Gays cured in deep south
Swedes are well known to be a tolerant bunch, but nobody seems to have told the authors of a textbook that appears to claim that homosexuality can be cured by electric shock treatment.
The textbook, used by social work students at several Swedish universities, is still in use, despite the protests of students, reported Saturday's Dagens Nyheter. According to the offending chapter, the treatment involves showing the 'patient' gay porn and then giving him electric shocks when he - apologies - "demonstrates a feeling of desire."
Of course, a man doesn't become a Harley-Davidson-riding, red meat-eating testosterone-charged skirt chaser overnight. No - he needs help to see the fairer side of the fairer sex. Therefore the book recommends that 'normal heterosexual behaviour' is restored through the use of erotic pictures of the heterosexual variety.
"Show the client heterosexual pictures and ask him to masturbate," the book recommends.
The liberal-minded DN confronted the universities that use the book, who claimed to be dissatisfied with it, even though it is still part of their curriculum.
"We don't think that it states clearly enough that these methods are no longer in use," said Martina Campart at Malmö University, "but I should point out that these issues are fully discussed in class."
Ideas about curing homosexuality have traditionally been the preserve of the far right. But while Sweden's extreme nationalist Sverige-demokrat party is alive and kicking, its members are more focused on kicking each other at the moment, if an investigation by anti-racist newsletter Expo is to be believed.
Monday's Göteborgs Posten reported that Expo had uncovered a web of racist and homophobic prejudice, despite the party's efforts over the past years to show a more respectable face.
The party's prejudices had also caused deep divisions between senior members, with brothers Per and Lars Emanuelsson, both of whom are bigwigs in the Gothenburg branch of the party, accused of victimizing fellow party member Jimmy Windeskog.
They apparently did not consider Windeskog to be a 'real Swede', because his ex was bisexual.
The Emanuelssons deny victimizing Windeskog, with Lars Emanuelsson telling Göteborgs Posten that the whole thing's just a 'personality clash'.
Whilst they're busy personality clashing in the newspapers, maybe the Swedish electorate will get a better picture of what the Sverige-demokrat party really stands for.
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The textbook, used by social work students at several Swedish universities, is still in use, despite the protests of students, reported Saturday's Dagens Nyheter. According to the offending chapter, the treatment involves showing the 'patient' gay porn and then giving him electric shocks when he - apologies - "demonstrates a feeling of desire."
Of course, a man doesn't become a Harley-Davidson-riding, red meat-eating testosterone-charged skirt chaser overnight. No - he needs help to see the fairer side of the fairer sex. Therefore the book recommends that 'normal heterosexual behaviour' is restored through the use of erotic pictures of the heterosexual variety.
"Show the client heterosexual pictures and ask him to masturbate," the book recommends.
The liberal-minded DN confronted the universities that use the book, who claimed to be dissatisfied with it, even though it is still part of their curriculum.
"We don't think that it states clearly enough that these methods are no longer in use," said Martina Campart at Malmö University, "but I should point out that these issues are fully discussed in class."
Ideas about curing homosexuality have traditionally been the preserve of the far right. But while Sweden's extreme nationalist Sverige-demokrat party is alive and kicking, its members are more focused on kicking each other at the moment, if an investigation by anti-racist newsletter Expo is to be believed.
Monday's Göteborgs Posten reported that Expo had uncovered a web of racist and homophobic prejudice, despite the party's efforts over the past years to show a more respectable face.
The party's prejudices had also caused deep divisions between senior members, with brothers Per and Lars Emanuelsson, both of whom are bigwigs in the Gothenburg branch of the party, accused of victimizing fellow party member Jimmy Windeskog.
They apparently did not consider Windeskog to be a 'real Swede', because his ex was bisexual.
The Emanuelssons deny victimizing Windeskog, with Lars Emanuelsson telling Göteborgs Posten that the whole thing's just a 'personality clash'.
Whilst they're busy personality clashing in the newspapers, maybe the Swedish electorate will get a better picture of what the Sverige-demokrat party really stands for.
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