Psychoanalysis organization apologizes for treating homosexuality as a mental illness

The American Psychoanalytic Association on Friday apologized for treating homosexuality as a mental illness. In what the organization called an “overdue” apology, the APsaA said that the belief that homosexuality was an illness led to widespread discrimination and prejudice against LGBTQ individuals in many sectors of society, including health care. “It is long past time to recognize and apologize for our role in the discrimination and trauma caused by our profession,” Lee Jaffe, president of APsaA, said in a statement. The apology comes weeks after the federal government proposed new rules that would roll back protections in health care and allow providers to decline care to certain vulnerable populations — including transgender individuals — citing religious or conscientious concerns.