Under the supervision of the Dean of the College of Pharmacy, Associate Professor Dr. Sarmed H.kathum Alkhateeb, the Psychological Counseling and Educational Guidance Unit at the College of Pharmacy/University of Baghdad, held an educational and guidance workshop entitled (The Spread of Homosexual Ideas and Ways to Combat These Deviant Ideas, presented by Lecturer Dr. Ahmed Sadeq Ali, a specialist in psychological counseling and educational guidance. The workshop reviewed the details of the issue of homosexuality and the phenomenon of its phobia, referring to perspectives that consider these orientations as unconventional and leading to the collapse of the social structure. The workshop also shed light on the ineffectiveness of any treatment to change sexual orientations and discussed the origin of the term ‘homophobia’ and its relationship with excessive fear of homosexuals. The lecturer also addressed the impact of cultural and environmental factors in spreading homophobia and pointed to studies linking this phobia to personal factors and psychological violence. The workshop emphasized the role of environmental and psychological factors in shaping sexual orientations, affirming that genetic factors have less influence in this context.
