Can the homosexual condition be prevented? Author says ‘Yes’

Can early intervention help a young person who has homosexual inclinations, thoughts, or curiosities, even those who have begun to experiment sexually?

According to author Don Schmierer, the answer is a convictional yes. In fact, Schmierer’s 2003 book “An Ounce of Prevention: Preventing the Homosexual Condition in Today’s Youth” (Promise Publishing Co., 227 pages), is a plea for action to parents and influential others who know young people in danger of stumbling headfirst into what Schmierer says is sexual identity deception wrought by “a constellation of causes.”  

Schmierer, a minister and counselor who has worked in military and campus settings, wrote the book with help from writer Lela Gilbert and his friend “Cody,” an ex-homosexual who became a Christian and founded one of the pioneer AIDS hospices in Northern California.

Schmierer traces a progression of events, beginning with same-sex attraction leading to what he terms a “homosexual condition” and potentially a “homosexual lifestyle” where one embraces that identity and behavior.

The contributing factors for homosexuality, Schmierer writes, often begin with feelings of being outside the larger peer group. Add to that a toxic mix of such things as exposure to pornography, sexual and/or emotional abuse, alcohol and drugs, domineering or permissive parenting, name-calling, sensitivity or physical differences in boys or perceived “butch” behavior in girls—the list is manifold.

For many youngsters at risk for eventually identifying with homosexuality, increasing social acceptance, even encouragement of it from school counselors or respected peers, makes the task of helping disoriented young people more daunting.

“The proclivities that lead to various high-risk behaviors—alcohol and drug abuse, anorexia and bulimia, sexual addictions and aberrations—can be identified early and addressed before their self-destructive habit patterns have severely marred or destroyed the lives of those at risk,” Schmierer writes. “The same is clearly true of same-sex attraction. The sooner it is identified and addressed, the more likely a preventative approach is to be successful.”

More than behavioral modification, Schmierer writes, the end game for Christian believers is to see people transformed inwardly by the saving and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. The church must provide supportive, loving environments for all kinds of broken people—recovering homosexuals included, he argues.

Schmierer recounts the category change of homosexuality as a deviant behavior and psychological disorder in the first six decades of the last century to an affirmed and applauded behavior.

Helpful real-life anecdotes throughout the book help paint a picture of the pathology of experiences leading to same-sex attraction and/or gender confusion. Also, five major studies that sought but failed to show biological cause for homosexuality are examined.

The book includes endorsements from Ken Canfield of the National Center for Fathering and Jim Burns, president of YouthBuilders.

For parents of children who have physical or emotional struggles or are at risk for being ostracized by peers, this book would be a vital resource alongside the biblical command to “get wisdom” (Proverbs 4:7).

The book is available by online booksellers or by visiting Schmierer’s ministry website—hisservants.net—where $8.50 covers the book and shipping.