GAY CURE PILLS CONDEMNED

The Psychiatric Association of Turkey has condemned pills being sold in the country that outrageously claim to cure homosexuality in a mere eight months.

The Homofin herbal pills are marketed online and its sellers state that the product can stop homosexual feelings by regulating users’ hormones, reported LGBTI News Turkey.

A bottle with thirty pills (a month’s treatment) will set you back around R628,52.

“It is now up to you to be or not to be a homosexual,” the Homofin site claims boldly.

“Your sexual identity, which is something you are born with and has only to do with hormonal pheromones, is no longer your destiny. You can make your own decisions.”

According to the product’s marketers, Homofin was “discovered by researchers in Stockholm University and developed by US firm Shetty Pharmaceuticals, is finally in Turkey after Spanish scientists designed to remove all side effects”.

The Psychiatric Association of Turkey responded in a statement that it has taken legal action and filed complaints with the relevant authorities to stop the product from being sold.

“This unethical and unscientific practice considers homosexuality a disease and poses a threat to public health through the sale of a ‘so-called’ medicine (with unknown content) with the promise of treating an non-existent disease,” said the association.

It added that “creating awareness in the community is as important as taking legal action against this kind of practice. We believe that everyone with knowledge of the subject, especially health professionals, should be responsible for creating awareness.”

Homosexuality is not illegal in Turkey but there is no legal recognition of same-sex relationships and LGBT people still face widespread social and legal discrimination.

The results of a global survey released in 2013 found that 78% of people in the predominantly Muslim country believe that homosexuality is unacceptable.