David H. Barlow vs. transgender people

by Andrea James Reviewed October 8, 2026 9 min read

David H. Barlow is an American psychologist and anti-transgender activist. Barlow published papers in the 1970s promoting conversion therapy on transgender people, including a case report of a trans subject reportedly “cured” by an exorcism. Barlow’s conversion therapy publications have been extensively cited by anti-trans activists and academics. They have never been retracted or appended with any kind of editorial note.

Barlow went on to become a prominent figure in research on anxiety and “emotional disorders.” After retiring, Barlow apologized for some of the conversion therapy efforts.

Background

David H. Barlow was born on April 30, 1942, in Needham, Massachusetts. Barlow earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame in 1964, a master’s degree from Boston College, and a doctorate from the University of Vermont in 1969.

In 1969, Barlow joined the University of Mississippi as a professor and founded the medical school’s psychology residency program. Barlow worked closely with psychiatrist Stewart Agras, stating in a 2005 autobiography, “most psychiatry departments were dominated in those days by psychoanalytical approaches and were actively hostile to more behavioral conceptualizations.”

From 1975 to 1979 Barlow was professor at Brown University, founding their clinical psychology internship program. Barlow was then appointed as Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University at Albany, SUNY, and director of its Phobia and Anxiety Disorders Clinic.

Barlow joined Boston University in 1996 and moved the anxiety clinic there, which was renamed the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders (CARD). Barlow developed cognitive-behavioral treatments for anxiety, including Panic Control Treatment and the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders. Barlow was appointed emeritus status.

David Barlow married Beverly A (Colby) Barlow in 1966. They have two children. They funded the David H. and Beverly A. Barlow Grant for early-career researchers of anxiety.

Anti-trans activism

In 1973, Barlow published a case report on “gender identity change in a transsexual.” Barlow describes how they methodically broke the will of the teenaged subject:

“After initial attempts to change patterns of sexual arousal and suppress central transsexual fantasies failed, components of female role behavior in a 17 year-old male transsexual were defined, measured, and modified piece by piece.

Male and female components of sitting, standing, and walking were identified and changed from feminine to masculine. Next, masculine social behavior and vocal characteristics were instigated; following this, male sexual fantasies were initiated and strengthened. At this point attempts to change patterns of sexual arousal from homosexual to heterosexual, which had failed earlier, were successful. In many instances the procedures were experimentally demonstrated to be responsible for changes. These data indicate that gender role may not be as inflexible as assumed.”

In 1977, Barlow published a case report in anti-trans journal Archives of Sexual Behavior about observing a successful “exorcism” inflicted on a victim:

“Gender identity change in a conservatively diagnosed 21-year-old transsexual after faith healing was fortuitously observed, was objectively and independently measured, and is reported. This case, and other recent developments, suggests a reexamination of the possibilities of psychosocial intervention to modify atypical gender identity.”

In 1979, Barlow published a follow-up on the 1973 case report along with two new case reports of methodically breaking the wills of transgender victims:

“An apparently successful change in gender identity of an adolescent transsexual was reported several years ago. Gender-specific motor behavior, appropriate sex role social behavior, cognitive sexual activity, and finally sexual arousal patterns were defined, measured, and sequentially modified. In this report, a 61/2-year follow-up is presented and the application of a similar therapeutic package to two additional cases is described. In the first case, sweeping changes in gender identity, sex-role behavior, and sexual arousal patterns were observed. In the second of these cases, rigid feminine gender was given up, but the patient chose to retain homosexual arousal. Social adaptation was satisfactory. These findings and other recent developments point to the possibility of psychosocial intervention as an alternative to surgery in the treatment of transsexualism.”

In 1980, Barlow published a paper in anti-trans journal Archives of Sexual Behavior that measured the “feminine behaviors” of eight “presurgical male-to-female transsexuals.”

Acknowledgement of harm

In the introduction to the 2016 book The Neurotic Paradox, Barlow reflected on the conversion therapy “research” at the University of Mississippi:

“[I]n 1971 I was fortunate to obtain my first NIMH grant to study psychological aspects of sexual dysfunctions and paraphilia.

[…] But it was also during this time that I undertook what has come to be from my own personal point of view the most regrettable initiative in my clinical research career. Specifically, with my expertise acquired from Joe Cautela in the administration of covert sensitization I began treating and evaluating the effects of treatment in individuals with what came to be called paraphilias but what was then called sexual deviation (Barlow, 1974a). While our focus was mostly on pedophilia (e.g. Barlow, Leitenberg, & Agras, 1969), the aggressive behavior of rapists (e.g. Abel, Barlow, Blanchard, & Guild, 1977), and other paraphilias (e.g. Hayes, Brownell, & Barlow, 1978), included in this series of studies were participants presenting with same-sex arousal patterns with consenting adults. (e.g., Barlow, Leitenberg, & Agras, 1969). At that time homosexuality was considered a disorder in all systems of nosology and, under extreme pressures from society and the associated stigma, these individuals sought out treatment; so very few clinicians even gave it a second thought.

[…] Looking back on that period from today’s vantage point it is very hard to even conceive how we could not have realized the inherent conflicts in attempting to treat harmless consenting adult behavior involving love and affection. But, the lesson learned by most of us is that definitions and classification of psychopathology do not represent qualitatively different entities but rather are embedded in the continually shifting landscape of cultural values and mores and that these ethical and moral issues must be transparent, debated, and occupy a central role in all of our endeavors (Barlow & Durand, 2014).

Barlow made no mention of the anti-trans conversion therapy.

In 2022, the Association for Behavior and Cognitive Therapies published a formal apology that Barlow co-signed. It states in part:

“On behalf of the field of behavior therapy and cognitive behavior therapy, the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies apologizes for our historic role in the development and use of so-called “conversion therapies,” practices that have caused untold harm to members of the sexual and gender minority (SGM) community for over 50 years. To this day, publications written by ABCT members – including members in prominent leadership roles – are used by anti-SGM activists to justify their ongoing use of these damaging so-called “therapies.” ABCT deeply regrets behavior therapists’ role in the creation, study, and use of these practices, and recognizes and accepts responsibility for the ways in which both our actions and inactions have harmed SGM people. ABCT recognizes it is time for us to document our history and legacy and say that we are truly sorry.”

After the apology came out, psychologist Aaron Fisher of University of California, Berkeley cited Barlow’s anti-trans research and said Barlow and two other past ABCT presidents who signed the letter “should have issued their own personal apology” for their published conversion therapy research:

Moreover, he said, “I believe much of their work on conversion therapy and related topics should be retracted due to the harmful effects the work has had and continues to have.”

ABCT’s statement does not address retraction but says that the organization’s publications committee has been tasked with the creation of “disclaimers,” to be added to flagged articles previously published in ABCT journals.

In response to calls for retraction, Barlow said:

“The only reason you can really retract a journal article, based on my understanding, and I’ve been an editor myself, is if you have some evidence that the data was manipulated or fabricated or false, and the science is wrong. I don’t think you can retract an article because times have changed, or have a different view of it now and you don’t like the conclusion. But you can put a disclaimer on it. And that disclaimer is that we know a lot more about this now. It’s not that the science then was faulty. It’s that we have additional science that now shows that engaging in this type of conversion activity does more harm than good.”

This illustrates the central bias of conversion therapists: Barlow still believes the science was not faulty. Science is faulty when it is premised on a biased belief, in this case that changing someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity is a desirable outcome. From that faulty and unethical scientific premise, any research is irredeemably biased.

In a subsequent personal apology, Barlow said in part:

“During several presentations at meetings as well as in a professional autobiography published in 2016, I expressed deep and abiding regret for that early work and the harm it caused. However, several of my colleagues and students with whom I work noted that I had not taken the next step and formally apologized myself for those early papers. Therefore, I will say very clearly at this point that I am extremely regretful and sorry for the pain-and-suffering this work has caused over the decades, and in my few remaining years, I will continue to experience that sorrow and regret on a frequent basis. That regret is compounded by the fact I did not keep up with how these papers were continuing to be used in a harmful manner. I will support whatever reparative actions regarding these articles that are decided upon by Editors, Associations, and publishing companies

It is a supreme irony that I began my career in clinical psychology almost 60 years ago with the specific mission of relieving human suffering and enhancing human functioning. Now I find in the course of an otherwise rich and rewarding career that in these early publications I have caused, and continue to cause, the very human suffering I had pledged to alleviate. I am also aware that my words will not achieve resolution for some of you.”

To Barlow’s credit, this apology exists, making Barlow one of the few conversion therapists to acknowledge the harm they caused.

References

Flaherty, Colleen (June 13, 2022). ‘Beliefs Change’: A field reckons with its past involvement in conversion therapy for LGBTQ people—and somehow a graduate admissions decision gets thrown into the mix. Inside Higher Ed https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/06/14/conversion-therapy-apology-statement-raises-questions

Lynch, Eileen (January 24, 2017). Alumnus David Barlow builds successful career in clinical psychology. University of Notre Dame Department of Psychology https://psychology.nd.edu/news-events/news/alumnus-david-barlow-builds-successful-career-in-clinical-psychology/

Selected writing by Barlow

Barlow, David H. (June 14, 2022). Comment regarding ABCT apology statement. Boston University https://www.bu.edu/psych/2022/07/14/pbs-emeritus-prof-david-barlow-apology-statement-on-conversion-therapies/

Barlow, David H. and signatories (June 2022). ABCT Apology for Behavior Therapy’s Contribution to the Development and Practice of Sexual
Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression Change Efforts: History and Next Steps. Association for Behavior and Cognitive Therapies https://www.abct.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Untitled-document-6.pdf

Barlow, David H. (2016). Introduction: A career in psychology, pp. 1-27. In D. H. Barlow [editor]. The Neurotic Paradox, Volume 1: Progress in Understanding and Treating Anxiety and Related Disorders. Routledge, ISBN 978-1138850798 full text https://www.bu.edu/psych/files/2018/05/Barlow-Professional-Autobiography-2016.pdf

Barlow, D. H. (2005). Barlow, David H. In Encyclopedia of Behavior Modification and Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Volume 1: Adult Clinical Applications Volume 2: Child Clinical Applications Volume 3: Educational Applications. SAGE Publications, ISBN 978-0761927471 https://doi.org/10.4135/9781412950534.n13

Hayes, S. C., Nelson, R. O., Steele, D. L., Meeler, M. E., & Barlow, D. H. (1984). Instructional control of sex-related motor behavior in extremely masculine or feminine adults. Sex Roles, 11(3–4), 315–331. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00287523

Barlow, D. H., Mills, J. R., Agras, W. S., & Steinman, D. L. (1980). Comparison of sex-typed motor behavior in male-to-female transsexuals and women. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 9(3), 245–253. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01542250

Barlow, D. H. (1979). Gender Identity Change in Transsexuals: Follow-up and replications. Archives of General Psychiatry, 36(9), 1001. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1979.01780090087009

Barlow, David H.; Abel, Gene G.; Blanchard, Edward B. (September 1, 1977). Gender identity change in a transsexual: An exorcism. Archives of Sexual Behavior. 6 (5): 387–395. https://doi.org/10.1007%2FBF01541182

Barlow, D. H. (1973). Gender Identity Change in a Transsexual. Archives of General Psychiatry, 28(4), 569. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1973.01750340089014