Reviews 307

It would have been helpful to have in- ber of minor editing errors. cluded a map showing other sites in In conclusion, it would be well for close proximity to the massacre, such as all authors who write about tragic Beckwith's camp in relation to the area events in history to understand that Fielding refers to as "the third leg of a there are always loose ends that seem to triangle, begun at Cedar Springs three defy explanation. The innocent do not days before" (160). The full-paged anticipate having to explain their actions sketches of more than thirty LDS and in relation to an event such as the Gun- national leaders seem excessive and nison Massacre. Unlike the guilty, they serve only to add to the expense of the are not thinking in terms of having to publication. Also, the book has a num- "cover" themselves later on.

The Burden of Proof

Peculiar People: Mormons and Same- sections including (1) a foreword by sex Orientation. Edited by Ron Schow, Lowell Bennion and an editors' intro- Wayne Schow, and Marybeth Raynes duction, (2) personal perspectives of (: Signature Books, 1991). gays, lesbians, spouses, and family members, (3) professional and Christian AMCAP Journal, Volume 19 (Salt perspectives, and (4) an annotated bibli- Lake City: Association of Mormon ography, appendices, and published Counselors and Psychotherapists, statements of professional and religious 1993). organizations regarding homosexual- Reviewed by Gary M. Watts, M.D., ity. diagnostic radiologist and head of Nu- The editors' introduction provides clear Medicine, Valley Regional an excellent overview of the problems Medical Center, Provo, Utah. faced by individuals and their families dealing with homosexuality in the Mor- HAVING SOLD OUT ITS TWO CLOTH mon community and society at large. printings, Peculiar People: Mormons andThe editors' perspectives are identified Same-sex Orientation is now available in up front and provide some under- paperback. First published in 1991 by standing regarding their selection crite- Signature Books and edited by Ron ria. They basically agree that (1) Schow, Wayne Schow, and Marybeth homosexuality touches far more lives, Raynes, it is a landmark book dealing directly and indirectly, than is generally with homosexuality in our Mormon cul- recognized, (2) that condemnation of ture. It is a book that should be read by homosexuality by church and society all bishops, stake presidents, regional leaves most Mormons ill-prepared, representatives, and general authorities, emotionally and intellectually, to con- as well as anyone who is struggling with front this fact of life, (3) that Latter-day homosexuality on a personal or family Saints who encounter this issue face level. many practical problems, and (4) that The book is divided into four major much of the suffering by gays and lesbi- 308 Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought ans is a result of an inadequate Christian the church, but in all honesty it was not response on the part of many in the there in this time of crisis"; "I feel re- heterosexual majority. Terminology, jected by the church"; and "There are misconceptions, and the concept of simply not words to describe the feeling "sealed premises" are discussed and a of being let down by my church at the short historical overview of homosexu- most critical time of my life." These ality and the Mormon response is docu- statements stand as an indictment of mented. current LDS policy and suggest a need Since this is a compilation of many for re-evaluation. All of the writers an- authors, the writing is occasionally un- ticipated a more loving, more informed, even and repetitive. The seven personal and more Christlike response rather perspectives by gays and lesbians all than disenfranchisement. The intransi- follow a similar pattern. Most of the in- gence of the church in the face of these dividuals became aware of their same- testimonials is difficult to understand sex orientation in their teenage years. and/or defend. The unwanted feelings were initially The writers from among the part- considered repugnant and assumed to ners, families, and friends generally fol- be temporary. Unsuccessful attempts low the same theme. Wayne Schow's were made to change or eliminate the "Homosexuality, Mormon Doctrine, feelings through fasting, prayer, dedi- and Christianity: A Father's Perspec- cated church service, counseling, tive" is the most eloquent and persua- and/or attempts at reparative therapy. sive essay I have read on this subject. All failed in his or her efforts to eradicate Excerpts from Carol Lynn Pearson's these feelings, and most subsequently Goodbye, I Love You should be read in expressed bitterness and disillusion- conjunction with Karen Brown's "One ment with church attitudes and re- View of a Troubled Relationship." They sponses. Absent are any perspectives are examples of different responses to from individuals who have changed or similar trials. Both authors deal with the claim to have changed or significantly extraordinarily difficult situation of a diminished their homosexual feelings. female spouse who discovers that her This is an unfortunate omission and ex- husband is homosexual and the sub- poses the editors to criticism of bias in sequent impact it has on their relation- selecting which essays to include. ship and family. Statements such as the following The essay by an anonymous author are sprinkled throughout the personal entitled "New Friends" troubled me perspectives: "In a lifetime of church somewhat. The author reinforces some activity I have yet to hear a single word of the myths about the causes of homo- of compassion or understanding for ho- sexuality and makes several statements mosexuals from the pulpit"; "church which made me wonder how secure he policy showed an utter lack of aware- is with his own sexuality. Do straight ness of the challenges that faced me"; "I people really fear that "sub-consciously couldn't believe the church was so un- homosexuals may entice them into ho- enlightened on this subject yet j u d g e d so mosexuality?" Do straight people really harshly"; "I am convinced, based on my fear "that maybe, just maybe, there is own experience, that the church is igno- some of it [homosexuality] in all of us?" rant of homosexuality and wrong in its I think not. He concludes his essay with treatment of the homosexual"; "I love the statement that "the most powerful Reviews 309 tool I have found to help them is still the the individual. He suggests that idea that change is possible, gradual as straights and gays should be held to the it may be." The author does not suggest same standards. that accepting one's sexual orientation Gay and lesbian youth and trusted and learning to live with it is an accept- family friends who are considering able alternative. counseling should read Marybeth Several contributions from the Raynes's "Alternatives in Therapy Ap- "Professional and Christian Perspec- proaches." The choice of a therapist or tives" section are extremely worthwhile. counselor during the "coming out" Jan Stout's "Sin and Sexuality: Psycho- process is extremely important for the biology and the Development of Homo- individual and his or her family, and sexuality" should be read by every Ms. Rayne's views of various therapy Latter-day Saint. His perspective as a options are excellent. psychiatrist and his evolution to the be- George Weinberg, a psychothera- liefs he held up until his untimely death pist in private practice in New York City last year are invaluable. who corned the term "homophobia," "Homosexuality: A Part of Life, Not authors an essay entitled "Homopho- a Curse/' by the Episcopalian bishop bia—Do I Have It?" His essay h e l p e d me John S. Spong, is an outstanding contri- understand why one of my close friends bution and deserves attention. He has such a hard time accepting homo- points out that the church's suggestion sexuals. Weinberg makes the observa- to "love the sinner but hate the sin" is tion that men who emphasize power, patronizing, j u d g m e n t a l , and represents conquest, and "masculinity" regard ho- "rhetoric piety." He observes that mosexuals as lowering the "male stand- "none of those defined as sinners expe- ard" and therefore tend to hold rienced that love . . . and most learned homosexuals in low esteem. not to trust the church. Since the evi- Adonna Schow's short essay enti- dence points to the conclusion that ho- tled "Sexuality as Spiritual" offers some mosexual persons do not choose their interesting perspectives about the as- sexual orientation, cannot change it, and pects of maleness and femaleness pos- constitute a quite normal but minority sessed by everyone. She equates expression of human sexuality, it is clear expressive behavior as predominately that heterosexual prejudice against ho- male and receptive behavior as pre- mosexuals must take its place alongside dominately female. She suggests that we witchcraft, slavery, and other ignorant cannot achieve wholeness in a spiritual beliefs and oppressive institutions that sense without the presence of both. She we have abandoned." I personally find observes that "in the sanctity in which his logic compelling. the Godhead creates diversity, the ratio United Methodist bishop Melvin E. of maleness to femaleness in each per- Wheatley, Jr., has written a one-page son varies widely. Each person h a s one's masterpiece entitled "I Do Not Believe own appropriate divinely given and de- Homosexuality a Sin." He rightly veloping union of both aspects." equates morality with b e h a v i o r , not sex- Somewhat buried in the fourth sec- ual orientation. He expresses the view tion but not to be missed are the two that homosexual and heterosexual be- appendices which give a useful over- havior may be beautiful or sinful de- view of the sexuality continuum and pending on the actions and the intent of define Alfred Kinsey's "Heterosexual- 310 Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought

Homosexual Rating Scale" which I tion: The Biologic Theories Reap- think is a key to understanding why it praised." He is the subject of an inter- may be possible for some with same-sex view; his paper is reviewed by Erin attraction to adapt to a successful het- Bigler, a professor of psychology at erosexual lifestyle while others fail. LDS ; and his pa- leaders who are making recommenda- per is referenced by four contributors to tions to individuals with same-sex at- the j o u r n a l . I find Byne's interview more tractions without being aware of interesting for the questions not asked. Kinsey's scale are in danger of doing a Noticeably absent are direct questions real disservice to those so counseled. In about the immutability of sexual orien- addition to providing insight into the tation, w h e t h e r choice is a factor, and his sexuality continuum, the statistical in- attitude about reparative therapy. formation on the incidence of homo- After reading the interview, I tele- erotic experiences is very interesting. phoned Dr. Byne to ask his opinions on The Kinsey data indicate that at least 18 causation, immutability, and therapy, percent of men and 9 percent of women because I couldn't glean them from the have had homosexual activity leading to published interview. He indicated that orgasm at some time in their life. he believes the causes of homosexuality In summary, this is an excellent are complex but are a combination of book and I highly recommend it. The biologic, hormonal, and psychosocial minor criticisms including the uneven conditions; are ingrained no later than quality of some of the writings and the four years of age; are not chosen; and are apparent bias of the editors in the mate- in the vast majority of cases immutable. rial selected for inclusion are dwarfed He has had little experience w i t h repara- by the wealth of information supplied. tive therapy but acknowledges it is in- This book belongs in the library of every consistent with his strong belief that Latter-day Saint who is involved per- sexual orientation is generally immuta- sonally or ecclesiastically with the issue ble. of homosexuality. As I read the journal, I was im- The recent annual j o u r n a l of the As- pressed that the reparative therapists sociation of Mormon Counselors and represented throughout its pages ap- Psychotherapists deals entirely with ho- parently feel threatened. Scott Richards, mosexuality and reparative therapy. It the editor, acknowledges that the jour- contains an editorial, four essays, two nal is not balanced but defends this po- interviews, and five reviews. The jour- sition by stating, "The professional nal makes for interesting reading and literature is not balanced. Only one per- will stimulate controversy. It suggests spective gets published right now—the that homosexuality is a psychosocial gay affirmative one. Someone needs to condition, is not immutable, and is best present alternative perspectives" (xi). treated in the majority of cases by re- The interview with Dean Byrd, as- parative therapy. sistant commissioner of LDS Social William Byne, a practicing psychia- Services, shows his views to diverge trist and Ph.D. research associate in the from Byne's and mainstream psychiatry Department of Pathology at Albert Ein- and psychology. He is "convinced from stein College of Medicine, is virtually both a spiritual and clinical perspective "canonized" by the journal's editors for that homosexuality is not an immutable his essay on "Human Sexual Orienta- condition ... and supports the right of Reviews 311

those individuals who are unhappy ness exists and that both camps feel a (egodystonic) with their same-sex at- need to disparage the other view. Since traction to diminish/eliminate those at- this is such a controversial area, it is tractions and to make changes in their unfortunate that Byrd's "meticulous" lives" (91). If one accepts the Kinsey notes reporting the cases of more than scale where 0 is strictly heterosexual and 200 patients do not provide some objec- 6 is strictly homosexual, it seems to me tive data about the efficacy he claims for that some individuals in the 2-5 range reparative therapy. Until researchers may be amenable to some change. such as Byrd are willing to subject their Herein lies the difficulty: determining claims to scientific inquiry and corrobo- and agreeing who should avail them- ration in a longitudinal study they will selves of this type of therapy. remain vulnerable to criticism. Byrd Byrd's paper, co-authored by Mark needs to design a study in collaboration D. Chamberlain, a doctoral student in with someone without an agenda which clinical psychology, and his interview will provide a scientific basis for his detailing his own experience with re- claims. parative therapy may be an attempt to The three books reviewed, Repara- answer the assertion of Mel v i n Sabshun, tive Therapy of Male Homosexuality: A medical director of the American Psy- New Clinical Approach; Kinsey, Sex and chiatric Association, that Fraud: The Indoctrination of a People; a n d Peculiar People: Mormons and Same-sex there is no published scientific evi- Orientation, are praised or castigated de- dence to support the efficacy ofrepara- pending on whether they support or tive therapy as a treatment to change question psychological etiology, choice, one's sexual orientation . . . There is and/or reparability. BYU psychologist little, if any, evidence that these meth- Reed Payne's review of Reparative Ther- ods can change a homosexual person's apy of Male Homosexuality reveals his deep-seated sexual feelings for others own bias. Payne supports the author's of the same sex . . . Clinical experience conclusions that "the homosexual con- suggests that any person who seeks dition often has developmental and dy- conversion therapy may be doing so namic underpinnings involving because of social bias that has resulted male-identity failure; and, clinical evi- in internalized homophobia, and that dence clearly demonstrates o p t i m i s m by gay men and lesbians who have ac- cepted their sexual orientation posi- confirming the change process." This tively are better adjusted than those approach is geared to the "ego- who have not done so (May 1992 press dystonic" homosexual (those homo- release). sexuals with internalized homophobia) despite the fact that "ego-dystonic" ho- The executive director for Profes- mosexuality was removed from the Di- sional Practice of the American Psycho- agnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental logical Association has also stated that Disorders (DSM-III-R) in 1987. "efforts to 'repair' homosexuals are Payne divides homosexuals into nothing more than social prejudice the "non-gay homosexual" and those in garbed in psychological accouterments" the "gay lifestyle." He finds it ironic that (statement by Bryant L. Welch, 26 Jan. those who are most vocal about gay 1990). rights tend to be hostile towards homo- It is regrettable that such divisive- sexuals who desire treatment and those 312 Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought who offer them help. Yet he makes no tions. He fails to mention or address the reference to the equally obvious irony obvious conclusion that these individu- that societal and religious homophobia als are expressing their own belief that forces homosexuals into a state of self- the church in many cases h a s failed them loathing or of sexual promiscuity in an and is now a source of pain rather than attempt to validate their being. comfort. Peterson does show consider- Kevin M. Marett's review of Kinsey, able empathy, however, for those with Sex and Fraud acknowledges that the same-sex attraction and commends the book is "moralistic in tone" and con- editors of Peculiar People for attempting cedes that the authors "use the same to educate and enlighten their readers. facts and sources over and over to make His most prescient comment i s in t h e l a s t the same arguments ... to the point of paragraph: "And where social condi- becoming wearisome and laborious." tioning, theological belief, and the inex- Nevertheless, he recommends it "for actitude of science converge to create those who do not accept the current sex- opinions that are potentially damaging ual mores that run counter to the pre- to any member of human kind, there is vailing arguments for sexual license." no greater need for open-mindedness, The book is not based on substantive tolerance, and the representation of in- facts and information but is a sensation- formation simply for the sake of enlight- alist smear of Kinsey's work which the enment." In my opinion, Peculiar People authors believe has been a major factor is a milestone in understanding homo- in the erosion of social mores since its sexuality in the Mormon culture and publication in 1948. belongs in the library of every Mormon Peculiar People comes in for criticism family dealing with or interested in the for its "grossly disproportionate . . . issue. over-representation of those who have Erin Bigler's review of Byne's "Hu- embraced their homosexuality versus man Sexual Orientation" is refreshing. those that have chosen to make the tran- Bigler, a professor of psychology at sition out of gay lifestyles and behav- BYU, gives a balanced review, avoids iors." The reviewer, Scott R. Peterson, of dogmatic extremes, and shares some in- BYU's Comprehensive Clinic, suggests formation about the incidence of homo- that many of the book's contributors sexuality as well as the limbic circuitry "have chosen to reject the fundamental in the brain. He supports Byne's "inter- values of the LDS church. Rather than actionist model" and points out that it adjusting their behavior to accommo- does not exclude biologic factors which date the values of their religion, they many in LDS Social Services have tried adjust their own religious values to ac- to imply. He is correct, in my opinion, in commodate their behavior." Peterson suggesting that "exclusivity should be complains that many of the stories in avoided in our attempts to understand Peculiar People "fall into the trap of tau- homosexuality and homosexual behav- tological reasoning wherein the validity ior." of an opinion is self determined and Richard Bickerton's review of therefore cannot be wrong." Robert Rees's pamphlet, No More Peterson wants everyone with Strangers and Foreigners, saddened me. I same-sex attraction to resolve their con- can't help wondering how two former flicts in church-sanctioned ways and has LDS bishops arrive at such dramatically difficulty in accepting alternative solu- different conclusions? Does Bickerton