Martin Luther King, Jr. advises a young gay man to see a psychiatrist to "solve" the "problem."

Date
Jan 1958
Type
Periodical
Source
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Non-LDS
Hearsay
Direct
Reference

Martin Luther King, Jr. "Advice for Living," Ebony Magazine 13, no. 3 (January 1958): 34

Scribe/Publisher
John H. Johnson
People
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Audience
Reading Public
Transcription

Question: My problem is different from the ones most people have. I am a boy, but I feel about boys the way I ought to feel about girls. I don’t want my parents to know about me. What can I do? Is there any place where I can go for help?

Answer: Your problem is not at all an uncommon one. However, it does require careful attention. The type of feeling that you have toward boys is probably not an innate tendency, but something that has been culturally acquired. Your reasons for adopting this habit have now been consciously suppressed or unconsciously repressed. Therefore, it is necessary to deal with this problem by getting back to some of the experiences and circumstances that lead to the habit. In order to do this I would suggest that you see a good psychiatrist who can assist you in bringing to the forefront of conscience all of those experiences and circumstances that lead to the habit. You are already on the right road toward a solution, since you honestly recognize the problem and have a desire to solve it.

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