When was homosexuality officialy not considered a mental illness?

McGruff

1973 (in America) Homosexuality itself became a mental health diagnosis only as a reflection of prevailing social prejudice. This assumption was first questioned by Evelyn Hooker (1), who compared matched groups of homosexually- and heterosexually-identified men. She found that scores from psychological tests of the two groups were indistinguishable from one another. Since then, a substantial scientific literature has found no significant differences between homosexual and heterosexual subjects on measures of overall psychological functioning and mental and emotional well-being. The most comprehensive review of such studies was conducted by Gonsiorek, who also carefully analyzed studies purporting to demonstrate that homosexuality is a mental illness and found them to be rife with methodological problems. (1) Hooker, E. ''The Adjustment of the Male Overt Homosexual,'' Journal of Projective Techniques. Vol. 21, 1957. http://www.iglss.org/pubs/angles/angels_4-1_p1.html#notes More on Evelyn Hooker http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/hooker.html Mar 23 03, 3:33 AM

McG

Hooker's research (1957) demonstrating that expert clinical judges could not distinguish the projective test protocols of nonclinical homosexual men from a comparable group of heterosexual men, nor were there differences in adjustment ratings, was validated soon thereafter by other investigators. Not until 1973, however, did the American Psychiatric Association delete homosexuality from its diagnostic handbook. Meanwhile, the gay and lesbian liberation movement in the 1960s took cognizance of these research findings. It was a source of great satisfaction for Hooker to have contributed in some measure to this new freedom and to a partial lifting of the stigma. Her life was immeasurably enriched by the research and by friendships with men and women across the entire spectrum of occupations and life styles. http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/hooker2.html#biography Mar 23 03, 3:34 AM

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