International medical authorities' position statements on homosexuality

=American Psychiatric Association=

http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/sexual-orientation.aspx

"Research indicates that many lesbians and gay men want and have committed relationships. For example, survey data indicate that between 40 percent and 60 percent of gay men and between 45 percent and 80 percent of lesbians are currently involved in a romantic relationship. Further, data from the 2000 U.S. Census indicate that of the 5.5 million couples who were living together but not married, about 1 in 9 (594,391) had partners of the same sex. Although the census data are almost certainly an underestimate of the actual number of cohabiting same-sex couples, they indicate that there are 301,026 male same-sex households and 293,365 female same-sex households in the United States.

Stereotypes about lesbian, gay and bisexual people have persisted, even though studies have found them to be misleading. For instance, one stereotype is that the relationships of lesbians and gay men are dysfunctional and unhappy. However, studies have found same-sex and heterosexual couples to be equivalent to each other on measures of relationship satisfaction and commitment.

A second stereotype is that the relationships of lesbians, gay men and bisexual people are unstable. However, despite social hostility toward same-sex relationships, research shows that many lesbians and gay men form durable relationships. For example, survey data indicate that between 18 percent and 28 percent of gay couples and between 8 percent and 21 percent of lesbian couples have lived together 10 or more years. It is also reasonable to suggest that the stability of same-sex couples might be enhanced if partners from same-sex couples enjoyed the same levels of support and recognition for their relationships as heterosexual couples do (i.e., legal rights and responsibilities associated with marriage).

A third common misconception is that the goals and values of lesbian and gay couples are different from those of heterosexual couples. In fact, research has found that the factors that influence relationship satisfaction, commitment and stability are remarkably similar for both same-sex cohabiting couples and heterosexual married couples."

=American Psychological Association=

http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/resources/policy/index.aspx

"...homosexuality is a normal expression of human sexual orientation that poses no inherent obstacle to leading a happy, healthy, and productive life, including the capacity to form healthy and mutually satisfying intimate relationships with another person of the same sex and to raise healthy and well-adjusted children, as documented by several professional organizations (American Psychiatric Association, 1974; American Psychological Association, 2004a, 2004b; Conger, 1975, National Association of Social Workers, 2003);  ... many gay men and lesbians, like their heterosexual counterparts, desire to form stable, long-lasting, and committed intimate relationships and are successful in doing so (Gates, 2006; Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2001; Herek, Norton, Allen, & Sims 2010; Peplau & Fingerhut, 2007; Simmons & O’Connell, 2003)"

=World Health Organization=

http://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6803&Itemid=1926

"Services that purport to "cure" people with non-heterosexual sexual orientation lack medical justification and represent a serious threat to the health and well-being of affected people,"

=Royal College of Psychiatrists, UK=

http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/pdf/rcpsychposstatementsexorientation.pdf

http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/members/specialinterestgroups/gaylesbian/submissiontothecofe/psychiatryandlgbpeople.aspx

"There is now a large body of research evidence that indicates that being gay, lesbian or bisexual is compatible with normal mental health and social adjustment."

=Health Promotion Board, Singapore=
 * See also: Archive of Health Promotion Board's FAQs on Sexuality

http://www.hpb.gov.sg/HOPPortal/health-article/HPB056342

"Homosexuality and bisexuality are not mental illnesses. Studies show that sexual orientation has no bearing on mental health or emotional stability."

"A same-sex relationship is not too different from a heterosexual relationship. Both take the commitment of two people. It’s also a connection of two families, cultures and sometimes racial backgrounds and values."

=Institute of Mental Health, Singapore=

On 21 November 2015, Dr Chong Siow Ann of the Institute of Mental Health wrote an op-ed article in The Straits Times. He concluded with the following paragraphs:

"Most straight parents would want their children to be straight and if things turn out otherwise, their first impulse would be to "get the problem fixed", as with this young man's mother who had sought help from me with such desperate hopefulness. After a long discussion, as they left my clinic, I could not miss the sense of her profound disappointment.

That was years ago and I have not seen them since. In hindsight, I wished I had told the mother that parental reaction to such revelation can significantly influence the young person's self-esteem and irreparably shape his expectations of acceptance or rejection by others outside the family.

There will be some parents who will reject their offspring and continue to feel repulsed; some will insist that their child remain in the closet than to come out and face the external world with its varying shades of homophobia. But some will, with time and habituation, and by dint of parental love, come to tolerate and accept this part of their child."

=Ministry of Health, Singapore=

In reply to Nominated Member of Parliament Anthea Ong's question in Parliament on 4 May 2020 regarding conversion therapy to change one's sexual orientation, Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong said:

"The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision (ICD-10), which is the current standardised medical classification list by the World Health Organisation (WHO), states that sexual orientation alone is not to be regarded as a clinical disorder that needs to be cured. Homosexuality has not been considered a psychiatric diagnosis since 1973 (by the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) and 1977 (by the WHO International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems).

MOH expects doctors and other healthcare professionals to practice according to evidence-based best practice and clinical ethics, and to consider and respect patients’ preferences and circumstances (including sexual orientation) when providing care. For individuals who seek care with a desire to change one’s sexual orientation through clinical means, healthcare professionals should care for and support these individuals with empathy and sensitivity.

Mechanisms for the public to feedback on care provided already exist at public healthcare institutions and members of the public can submit a formal complaint to the Singapore Medical Council (SMC) if a doctor is acting unethically or providing inappropriate treatment.

The SMC takes complaints against doctors seriously and will investigate and impose disciplinary action if the doctor was found guilty of misconduct."

=See also=
 * International medical authorities' position statements on same-sex parenting
 * Archive of Health Promotion Board's FAQs on Sexuality

=References=
 * Chong Siow Ann, vice-chairman of the medical board (research) at the Institute of Mental Health, "Coming out: How parents react is crucial", The Straits Times, 21 November 2015.