You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
The ex-gay movement in the United States has undergone major changes in recent years, including Exodus International’s repudiation of reparative therapies and the organization’s subsequent demise. However, the movement continues to exist even as the efficacy and ethics of reparative therapies are debated. It is possible to identify three intersections between psychoanalysis and the ideology of sexuality that constitute the foundation of the ex-gay movement. The first of these is the role of psychoanalytic thought and clinical practice in constructing the intellectual foundations of ex-gay ideology. The second intersection is the use of psychodynamic critiques that Christian-therapeutic readings of emotional responses associated with non-normative sexualities seem to invite. And the third intersection is the use of psychoanalytic thought to interpret fundamental facets of ex-gay ideology. What these intersections suggest is that psychoanalysis can be a fruitful source of critique of the ex-gay movement and reparative therapies as well as a source of sexual regulation.