Some 1,750 “treatments” for homosexuality were conducted between 1995 and 2004 in Alberta according to an examination of doctors’ classification codes, for which there is an official one for gayness because the Canadian province still lists it as a mental disorder — for which taxpayers foot the bill. Yesterday Health Minister Gene Zwozdesky promised to remove the classification, which is cute, because the government there has been promising to do that since 1998.
Alberta’s current diagnostic codes were last updated in 2005, the same year that British Columbia removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders and four years after China did so. In Alberta, homosexuality still falls under the heading of Mental Disorders: Sexual Deviations and Disorders. It is at the top of the list and is followed by bestiality, pedophilia, transvestism, exhibitionism, transsexualism, disorders of psychosexual identity, frigidity and impotence.
Neither Zwozdesky nor Alberta Health and Wellness spokesman Howard May could explain why Alberta’s diagnostic codes have not been revised. “These are not Alberta’s codes, they were developed by the World Health Organization, under international guidelines, and are in use in many provinces,” May said. Asked why Alberta’s current codes are based on the 1975 ICD-9 and not on the 1990 ICD-10 that drops homosexuality from the list of mental disorders, May said in an email: “The codes are extremely complex. It would be a vast undertaking to change them.”
[Edmonton Journal; photo via]
jasun mark
Yet another reason why Canada should cut Alberta out, Airlift it into the Gulf of Mexico and trade it with the US for California and some magic beans.
Michael
@jasun mark: I wish. We’ll throw in Harper for free.
adam
@jasun mark: No thanks. The sane in the U.S. are already still trying to blunt the influence of the dirrty South.
alejandro
alberta is our texas -__-
Todd
It’s been removed:
http://edmonton.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20101222/edm_homosexuality_101222/20101222/?hub=EdmontonHome
ron
God bless Alberta..home of the world’s second largest oil reserves, and the only major industry in Canada that keeps the entire country solvent. The eastern half of Canada is a useless failed state. Alberta doesn’t want a bunch of swishy queers. Act like a man, losers.
AL
@jasun mark: Yeah, you liberals would love to break the United States into pieces, wouldn’t you?
jasun mark
@AL: Honey, Alberta is in Canada.
GayDNCBoycott
@ron: Spoken like a true Albertan, unfortunately.
Why do I think that “Al”and “Ron” are the same Neanderthal sitting at home jerking off while reading Gay news sites and telling themselves that they aren’t Gay.
Whatsamatta “Al/Ron”, aren’t there any washroom stalls available on the oil rigs to tap your toe under?
AL
@jasun mark: Oh, thanks for enlightening me about Alberta. However, I was responding to your joke about shipping California to Canada in exchange for Alberta.
@GayDNCBoycott: No, I am not Ron, you can ask the website administrator to provide an IP address for both users, and you will see they are different, in case you are so obsessed with “multiple personalities” on this site. And I don’t deny that I am gay. So, shut up.
GayDNCBoycott
@AL: If you’re Gay and right wing, you’re even more pitiful than a closet case… Your Tea Party friends are calling you. Self-loathing, anyone?
drums
I’m from Alberta, and constantly embarrassed at having to defend my home province. We’re behind in a lot of respects regarding homophobia, ablism, and oh my god don’t get me started on our racism against Aboriginals. We’re the Texas of the North, and it sucks.
But you know what? Albertan homosexuals can legally marry each other, so suck on that, supercilious American liberals laughing at us.
GayDNCBoycott
@drums: Umm, I hate to tell you, but some of us are legally married here in the U.S. too… Oh, and some of us are also Canadian…