by Larry Hallock

Now and then I run across something so utterly outlandish while scanning the Adventist press on homosexuality that I report it to you in a state of disbelief. You, dear readers, might find some humor in these major departures from reality gleaned from the writings of Agatha Thrash, MD. Last year’s July issue of Self-Supporting Worker contained an article by Dr. Thrash titled “Medical Highlights.” But one is hard pressed to find much of anything soundly medical buried under the heaps of religious platitudes and folk lore. Here’s a sampling of Agatha Thrash’s pearls of wisdom:

1.    “Generally, lesbians are easier to treat than homosexual men and can experience complete recovery. By careful retraining, a girl who has assumed masculine characteristics can learn to act, dress and speak in a feminine way if she comes to be a committed Christian.”
   

1.    “With men, the process is very similar: first the Christian conversion, the deep commitment of the life; then the retraining of habits and mannerisms."
   

1.    "A whopping 25 percent of the United States population has bisexual tendencies and would as soon mate with the same as with the opposite sex."
   

Where did she get this stuff, you're already wondering. (Am I a mind reader, or what?) Her articles provided no references, so I wrote and asked for some—about nine months ago. She responded (most recently on March 5) to say that she intends to answer my letters but hasn't yet had the time. [She never did find the time.] Here's more:

1.    "The average active homosexual has 1,000 different persons as sexual partners during a lifetime, 20 percent of which are with children under 15."
   

Personally, I'm running a little behind—I haven't started on my 200 children yet. How could that happen, considering that I live only a block away from an elementary school? Come to think of it, I'm a little behind on my men and boys over 15 too. Wasn't very smart of me to spend 13 years with just one man, I guess.

1.    In the interest of remaining true to principles, "the gay individual may wish to become 'a eunuch by choice.'"
   

1.    "The homosexual population is the largest reservoir of venereal disease."
   

She didn't get that from the American Social Health Association, which said nearly three years ago that we were "witnessing the most dramatic increases in [non-AIDS sexually transmitted diseases] in 30 years, almost all among heterosexuals." (Chicago Tribune, emphasis supplied.)

1.    "Even prostitutes are not so prone to have untreated venereal disease as they regularly have examinations and get treatment." (How would she know, in a country where most prostitution is illegal and unregulated?)
   

1.    AIDS is "part of God's mercy to keep evil practices, unphysiological [sic] lifestyles and destructive physical habits from becoming universal."
   

Apparently she believes heterosexuality is so precarious, and homosexuality so attractive, that something is needed to keep everybody from turning gay! Thank God, everybody, for the mercy that is AIDS.

1.    Under the heading, "The Widespread Blight of Homosexuality," Dr. Thrash describes a Presbyterian ministerial retreat at which ministers held a lottery—with their wives' agreement—to see which one would get to ask a certain female cleric to stay in his room during the retreat. (Wouldn't that be the sin of heterosexuality? Hello?)
   

1.    "The common but unscriptural practices of dating for purely recreational purposes with no intention of marriage" has "no place in the life of Christians [sic]."
   

1.    "The homosexual falls into a problem because of masturbation or allowing himself to 'fall in love' with one of the same sex."
   

And just when you can't imagine what else she could possibly make up, she delivers another zinger with an authoritative air:

1.    "There are no genetic origins of homosexuality, and it is not passed down."
   

Flat out, unqualified! Doesn't she read the paper? Did she get this from a vision? A good editor might have added the fad disclaimer, "Not!" Seriously, I would never be so hard on an ordinary Paula Parent out there blithely going about her own business in silent ignorance. But folks, this is a physician dispensing "information" in an authoritative capacity—in the guise of expertise! I sincerely trust that, along with our amusement in reading this trash, we also comprehend how tragic it is that some people will actually believe almost anything from a person perceived as a knowledgeable authority.

Dr. Thrash paints no honest picture on the question of orientational change, either. She touts a study that supposedly had a 75% success rate, but it only referred to behavior and didn't hint at how “success” or change was defined or evaluated over time. She completely ignores the overwhelming bulk of scholarship, which is, of course, contrary to her bias.

Here is Dr. Thrash's advice for one who discovers that a family member is gay:

1.   "Two factors stand out above all others as being important.
   

               1. Begin a program of health reform immediately. Good health brings calmness and self-assurance

               2. Study the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy writings diligently for methods of Sabbath observance. If one understands perfectly the meaning of the Sabbath and its spiritual significance and does not keep the Sabbath for purely legalistic reasons as did the Jews, the Sabbath becomes a strong deterrent to sin. Once these two measures are in operation, specific remedies can be instituted. First, it is usually best not to seek counselors outside the family if the family members are consecrated and know how to pray. [Shaking my head in astonishment here!] Second... draw nigh to the Lord. By whatever means available, try to encourage the homosexual family member to develop a sense of responsibility for important things: a bank account, personal property, the family garden, family cooking, etc."

Really folks, I'm not making this up! We all know how irresponsible homo-sexuals are when it comes to gardening, cooking and owning property. On what planet has this woman been living?

The doctor's understanding of homosexuality—if one can call it that—seems limited to the basic elements of effeminate men and masculine women. "The son may turn toward feminine characteristics as more desirable.... One mother slept with her son until age 18, encouraging him to participate in classically feminine activities." She speaks of "treatment" as consisting of "retraining habits and mannerisms" for both gay men and lesbians.

And here's something that will enlighten science itself: "For girls, the conversion to lesbianism is usually after age 12. There are many ways in which this can happen. The father often sets out to masculinize [sic] his daughter which makes her vulnerable to an approach by an aggressive but trusted older woman friend." (Emphasis supplied.) Thrash says "even a well-balanced young lady" will "often" turn toward lesbianism when "approached" by a trusted woman friend who is personable and very much loved.

Religiously, Thrash's bottom line is that Christian conversion can change everything. But only if it's a really true conversion, of course, after which "solutions to previously insurmountable problems will follow." One can simply "decide" to change preferences. Oh.

So that’s the word from Agatha Thrash. She’s a physician. Would you like to pick her brain on something else now?