The Real Deviance: Misrepresentation of Science and the Persistence of Homophobic Ideology - A Rebuttal to Daftari and Khaleghi

Abstract

Daftari and Khaleghi’s recent editorial misrepresents peer-reviewed evidence on sex, gender, and sexual orientation, pathologizing diversity via selective citation and conceptual conflation. Contrary to their claims, empirical research demonstrates that while biological sex is largely chromosomal, gender, identity, and orientation are multidimensional and non-pathological. Their evolutionary and neurobiological arguments lack validity, ignoring cross-species evidence of same-sex behavior and misinterpreting descriptive neuroanatomical findings as “anomalies.” Psychiatric consensus rejects homosexuality as a disorder, attributing mental health disparities among sexual minorities to stigma, not intrinsic pathology. We call for editorial accountability and reaffirm that gender and sexual diversity are natural human variations grounded in robust scientific evidence.