No.Mostreputablemedicalandpsychologicalassociations，suchastheAmericanPsychologicalAssociationandtheAmericanPsychiatricAssociation，agreethathomosexualityisnotadiseaseorconditionand，thus，thatitcannotandshouldnotbetreatedorcured.However，therearereligiousgroupsandhospitalsthatdoadvocate“curing”homosexualitythroughcounseling，prayer，andtherapy.Somehomosexualsseekoutsuchorganizationstohelpthembecomeheterosexual.
Objectivestudieshaveshownthatthistreatmentfailsandmayevenperpetuateseriousproblems.Thosewhoundergothistreatmentdesiresomuchtobe“normal”asaresultofsocialorreligiouspressurethattheyultimatelyrepresstheirsexualdesires，whichcancauseintensepsychologicaldamage，includinganxiety，depression，anddrugoralcoholaddiction.Manyso-called“ex-gays”oftenlivecelibatelivesorstruggletomakeheterosexualmarriageswork.Others，whohaveundergonetreatment，havereturnedtobeinggayandadmittedthatthetreatmentfailed.
14.WhatistherelationshipbetweengaysandAIDS？
ThereisnoscientificconnectionbetweenhomosexualsandtheAIDSvirus.AtonetimepeoplebelievedthatallgayshadAIDSorthatonlygayscouldcontractAIDS，because，intheearlyyearsofthedisease，thegaycommunitywasstrucksodisproportionatelyhardbythevirusthatAIDSbecameknownas“thegaydisease”.Graduallypeoplerealizedthatstraightmenandwomenoftencontractedthediseaseaswell，anddoctorsunderstoodthatthevirusistransmittedbyexchangesofcertainbodilyfluids，especiallybloodandsemen.ItisnowuniversallyacknowledgedthattheriskofexposuretoHIVresultsfromanindividual’sbehaviorandnottheirsexualorientation.
GaysareneitherthesourcenorthesolecarriersoftheAIDSvirus.Theyaremerelyonegroupofthe40millionvictimsworld-wide.Manyofthesevictimsfaceostracism，discrimination，andviolencefrompeoplewhofearthattheycouldbecomeeasilyinfectedwiththevirusorfrompeoplewhoassociateAIDSwithcertainsocialgroupsthattheyoppose.Casualcontact，liketouchingorholdinghands，breathing，andsharingrestrooms