Honoring the 50th Anniversary of a Speech That Changed LGBTQ+ History
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, homosexuality was classified as a “sociopathic personality disturbance,” characterized by a failure to conform to prevailing social norms.
As a result, every gay man and lesbian, no matter how well-adjusted, was branded as mentally ill. What’s more, psychiatrists viewed this “sickness” as a treatable condition.
Doctors used intensive talk therapy — and, in some instances, castrations, hysterectomies, electroconvulsive treatment, and lobotomies — to “cure” homosexuals.Gay Liberation activists understood that the mental illness diagnosis had dire consequences.
As the late Kay Lahusen — who took the iconic photo of Dr. Anonymous delivering his speech — told us in an interview for our PBS documentary Cured, “We could not expect our civil rights as long as we were burdened with the sickness label.” Businesses and the government used the mental illness classification to justify discrimination; and for many gay people, the diagnosis gave rise to self-loathing and shame.
