Homosexuality not a mental disorder, Hellenic Psychiatric Association says
The Hellenic Psychiatric Association has dismissed claims that homosexuality is a mental disorder.
In a statement issued Thursday, the association said it “stresses, explicitly and categorically, that homosexuality is not a mental illness.”
The statement was seen as a response to controversial comments made by Metropolitan Nikolaos of Mesogaia and Lavreotiki, who said, “Since psychiatry removed homosexuality from the list of mental disorders, it gave up on the related research and these wretched people were left without any help – their only solace being hope for convenient legislation and self-deprecating and shameful parades in the claim of rights.”
His comments were made during a meeting earlier this week of the Greek Church’s Holy Synod, in which bishops voted unanimously to reject government plans to legalize same-sex marriage as well as the adoption of children by gay couples.
Nikolaos’ comments were praised by Kyriakos Velopoulos, leader of the pro-Russian nationalist Greek Solution party.
The Holy Synod said that its written objections would be sent to all members of the Greek parliament and read out at Sunday services around the country on February 4.
Government officials said Wednesday that the draft legislation would be put to a vote by mid-February.
