Dallin H. Oaks and Electroshock Therapy for Gays at BYU | Ep. 1505

When Dallin H. Oaks stood at the University of Virginia Law School to discuss religious freedom and LGBTQ issues, he brought decades of institutional authority. What he did not bring was an honest accounting of his own history as president of Brigham Young University during the 1970s, when gay students underwent electroshock therapy in campus laboratories. The gap between that podium in Charlottesville and the BYU psychology department circa 1975 captures the central tension of Oaks' career. He presents himself as a thoughtful jurist navigating complex social change, yet the documented record suggests a leader who either oversaw or ignored medical torture happening under his roof.

Background: The Oaks Era at BYU

Oaks served as BYU president from 1971 to 1980, a period when the university actively pursued what it termed "electric aversion therapy" to cure homosexuality. During these years, the BYU psychology department conducted experiments where male students viewed slides of nude or semi-nude men while receiving painful electric shocks. Researchers measured physiological responses using penile plethysmography, aiming to associate same-sex attraction with physical pain.

The church hierarchy of that era considered homosexuality a curable affliction. Oaks moved in circles with Spencer W. Kimball and Mark E. Petersen, apostles who preached that the gospel could "cure" gay members through faith and therapy. Oaks brought legal credentials from the University of Chicago and judicial experience to the university presidency, which made him an unusual choice for an ecclesiastical position. Yet his tenure coincided with the most aggressive period of BYU's attempts to eliminate homosexual behavior through behavioral modification.

Key Claims and Documented Evidence

The evidence that electroshock therapy occurred during Oaks' presidency is concrete and specific. A 1976 doctoral dissertation from BYU's psychology department, titled "Effect of Visual Stimuli in Electric Aversion Therapy," details experiments where subjects received shocks while viewing male images. The study measured "penile volume change" to track whether the pain successfully reduced arousal. This was not fringe science conducted in shadows. It was academic research approved by university committees, published through official channels, and stored in the campus library.