THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOIE CHEN, CNN ANCHOR: A challenge today to the conventional medical thinking on sexual orientation. A Columbia University psychiatrist says that some gay people can turn straight if they really want to.
Dr. Robert L. Spitzer presents his findings this hour at a meeting of the American Psychiatric Association. Critics say that many of the study's participants were referred by religious groups that condemn homosexuality.
Dr. Spitzer appeared earlier today here on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ROBERT L. SPITZER, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Many of these people that I studied, I studied over 200, were never gay in the sense of being comfortable with their homosexual feelings. Some had been but most were never comfortable with their homosexual feelings.
And through a variety of changed effort, some with standard psychotherapy, some in ex-gay ministries. over many the years and usually a very gradual process they did change their sexual feelings. This is not something that they were able to choose. It's not a question of choosing one's feelings. It's a question of making an effort through a particular program.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHEN: Dr. Spitzer, speaking earlier here on CNN. He's presenting his study in New Orleans at this hour, so he could not join us again. But we do have with us David Smith, of the Human Rights Campaign. He is in our Washington studio to talk to us a bit about this.
Mr. Smith, I understand your group is the largest gay and lesbian civil rights organization, so I can understand that you would take this position, that you would disagree with the conclusion of the study. But does it really make any difference to you if you are already sure of your orientation?
DAVID SMITH, HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN: Well, you raise a very good point. I think that the bottom line is, is that studies like this are certainly welcome. Science helps us understand who we are, as long as they're credible. However, the problem here is this study is not credible. It is unscientific. It's done by a biased researcher using biased subjects. As you pointed out, 200 people coming from anti-gay organizations, who could be under the influence of, you know, strong religious beliefs, of course of which they're welcome to; societal prejudice against gay people.
The bottom line for us is: While these studies, not this study in particular, but studies into the origins and the why of the sexual orientation, help us understand who we are as people, both heterosexual or homosexual, as long as they're not used to justify discrimination.
You know, we live in a society -- the American world today, you can be fired in 38 states simply for being gay. We believe that is wrong. And when studies like this are used to undermine civil rights laws that are intended to remedy that situation, that's where we find the problem.
CHEN: All right. Mr. Smith, let's get a question for you from our live Web chat audience. This is Sandy Allen's question: "Does the study focus on the idea that if you aren't engaging in homosexual behavior, you are not gay?"
Is that part of the Human Rights Campaign's objection to this study?
SMITH: Well, what's interesting is in this study, well over half reported having strong heterosexual tendencies going into the study. And the fact is, we would question as to what exactly these people's sexual orientation is or was. For the most part, it sounds like they were not gay to begin with.
But again, these folks are highly influenced by the organizations to which they were referred -- from the organizations of which they were referred. And we believe that leaves to the whole thing to be highly suspect.
CHEN: All right. We've got another question from the live Web chat audience now: Hugh Oberg's question: "This study seems to 'I was born this way' argument."
SMITH: Well, there is a growing body of evidence to indicate there is a biological basis for sexual orientation, both homosexual and heterosexual. But the bottom line is we don't know. Much more research needs to be done. And we welcome that research as long as it's credible, and as long as it's not used to undermine the efforts to achieve civil rights for lesbian and gay people in this country.
CHEN: David Smith of the Human Rights Campaign. Thanks for being with us today.
SMITH: My pleasure, Joie. Thanks for having me.
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