’s policies concluded that “service by those who have a propensity to engage in homosexual conduct creates an unacceptable risk to morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion, and that the long-standing prohibition of homosexual conduct therefore continues to be necessary in the unique circumstances of military service.”
Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Jeremy M. Martin said the offending document is under review.
Latest Headlines
- BREAKING: US Congress Passes Health Care Reform Bill 220 to 215

- Stupak Amendment to Health Care Bill Passes 240 - 194 Saturday Evening

- Major Health Care Development - Pro-Life Stupak Amendment Vote OK'd for Today

- NY Times: Dems Banking on Later Squeezing Pro-Life Language Out of Bill in Committee

- USCCB Spokesman: "Definitely Not True" that Bishops Support Bill As it Stands

- TIME Got it Wrong - Prof. George Opposed Grandiose Kennedy Funeral

- USCCB Condemnation Tears Facade off "Phony" Abortion Compromise for Health Bill

- Health Care Bill Includes Monthly Abortion Premium: House Minority Leader Boehner

- TIME Article Setting Burke Against O'Malley Called "Tactical strike" on Behalf of Catholic Left

- Dirty Fighting on Abortion Funding: Word-Games and Health-Care Theatrics Boggle the Mind

- Commentary on November 6 News

- Note to LifeSiteNews Subscribers with Rogers email addresses

- New York Gov. Declares Nov. 10 Extraordinary Legislative Session for Same-Sex "Marriage"

- Washington's Pro-Family Amendment Effort Defeated - R-71 Almost Certain to Pass

- Vote Pushed Back on Canadian Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide Bill to Dec. 2

- Elderly U.K. Couple in Good Health Commit Suicide, Complain of Assisted Suicide Law

- Texas Late-Term Abortionist and Baptist Minister Admits: "Am I killing? Yes, I am"

- New Evidence Contradicts CCHD's Findings on Accused Pro-Abortion Partner

- Quebec Priest Denies Possibility of Sexual Reorientation Therapy on TV

- New Hampshire Same-Sex "Marriage" Law in Crosshairs after Maine's Law Crumbles

- Brooklyn Bishop Criticized for Recorded Message Praising Pro-Abortion Politician

- First Group of "Traditionalist" Anglicans in Britain Votes to Enter Catholic Church

Most Read this Week
- Planned Parenthood Director Resigns after Watching Ultrasound of Abortion Procedure
- Nun Defiant Following Rebuke, but Stops Abortion Escorting
- Breaking: Dominican Community Apologizes for Nun Caught Acting as Abortion Escort
- TIME Article Setting Burke Against O'Malley Called "Tactical strike" on Behalf of Catholics Left
- Over 200 Christendom College Students Protest Abortion at Planned Parenthood Clinic
- Newly Identified Corporate Supporters of Planned Parenthood Named
- Scottish Gay Rights Activists Found Guilty of Pedophilia Sentenced to Life Imprisonment
- US Congress Passes Health Care Reform Bill 218 to 215
- Major Health Care Bill Development - Stupak Hyde Amendment Vote OK'd
- Health Care Bill Includes Monthly Abortion Premium: House Minority Leader Boehner
MORE NEWS:
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page
Last 10 Days
Archives
Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.








Back to Top