Doctor Diagnoses California Man With “Chronic Illness”: Being Gay

When Matthew Moore started seeing a new doctor, she diagnosed him with a B-12 deficiency, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and being faaaabulooouuuuus.

While the Southern California doctor dismissed the first three conditions as “normal” for Moore, she listed his “homosexual behavior” as a chronic condition, using the now-defunct Code 302.0 — indicating “sexual deviancy or mental illness.”

The days of gays being locked away and lobotomized officially ended 40 years ago when the American Psychiatric Association declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder, but apparently some doctors are real sticklers for tradition.

“My jaw was on the floor,” Moore, 45, told NBC Los Angeles. “At first, I kind of laughed, I thought, ‘Here’s another way that gay people are lessened and made to feel less-than,’ and then as I thought about it and as I dealt with it, it angered me.”

How about we take this to the next level?

Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.

Daily

Weekly

Promotions and Partner Emails

Moore, at the suggestion of friends and an attorney, confronted his doctor, who had the holistic hubris to defend her diagnosis, claiming that sexual orientation was “still being considered a disease.” When Moore asked her how it could be treated, the doctor said that was “still up to debate.”

By the way, no it’s not. But a medical professional shouldn’t let something as trivial as facts get in their way. For some reason Moore was unsatisfied with his doctor’s response and wrote a letter to the Torrance Memorial Physician Network, which quickly issued an apology as well as a refund of his $30 copay.

“We would like to unequivocally state that the Torrance Memorial Physician Network does not view homosexuality as a disease or a chronic condition and we do not endorse or approve of the use of Code 302.0 as a diagnosis for homosexuality,” wrote senior director Heidi Assigal.

Moore doesn’t intend to file a lawsuit against his doctor, whose identity he insists remain anonymous to protect her reputation; he just doesn’t want anyone else to be told that something is wrong with them simply because they’re gay.

“Government tells us, oftentimes, that we’re not equal. Many churches tell us that we’re sinners, and now here’s a medical professional telling us that we are sick. And it’s gotta stop,” Moore said. “If I was a 14-year-old in a small town in Indiana, where I’m from, and I had a doctor tell me or my parents that I was sick because they thought I was gay, it would’ve been very damaging.”