Mathew Moore, a 45-year-old from Southern California, started seeing a new doctor earlier this year, reports NBC Southern California.  The office suggested he get a complete physical, which he did on his first visit.  He returned to the office and received a copy of the results from a nurse.  The results of his physical showed that he was B-12 deficient, had high cholesterol, had high blood pressure, and exhibited the chronic condition of homosexual behavior.

Though Moore is openly gay, having his sexual orientation listed as if it were a disease was appalling.  Homosexual behavior came with a diagnosis code of 302.0, which Moore looked up and saw that it indicated “sexual deviancy or mental illness,” reports the New York Daily News.  He found that that code was supposed to stop being used in 1973.

The Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry describes the declassification of homosexuality.  The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), created by the American Psychiatric Association (APA), no longer included homosexuality as an official diagnosis in 1973.  Alfred Kinsey’s work shaped the understanding of sexuality at this time, stating that there is a scale and all human beings cannot be exclusively labeled as heterosexual or homosexual.

Replacing homosexuality as a diagnosis, the next publication of the DSM included sexual orientation disturbance.  Individuals that were comfortable and accepting of their sexual orientation were not considered mentally ill.  Those that were in conflict with their orientation were considered to have a mental disorder.  Critics thought it was unlikely that anyone who was unwilling to accept being a homosexual would seek treatment to become homosexual.  The next version of the DSM included ego-dystonic homosexuality instead, which included distress at homosexual arousal.  This, too, was met with controversy and was removed in 1987.

Now, homosexuality remains in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), without reflecting the updates to the DSM.  The diagnosis code is under group 302, which refers to sexual deviations and disorders.  This group includes, in addition to homosexuality, bestiality, pedophilia, transvestism, exhibitionism, trans-sexualism, psychosexual identity disorders, and others.  Homosexuality (302.0) is considered an appropriate code whether or not there is a mental disorder.

Moore felt that the diagnosis and implication that he had a disease was inappropriate.  He is comfortable with his orientation, but felt ostracized, reports the Huffington Post.  Moore responded by writing a letter to the Torrance Memorial Physician Network.  In response, he received an apology from the network stating that they do not view homosexuality as a disease or condition.  He also received a refund of his $30 copay.