Statement #1: "Contrary to assumptions of promiscuity, gay men and lesbians form committed relationships..."

Although long-term gay male relationships do, indeed, exist, studies consistently show them to be promiscuous. In fact, gay researchers and writers most typically say that a sexually open arrangement is essential to a gay male relationship's survival.

McWhirter and Mattison's 1984 book The Male Couple describes the authors' in-depth study to evaluate the quality and stability of long-term homosexual couplings. The authors sought to disprove the reputation that gay male relationships do not last. The authors themselves are a gay couple, one a psychiatrist, the other a psychologist.

They studied l56 male couples in relationships which had lasted from one to 37 years. Two-thirds of the respondents had entered the relationship with either the implicit or the explicit expectation of sexual fidelity.

Of those l56 couples, not one was able to maintain sexual fidelity for more than five years.

The authors said:

"The expectation for outside sexual activity was the rule for male couples and the exception for heterosexuals."

"the capacity for mature intimacy does not preclude the possibility of sexual activity outside the couple's relationship as being psychologically healthy in the context of the gay subculture....For some gay men...sex outside of the primary relationship is truly 'recreational' and not necessarily pathological."

"we believe that the single most important factor that keeps couples together past the ten-year mark is the lack of possessiveness they feel. Many couples learn very early in their relationship that ownership of each other sexually can become the greatest internal threat to their staying together" (p. 256).

Statement #2: "The assumption that homosexuals are disproportionately responsible for child sexual abuse is inaccurate."

Actually, some careful studies have shown that pedophilia is about three times more common in male homosexuals. For more discussion of homosexuality and pedophilia, see the excerpt from Homosexuality and the Politics of Truth reprinted on page -- of this issue.)

Gay advocates have dignified the subject of pedophilia with considerable positive study, including a 1990 double issue of the Journal of Homosexuality entitled "Male Intergenerational Love." The journal featured numerous articles which discussed ways in which the so-called "loving pedophile" could be a beneficial influence in a developing child's life.

Statement #3: "Sexual orientation is difficult, if not impossible, to change...despite the ethical problems related to treating a 'disorder' that does not exist, there is no evidence that sexual orientation...is amenable to redirection or significant influence from psychological intervention."

In fact, over 200 published studies--as well as NARTH's own ongoing research project--show many people who have changed sexual orientation; some to the point of being freed from compelling homosexual attractions, living celibate lives; and others to the extent of becoming heterosexual and well-satisfied in their marriages for several decades. While some same-sex attractions may recur at times, nevertheless the therapy has been as successful as can be expected for any deep-seated psychological condition with addictive aspects.

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