MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif., Aug. 9 (UPI) -- An openly gay California man said he objects to seeing his sexual orientation referred to as a chronic condition in his medical history.
Matthew Moore told KNBC-TV, Los Angeles, he visited a Manhattan Beach doctor for a routine physical and when he returned for a follow-up visit, learned the doctor listed "homosexual behavior," with the medical billing code 302.0, as a "chronic condition" in her diagnosis.
"I looked up code 302.0 and its sexual deviancy or mental illness. That code had been removed, or suggested heavily not to be used, since 1973," Moore said. He added the doctor defended her position when he inquired about the classification, which suggests being gay is a disease to be cured.
"Government tells us [gay people], oftentimes, we're not equal. Many churches tell us that we're sinners, and now here's a medical professional telling us that we're sick. It's got to stop," he said.
Moore added he does not intend to sue the doctor, whose name was withheld, but the Torrance Memorial Physician Network sent an apologetic letter in response to a letter Moore wrote.
