Dr Spitzer dies - the man who fought to declassify gay as mental illness

electro-shock therapy was used to treat gays before it was declassified as a mental illness

Dr Robert Spitzer, who fought in the 1960's to declassify being homosexual as a mental illness, has died at 83.

Notably he came out with a controversial study later on claiming that some gays could change to being straight. However in later life he became doubtful of the study, especially after talking to some of the subjects involved in it and how they came to be so. 

He retracted the study and apologised to the gay community for it, saying the study had no way to ascertain the reliability of the subject's assertions that they had changed their sexuality. In other words, they may  well have been lying or in self delusion, but the study simply relied on what they said as the truth.