Documentary Chronicles Removal of Homosexuality From DSM

Fifty years ago, during the 124th APA Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., demonstrators from the Radical Caucus and the Gay Liberation Movement disrupted the convocation presentation, demanding equal representation on panels discussing homosexuality.

A grainy, black and white photo was taken of the moment, and though it was taken 50 years ago, the image still evokes the protesters’ passion. For years, the photo was tucked within APA’s Archives, and now it is one of many featured in a new documentary chronicling the push by advocates and psychiatrists to remove homosexuality from DSM.

“CURED” tells the story of the years leading up to 1973, when APA removed homosexuality from DSM; it details the implications of the medical establishment’s view that homosexuality was a mental illness. It largely focuses on the activists who pushed to change the way mental health professionals viewed homosexuality, as well as the psychiatrists who took up the cause themselves.

Psychiatrists featured in the documentary include John Fryer, M.D., who spoke about being a gay psychiatrist at APA’s 1972 Annual Meeting in Dallas while masked and identifying himself as Dr. Anonymous; past APA President Lawrence Hartmann, M.D., who pushed for change within APA and worked with colleagues in the Northern New England District Branch in early 1973 to write a resolution calling for the removal of homosexuality from DSM; and Richard Green, M.D., one of the first heterosexual psychiatrists to speak out about removing homosexuality from DSM.

The APA Foundation provided outreach and engagement sponsorship for the documentary. It will host a town hall on June 23, during which panelists will discuss the documentary and participants will be able to view the film ahead of time.

“The activists in the film changed APA, and their actions changed LGBTQ people’s lives, as I know personally,” said APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D., M.P.A., in a statement on the “CURED” website. “I am grateful that their experiences are being told and also that APA has made forward progress on LGBTQ issues over the past decades.”

Amy Porfiri, M.B.A., the Foundation’s interim executive director, explained that the producers reached out to the Foundation in late 2018 to access photos and documents within the Archives. At the time, the Foundation’s librarian and archivist, Deena Gorland, M.S.L.I.S., was beginning the laborious task of organizing APA’s Archives; the collection had been stored in thousands of poorly labeled boxes when APA moved to smaller quarters.

Gorland dove into the collection, looking specifically for items from the late 1960s and early 1970s that would be relevant to the producers’ work, such as Annual Meeting programs and photos, including the photo of the protesters at the 124th APA Annual Meeting. She worked closely with the producers as she identified the items they could use in the documentary and digitized the materials. “I found some amazing photos—the types of images that tell stories in themselves,” Gorland said. “The treasures we have in our collection are vast.”

“CURED,” Gorland explained, educates the world about a pivotal moment in the history of LGBTQ rights. “It’s amazing how far we have come and how far the medical community has evolved,” she said. “My hope is that a film like this will not only educate the public about the history, but also encourage people to advocate, especially with their lawmakers, to change laws and policies that still stand in the way of equality.”

“This documentary provides members with an opportunity to see how far the field of psychiatry has come,” Porfiri said. “ ‘CURED’ emphasizes that you can make your voice heard, and it can make a difference.” ■