Homosexuality in Perspective, the book from researchers William Masters and Virginia Johnson, changed the way (some) psychologists looked at sexuality. Masters and Johnson’s studies, their book claimed, showed evidence that gay folks who really wanted to change their sexuality could do so with as little as two weeks of conversion therapy. Then it came out the pair may have simply faked their research, made up their case studies, and lied about the whole thing, throwing into question the very argument that conservatives and religious types throw around: that being gay is a choice, and thus any homo can change the way he loves to “God’s way.”
Above, a panel discussion from April 27 at the New York Academy of Medicine, where moderator Laurie Garrett talks to writer Thomas Maier — whose new book Masters of Sex is the most damning account yet of Masters and Johnson’s work — and Dr. Robert C. Kolodny, the former associate director of the Masters and Johnson Institute, about just how creative the researches got when it came to the possibility of conversion therapy.
More from the panel, including how the researchers recorded “times of orgasms,” how penis size wasn’t tied to size of the orgasm, and more fun!:
Jaroslaw
Why fake the research? The Gay issue was tiny part of the book. Obviously it is all thrown into question now.
Anthony
Heterosexuality is a choice, you can change if you really want to.
nikko
This is serious and offensive. It was “research” like this that brainwashed me into believing my homosexuality was a disturbance and therefore changeable, leaving the public to believe that homosexuality is to be cured, and causing profound despair in us who struggled with our sexuality. I still have scars to this day.
They are as guilty as religion in promoting their evil bullshit. Where is the condemnation??!
Timothy
Anthony,
You are so correct. Race is a choice also, just look at Michael Jackson. So is handedness.
Even the human race is a choice, you could choose to be a dolphin.
Sadly, all these choices only occur in dreams or the fevered imagination of anti-gay activists.
Jaroslaw
PS – is this headline supposed to be “sham marriage research?” It makes it looks like Masters & Johnson’s own marriage was a sham and that is not what the text is about.