announced that it would reverse its nearly century-old position, declaring that homosexuality was not a mental disorder.
The 10-minute speech, delivered 50 years ago Monday, was a tipping point in the history of gay rights. “This is the greatest loss, our honest humanity.” “We are taking an even bigger risk, however, in not living fully our humanity,” he said. This was the trade-off that had formed the basis of the masked man’s life. “We may not be under consideration for a professorship the analyst down the street may stop referring us his overflow our supervisor may ask us to take a leave of absence.” “All of us have something to lose,” he said.
But they lived in hiding, concealing every trace of their private life from their colleagues. The reality was that there were plenty of gay people in the A.P.A., psychiatry’s most influential professional body, the masked doctor explained. Officially, they did not exist homosexuality was categorized as a mental illness, so acknowledging it would result in the revocation of one’s medical license, and the loss of a career. this is what he had asked to be called - described the secret world of gay psychiatrists. “I am a psychiatrist.”įor the next 10 minutes, Henry Anonymous, M.D.
