Ethical and Human Rights Concerns of Sexual Orientation Change Efforts

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

In this brief commentary, we present several reasons why the publication of “Sexual Orientation Change Efforts Do Not Increase Suicide: Correcting a False Research Narrative” by Sullins (2022) in the Archives of Sexual Behavior is egregiously problematic. As we understand that Blosnich et al. (2020) are currently preparing a commentary addressing the methodological concerns of Sullins (2022), we will focus on the ethical and human rights issues associated with Sullins’ paper, which argues that sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) do not result in higher suicidality. Our main argument here is that the obvious and very serious ethical and human rights concerns related to SOCE transcend any methodological analysis by Sullins (2022) or indeed anyone else, for the simple reason that the problem with SOCE is not just about outcomes and well-being but primarily about rights and autonomy so that a methodological analysis seeking to undermine causation is just irrelevant.
Original languageEnglish
JournalArchives of Sexual Behavior
Volume52
Pages (from-to)865–867
Number of pages3
ISSN0004-0002
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

ID: 323541378