First of all lemmein, this discussion is not about you. Therefore your personal experiences and life are just that your personal experiences and life.
If you took the time to check out the sites I posted concerning gay health issues a couple were glbt sites. So again before you deny the medical problems endemic to gay life you best educate yourself. I probably know more about HIV/AIDS than you do. Some of my closest gay friends died from complications associated with HIV/AIDS including my youngest brother. And I am an AIDS patient. Have you read where I call HIV a gay disease? No you have not. HIV/AIDS is a global pandemic. Worldwide 51% of those infected are women, 49% are men, and 1% are children. However, it has been shown that anal intercourse is the most efficient way of transmitting the virus, which is why men who have sex with men are the highest risk group.
I was an obese child and I know more about growing up grossly fat and the societal pressures that accompany being fat than you do. It was amazing how society’s (and my family's) attitude changed when I lost 110 lbs. I am not unsympathetic to the pressures growing up gay, but I also know that suicide is not the answer. I also know that many gay youth want real information concerning how to defeat their gay desires. One tool to reduce gay teen suicide is with real information, and real information includes the possibility of change for those who are motivated enough to change.
As to the APA's decision, your took Peace2God'sPeople to task for not backing up his statements with sources however, you don’t seem to mind quoting the APA site that states the removal of homosexuality from the DSM III was the result of, “consultation with experts in the field”. What experts and what was their sexual orientation?
I know what Dr. Spitzer has written. I also know that the vast majority of men and women seeking information concerning changing sexual orientation do not contact a mental health expert since they do not trust psychiatrists and psychologists to help them achieve their personal goal. How do I know? Well since you want us to accept your personal experiences as evidence we are advancing bad information, then I can appeal to my inbox and the comments posted in my guestbook. None of the many men, women, and youth who have contacted me have availed themselves of the services of mental health experts. With few exceptions all the ex-gays I know have changed with the support and encouragement of those who have changed and compassionate, understanding heterosexuals who accepted them for who they are. Therefore Dr. Spritzer’s comments are based on limited and incomplete information.
Since you are happy and content with your life great, but to advocate that homosexuality is innate is an outright lie. There is too much evidence that shows homosexual behavior is not cut in stone and can be controlled even changed.