A group of Catholic German doctors has claimed it can help to ‘cure’ homosexual feelings by using a range of homeopathic therapy options - a declaration that has been blasted by gay groups as “dangerous” and as showing “a lack of respect for homosexuals and bisexuals”.
As reported by German website Spiegel, The Union of Catholic Physicians (UCP) offers homeopathic “therapy options for homosexuality” on its website, including “constitutional treatments with homeopathic tools...such as homeopathic dilutions like Platinum,” psychotherapy, religious counseling and pills named as Globuli, which are made mostly of sugar.
The claims have caused outraged among German gay groups. Renate Rampf, spokesperson for The Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany (LSVD), told Spiegel: “The offerings are dangerous. They use the insecurities of homosexual or bisexual young people and their parents,” and can be “destabilising”.
But the head of the UCP, Gero Winkelmann, claimed the website had not been updated and told Spiegel in a statement: “We know about a number of people with homosexual feelings who find themselves in a spiritual and psychological emergency and suffer greatly...If someone is unhappy, ill or feels they are in an emergency, they should be able to find options for help with us.”
Winkelmann refutes claims that the treatments are destabilising, stressing the UCP’s methods were aimed at expressing a “position and medical opinion” to those who sought help.
