from Social Issues

Syndicated columnist Ann Landers wrote a column last May which-- as has been her custom--affirmed homosexuality, and at the same time, provided her readers with misinformation.

Ms. Landers said that "homosexuals are born, not made. They cannot change themselves." She told her readers that 10% of the population is considered to be homosexual.

Psychiatrist Alberto Montes, M.D. from Honolulu, Hawaii wrote Ann Landers a response, which said in part:

"I was very disappointed with the well-meant but erroneous response that you gave the 15-year-old adolescent tortured by his homosexual impulses...You told him, 'Homosexuals are born, not made. You need counseling to help you accept yourself as you are.'

"The little bit of hope that he might have wanted from you may have been shattered...Considerable advances have been made in the diagnosis and treatment of the psychological conflicts (usually unconscious) underlying homosexuality...There is hope for them! I have treated them. There is no scientific evidence that they were born that way. Such an idea leads to hopelessness!

"...Please refer this adolescent to NARTH...they may know of someone in or near his area who might be able to help this patient resolve his conflicts, which may give him more freedom to choose how he wants to live his life."