Why are scared-straight programs good?

There is controversy both over the effectiveness of these programs and whether they have negative effects on children placed in these programs.

Positive Effects of these Programs

They claim to "cure" the sexual orientations of non-heterosexual individuals, usually through religious means or behavioral therapy which encourages the affected person to re-direct their "unwanted" urges. This can have a positive effect in that it helps a person to avoid the stigma of being non-heterosexual, and for those who hold those beliefs, means that an individual is avoiding "sinning".

Negative Effects of these Programs

Many people who have been forced into these programs have spoken out later against them, citing them as being mentally or emotionally damaging, developmentally harmful and in some cases physically or emotionally abusive. In addition, many of them seem to fail and graduates of these "ex-gay" programs often "revert" to their original sexuality or continue to feel homosexual attraction even if they do not act upon it.

Note

Additionally, it can disputed whether non-heterosexuality can be "cured" seeing as it neither a mental nor physical illness nor inherently evil, just unaccepted by many mainstream belief systems and the majority of society. It has also not been proven to be "unnatural" seeing as examples of homosexuality have been found in hundreds of other animal species. It can also not be confirmed whether these programs are truly successful: sexual orientation is not defined by the type or frequency of sex you engage in but simply your attraction to other people.