BALTIMORE, Md. — Officials with Johns Hopkins Medicine have distanced themselves from a report written by two of its psychiatrists that states that there is no scientific evidence that people are born homosexual or in the wrong body.
“In recent months, some have questioned our position, both inside and outside the institution, not because of any change in our practice or policy, but because of the varied individual opinions expressed publicly by members of the Johns Hopkins Medicine community,” wrote Dr. Paul Rothman, dean of medical faculty, and Ronald Peterson, president of Johns Hopkins Health System, in an email letter sent on Oct. 7 to students and alumni.
“We have taken these concerns seriously. We want to reiterate our institutional support for LGBT individuals and update you on the work we are doing to further that commitment,” it stated.
As previously reported, in August, Johns Hopkins psychiatrists Dr. Lawrence Mayer and Dr. Paul McHugh penned a controversial report entitled Sexuality and Gender: Findings from the Biological, Psychological, and Social Sciences, which was published in The New Atlantis.
“Some of the most widely held views about sexual orientation, such as the ‘born that way’ hypothesis, simply are not supported by science,” the men wrote. “The literature in this area does describe a small ensemble of biological differences between non-heterosexuals and heterosexuals, but those biological differences are not sufficient to predict sexual orientation, the ultimate test of any scientific finding.”
They criticized what they call the “common assumption that sexual desires, attractions, or longings reveal some innate and fixed feature of our biological or psychological constitution, a fixed sexual identity or orientation,” finding even the phrase “sexual orientation” to be ambiguous and without “widely accepted scientific definitions.”
The doctors additionally expressed doubt that one is born in the wrong body, that “there is no evidence that all children who express gender-atypical thoughts or behavior should be encouraged to become transgender.” Rather, they noted that the philosophy that gender is a “social construct” grew out of the feminist movement.
But following opposition to the report, which the men stated was based on 200 peer-reviewed studies in matters such as epidemiology, genetics, psychiatry and neuroscience, as well as embryology, Johns Hopkins officials wished to advise that the institution in itself “will remain steadfast in enacting our commitment to LGBTQ equality.”
“When individuals associated with Johns Hopkins exercise the right of expression, they do not speak on behalf of the institution,” Rothman and Peterson advised in their email letter.
They also outlined several organizational policies—both existing and new—surrounding homosexuality and transgenderism.
“We have expanded our health care benefits to cover transgender health services, including surgical procedures, with no lifetime maximum benefit,” the men advised. “We have committed to and will soon begin providing gender-affirming surgery as another important element of our overall care program, reflecting careful consideration over the past year of best practices and the appropriate provision of care for transgender individuals.”
The homosexual advocacy group Human Rights Campaign had urged Johns Hopkins to release an “official statement about McHugh and Mayer’s activities.”
“If Hopkins’ leadership ignores their community’s call to correct the record—clarifying that McHugh and Mayer’s opinions do not represent it, and that its healthcare services provided reflect the scientific consensus on LGBTQ health and well-being—its Healthcare Equality Index score will be reduced substantially,” it wrote in a blog post on the matter.
Psalms 51:5 teaches mankind, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” Jesus also outlined in John 3 that since all men are born in sin being descendants of Adam, and by their very nature have tendencies to distort God’s perfect design, they must be born again and receive a new nature.
“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God,” Jesus said. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again.”
A special message from the publisher…
Dear Reader, our hearts are deeply grieved by the ongoing devastation in Iraq, and through this we have been compelled to take a stand at the gates of hell against the enemy who came to kill and destroy. Bibles for Iraq is a project to put Arabic and Kurdish audio Bibles into the hands of Iraqi and Syrian refugees—many of whom are illiterate and who have never heard the gospel.Will you stand with us and make a donation today to this important effort? Please click here to send a Bible to a refugee >>
