A young gay Auckland man has made a complaint to the Health and Disability Commissioner about a GP who colluded with his father in order to carry out blood tests, claiming being gay is caused by low testosterone levels. The 20-year-old, who GayNZ.com Daily News has chosen not to name, was 19 when he had what he describes as an “appalling” experience at an Auckland medical clinic. “The whole situation went from me accompanying my dad to the doctors for his sprained ankle to me getting a blood test in hopes of 'curing' my sexuality,” he says. The young man says something seemed extremely off from the moment he and his father arrived at the medical centre. “I usually go to this clinic to see a doctor whenever I am unbearably sick. The usual procedure is that I go up to the reception, explain what is wrong and take a seat until a doctor is ready to see me,” he explains. “However this time, my dad went up to the front of the reception said he needed his sprained ankle looked at, and out of the blue mentioned that I needed my testosterone levels checked - and that he had already spoken to a doctor about it prior to this. Instead of sitting in the usual waiting area we were seated in this other room where you go to see specific doctors,” he continues. “I had already anticipated this as I knew my father had been seeing a doctor of some sort to try to ‘fix’ my sexuality. After doing the usual checks with the stethoscope and Popsicle stick he then printed out a form and I headed off to the blood test clinic which was about five minutes away.” No, there is no 'gay switch' The Aucklander says he was tested for low testosterone, because the doctor and his father believe that homosexuality is attributed to low testosterone. “To add to this the doctor also said that my sexuality 'is all in my head' as I was only 19 when I told them and that I wouldn't know any better.” The whole experience has been an emotional roller coaster, he says. “The needle side of the blood test was already problematic for me as I am deathly afraid of needles, but at first, it crushed my spirit because I felt like a science experiment that you just shove needles in and do tests on. “I didn't feel like a respected or accepted part of the family, my parents tried to instil the idea that I was sick or something was wrong with me but I knew that there was nothing wrong. I then felt disgusted, angry and disappointed, not only in the doctor but in my parents. “It's 2014, if you still believe the false ideas and bigotry associated with the LGBTQ community, you've got some catching up to do. “It shocked me that there was a doctor out there that would not only feed my parents these ideas and support them but also initiate the action to take a blood test. “Also for him to tell me that being gay is all in my head is one of the most appalling things I have ever been told. In regards to the situation with my parents, it made me feel extremely hurt. All I want is for them to accept me for who I am and to see that there is nothing wrong with being gay and I don't need to be 'cured'.” Duncan Matthews At the prompting of his shocked friends, he contacted Rainbow Youth for help and the group has helped him make a complaint to the Health and Disability Commissioner. "It's sad that, in 2014, a young person can't be confident to reach out to a medical doctor with a question about sexuality, and be assured of receiving correct advice and support,” says Rainbow Youth’s General Manager Duncan Matthews. “This highlights the need for mandatory training around sexuality and gender diversity for all health professionals as part of basic training, as well as up-skilling for doctors and other health professionals that are on the front lines today." “Really quite homophobic” Shaun Robinson One GP has told GayNZ.com Daily News the case ‘seems wacky in 2014’, while the New Zealand AIDS Foundation is in full support of the young man – and applauds Rainbow Youth’s help with his case. “There is categorically no scientific evidence that changing testosterone levels will have any effect on the young man’s sexual orientation,” says NZAF Executive Director Shaun Robinson. “Not only is this scientifically wrong but it implies that being gay is something that should be fixed.” Robinson says the situation is really quite homophobic and should have no place in New Zealand, “where homosexuality is legal and protected as a human right, where celebration of diversity is a core social attribute and where the right to love and marry whoever you love is now supported by law.” He adds: “I am sure that the father loves his son but he is misguided; the GP is out of line in his failure to see the young man as the person who should be in control of his own health care.” Very, very poor science Associate Professor Mark Henrickson from Massey’s School of Health and Social Services says the low testosterone theory is awash with very, very poor science. “This GP appears to be confusing sexuality with gender - testosterone produces secondary sexual characteristics normally associated with gender, not with sexuality,” he explains. “In fact one of the current ‘theories of gay’ is that male embryos who are exposed to more testosterone in utero, as a result of a mother having given birth to boys previously, are more likely to be gay - in other words, the more testosterone the more likely to be gay, not a deficit.” In addition, Henrickson says the idea of sexuality being ‘all the head’ has no currency in reputable 21st century science. He says it’s known to be a complex combination of biology (DNA and hormones), anatomy (our plumbing), behaviours (who we have sex with), attraction (who we find sexually attractive), and emotion (who we fall in love with), combined with what Hammack calls the ‘sexual story possibilities’ of a culture. “So sexuality and its expression is in many places in the body and the culture, ‘the head’ being only one of them.” Remaining optimistic The young complainant and his family are no longer talking, something he says is sad. “It was my 20th birthday recently and I didn't get a greeting or anything, in fact they barely spoke to me the whole day and showed no interest in celebrating my birthday with me,” he says. “I think that's very telling of how things are at home but I'm remaining optimistic that they will come around. If not all I can do is keep my head up and continue being true to myself as that is what is most important at the end of the day.” Meanwhile, he obviously won’t return to that GP. “There are plenty of other open minded and understanding doctors I can see.”