Queer Cafe

Thousands Seek Help After Being Forced Into Ex-Gay Therapy

Policy and Position Statements on Reparative Therapy

Miseducation of Cameron Post: Reparative Therapy at the Movies

APA Resolution: Gender Identity Change Efforts

APA Speaks Out About Gender Identity Change Efforts

The Human Rights Campaign responded to a resolution adopted by the American Psychological Association that opposes efforts to reject or attempt to change a person’s true gender identity, citing research that conveys those actions as harmful. “The Resolution on Gender Identity Change Efforts” aligns with the APA’s position against similar efforts to change a person’s sexual orientation.

Alphonso David, Human Rights Campaign President, issued this statement: "There is no question that denying a person’s gender identity is wrong. It’s detrimental to their mental health, their physical health, and their overall sense of self worth—and this includes young people. The consensus from the American Psychological Association further reinforces that we must rely on transgender people and their healthcare providers to determine treatment for gender affirming care in accordance with current medical best practices—this is not the place for politicians. It is incredibly dangerous when strangers can legislate personal healthcare decisions.”

The resolution emphasizes that “individuals who have experienced pressure or coercion to conform to their sex assigned at birth or therapy that was biased toward conformity to one’s assigned sex at birth have reported harm resulting from these experiences, such as emotional distress, loss of relationships, and low self-worth.” The resolution also reiterates support for laws and policies that prohibit efforts to change a person’s gender identity and that aim to protect individuals from anti-transgender bias and discrimination.

Although this announcement is a step in the right direction, transgender people are especially vulnerable when it comes to accessing social services and health care, including finding doctors who respect and affirm their identities. Many experience discrimination from medical providers, while others may simply struggle to access medical and mental health professionals who are knowledgeable in transgender-specific care.

HRC: Lies and Dangers of Efforts to Change Orientation or Identity

PTA: Harmful Orientation and Identity Change Efforts

States Ban Conversion Therapy

Over the past 10 years, one by one, individual states have begun banning the practice of conversion (reparative) therapy. Through the process of legislative statute, the unethical practice has now been made illegal in many jurisdictions. Individual cities (municipalities) have also passed ordinances to ban conversion therapy.

2012 - California

2013 - New Jersey

2014 - District of Columbia

2015 - Illinois

2015 - Oregon

2016 - Vermont
2017 - Connecticut

2017 - Nevada

2017 - New Mexico
2017 - Rhode Island
2018 - Washington

2018 - New Hampshire

2018 - Delaware
2018 - Hawaii
2018 - Maryland

2019 - Colorado
2019 - Massachusetts

2019 - Maine

2019 - New York

2020 - Virginia

2023 - Utah

2023 - Minnesota

2023 - Michigan

1 in 5 LGBTQ People Have Experienced Conversion Practices, Study Finds

Pan American Health Organization: Conversion Therapy Ethically Unacceptable
List: US Jurisdictions Banning Conversion Therapy

Dan Reynolds Calls for End to Conversion Therapy

Gay Conversion Therapy: Damaging Destructive Pseudoscience

List of Countries Banning Conversion Therapy

1999 - Brazil

2000 - Norway

2007 - Samoa

2010 - Argentina

2010 - Fiji

2014 - Ecuador

2016 - Switzerland

2016 - Malta

2017 - Uruguay

2018 - Taiwan

2019 - Germany

2021 - Chile

2021 - India

2021 - Canada

2021 - France

2022 - New Zealand

2023 - United Kingdom

PAHO/WHO: Conversion Therapy Lacks Medical Justification

Thousands Seek Help After Being Forced Into Ex-Gay Therapy

Policy and Position Statements on Reparative Therapy

Video Interview: Kids Meet Gay Conversion Therapy Survivor

Canada Bans Conversion Therapy, Joining a Handful of Other Nations

History, Overview, Update: Countries Banning Conversion Therapy

Across the world, many places already have bans in place. In fact, there are 13 countries with some form of national ban on conversion therapy, and many other states, cities and provinces have introduced legislation to protect their citizens.

Starting in 1999, Brazil introduced a trailblazing ban on conversion therapy relating to sexual orientation – the first conversion therapy ban in the world! Their ban came through the Federal Council of Psychology, and it was extended to cover gender identity as well as sexual orientation in 2018. The following year, in 2000, Norway banned registered psychiatrists from practicing conversion therapy on their patients.

Jumping ahead to 2007, Samoa banned registered health professionals from practicing conversion therapy. Argentina and Fiji followed suit in 2010, followed by Taiwan in 2018 – with the latter introducing a criminal ban for health practitioners. Similarly, in 2017, Uruguay implemented a ban on conversion therapy in mental health law, and Albania implemented a ban covering members of their national psychological association.

New Zealand Became Latest Country to Outlaw Conversion Therapy
Germany is 5th Country to Ban Conversion Therapy for Minors
Conversion Therapy Thrives Globally as Bans Gather Pace

Several countries have introduced criminal bans for those found to be practicing conversion therapy, including Ecuador in 2014 and Malta in 2016. Also in 2016, Switzerland implemented a ban which can be determined as criminal by the Federal Council.

In 2019, Germany banned conversion therapy for minors, as well as protecting adults undergoing conversion therapy because of force, fraud or pressure.

When it comes to provinces, regions and territories, Canada, Spain and Australia continue to make progress. Bans for minors are already in place across several Canadian territories – namely Ontario and Manitoba in 2015, Nova Scotia in 2018, and Prince Edward Island, Quebec Provinces and Yukon Territory in 2020.

In Spain, Murcia has implemented a ban on registered health professionals practicing conversion therapy, and Madrid, Valencia, Andalusia and Aragon all introduced criminal bans in 2017. In 2020, Queensland State in Australia made conversion therapy a criminal offence, and followed by Victoria in 2021. And between 2013 and 2020, bans of varying forms have been implemented across 20 states, two territories, and multiple local counties or municipalities in the United States.

In 2021, Chile introduced a medical ban, and in India, the Madras High Court issued directives to prohibit conversion therapy in India.

Update for 2022: The national Governments and Parliaments in Ireland, Canada, New Zealand, Israel, Norway, Denmark, Finland and France are all actively considering conversion therapy ban legislation, or are in the process of launching consultations.

Conversion Therapy for LGBTQ Youth is Bad

Dan Reynolds Calls for End to Conversion Therapy

1 in 5 LGBTQ People Have Experienced Conversion Practices, Study Finds

Gay Conversion Therapy: Damaging Destructive Pseudoscience

PAHO/WHO: Conversion Therapy Lacks Medical Justification

Conversion Therapy and Suicide Risk

Thousands Seek Help After Being Forced Into Ex-Gay Therapy

Policy and Position Statements on Reparative Therapy

Video Interview: Kids Meet Gay Conversion Therapy Survivor

Gay Conversion Therapy Denounced Worldwide

Canada Bans Conversion Therapy, Joining a Handful of Other Nations

Canada banned conversion therapy in Dec 2021, a debunked treatment that aims to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. Several other countries, including Germany and Brazil (and 20 US states) have banned the debunked practice.

A bill making it a crime to subject Canadians of any age to the discredited practice became law Wednesday after Canada's Parliament passed the measure. "It’s official: Our government’s legislation banning the despicable and degrading practice of conversion therapy has received Royal Assent — meaning it is now law. LGBTQ Canadians, we’ll always stand up for you and your rights," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.

The Canadian law is the latest instance of a growing global effort to eradicate conversion therapy, a practice that ranges from religious counseling to electric shock therapy and has been associated with “severe psychological distress.”

UK Introduces Ban on Conversion Therapy

New Zealand Became Latest Country to Outlaw Conversion Therapy
Germany is 5th Country to Ban Conversion Therapy for Minors
Conversion Therapy Thrives Globally as Bans Gather Pace

Canada's ban follows that of Germany, Malta, Ecuador, Brazil and Taiwan. Some of the nations, such as Germany, have passed bans exclusively for minors, whereas others, like Malta, have passed bans for all citizens. In the United States, 20 states and the District of Columbia have restrictions in place for minors, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a nonprofit think tank. Three states (Florida, Alabama, Georgia) are in a federal judicial circuit with an injunction that blocks conversion therapy bans.

In addition to Canada, France's Senate voted in favor of legislation this week that would also criminalize the practice, with prison sentences of two to three years and fines up to $50,000.

In 2019, the American Medical Association voiced its support for state and federal efforts to ban conversion therapy, saying that it "has no foundation as scientifically valid medical care and lacks credible evidence to support its efficacy or safety.” And last year, the United Nations called for the practice to be banned internationally and released a detailed report on the practice's global implications. “The attempts to pathologize and erase the identity of individuals, negate their existence as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or gender diverse and provoke self-loathing have profound consequences on their physical and psychological integrity and well-being,” the report stated.

LGBTQ advocates hailed the Canadian law's passage. "To the survivors who have fought for years for a safer, more equal future: thank you and congratulations. This is your moment," No Conversion Canada, a Canadian nonprofit coalition to end conversion therapy SAID.

[Source: Matt Lavietes, NBC News, Dec 2021]

Canada Bans Dangerous Practice LGBTQ Conversion Therapy

Canada Bans Conversion Therapy, Joining a Handful of Other Nations
After Two Failed Attempts, Canada Bans Conversion Therapy

Canadian MPs Vote to Ban LGBTQ Conversion Therapy
Canada Bans Conversion Therapy, a Practice Trudeau Calls Despicable and Degrading
We'll Always Stand Up for Our LGBTQ Residents: Canada Bans Conversion Therapy
Canada Bans Conversion Therapy

Minnesota Gov Tim Walz to Ban Conversion Therapy by Executive Order

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz's office announced he will sign an executive order in July 2021 protecting the state's LGBTQ youth by banning the controversial practice of "conversion therapy." Walz intends to bypass the state's legislative body to enact the ban since the Republican-held state senate has pushed back against it multiple times. The state's legislature has declined to ban the practice over multiple years.

Michigan Bans Use of Conversion Therapy on LGBTQ Youths
1 in 5 LGBTQ People Have Experienced Conversion Practices, Study Finds
UK Introduces Ban on Conversion Therapy
Conversion Therapy for LGBTQ Youth is Bad

Gay Conversion Therapy Survivors Share Horrific Experiences In New Documentary
New Zealand Became Latest Country to Outlaw Conversion Therapy

Canada Bans Dangerous Practice LGBTQ Conversion Therapy
Minnesota Gov Tim Walz to Ban LGBTQ Conversion Therapy by Executive Order

"Our kids deserve to grow up in a state that values them for who they are—not one that tries to change them," said Governor Walz. "This Executive Order aims to protect young and vulnerable Minnesotans from the cruel and discredited practice of conversion therapy and affirms that the LGBTQ community is an integral part of One Minnesota. This is not the end of our work to see this practice become a thing of the past. We will continue to fight for love over hate every single day."

Conversion therapy has been banned for use with minors in at least 20 other states as being potentially harmful, as well as largely discredited by medical authorities in the United States. Even before the statewide executive order, some cities in Minnesota have already banned conversion therapy, including Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth.

The practice of conversion therapy attempts to change an LGBTQ subject's sexuality or gender identity to become cisgender and/or heterosexual.

Minnesota Gov Tim Walz to Ban LGBTQ Conversion Therapy by Executive Order
Ryan Murphy's Parents Tried to Put Him in Conversion Therapy as a Teen

One of the Largest Conversion Therapy Networks is Disbanding

1 in 5 LGBTQ People Have Experienced Conversion Practices, Study Finds

In 2015, President Barack Obama called for an end to the use of conversion therapy in minors following the death by suicide of a transgender teen after religious therapists tried to convert her back to presenting as male.

A study published by the Trevor Project found that "LGBTQ youth who underwent conversion therapy were more than twice as likely to report having attempted suicide and more than 2.5 times as likely to report multiple suicide attempts in the past year."

In recent years, multiple leaders and proponents of conversion therapy, who have called themselves "ex-gay" as a result of the treatment, have come out or been outed as still gay.

In 2019, McKrae Game, who once led a faith-based conversion therapy program called Hope for Wholeness, came out as still a gay man. "Conversion therapy is not just a lie, but it's very harmful," Game told The Post and Courier. "Because it's false advertising."

The same year, David Matheson, who wrote the "Journey Into Manhood" program, which is used in many conversion therapy curriculums, came out as still being a gay man.

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours every day.

[Source: Cammy Pedroja, Newsweek, July 2021]

Dan Reynolds Calls for End to Conversion Therapy

AMA: Pushing to Ban Conversion Therapy

Christians Freaking Out Over Canada's Plan to Ban Conversion Therapy

Official Statements Regarding Reparative Therapy

“Aversion therapy (a behavioral or medical intervention which pairs unwanted behavior, in this case, homosexual behavior, with unpleasant sensations or aversive consequences) is no longer recommended for gay men and lesbians. Through psychotherapy, gay men and lesbians can become comfortable with their sexual orientation and understand the societal response to it. We oppose the use of ‘reparative’ or ‘conversion’ therapy that is based upon the assumption that homosexuality is a mental disorder or based upon the a priori assumption that the patient should change his/her homosexual orientation.”
-American Medical Association

“Therapy directed at specifically changing sexual orientation is contraindicated, since it can provoke guilt and anxiety while having little or no potential for achieving changes in orientation.”
-American Academy of Pediatrics

“We not consider homosexuality a disorder that requires treatment, and as such, we see no basis for reparative therapy.”
-American Association for Marriage & Family Therapy

"We oppose the use of conversion, reorientation, or reparative therapy for the treatment of LGBTQ persons."
-American College of Physicians

Pray Away the Gay: Viral Video Aimed at LGBTQ Youth

Ethical Guidelines for Professionals Working With LGBTQ Clients

Christians Freaking Out Over Canada's Plan to Ban Conversion Therapy

Thousands Seek Help After Being Forced Into Ex-Gay Therapy

Policy and Position Statements on Reparative Therapy

“We oppose the belief that same-sex attraction and behavior is abnormal and in need of treatment. We oppose portrayals of lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals as mentally ill due to their sexual orientation. We oppose the promotion of reparative therapy as a cure for individuals who are homosexual."
-American Counseling Association

“Psychotherapeutic modalities to convert or ‘repair’ homosexuality are based on developmental theories whose scientific validity is questionable. The potential risks of reparative therapy are great, including depression, anxiety and self-destructive behavior, since therapist alignment with societal prejudices against homosexuality may reinforce self-hatred already experienced by the patient. Therefore, we oppose any psychiatric treatment such as reparative or conversion therapy which is based upon the assumption that homosexuality is a mental disorder or based upon the assumption that a patient should change his/her sexual homosexual orientation.”
-American Psychiatric Association

“We affirm that same-sex sexual and romantic attractions, feelings, and behaviors are normal and positive variations of human sexuality regardless of sexual orientation identity; We affirm that homosexuality is not a mental disorder and opposes portrayals of sexual minority youths and adults as mentally ill due to their sexual orientation; We conclude that there is insufficient evidence to support the use of psychological interventions to change sexual orientation; We encourage mental health professionals to avoid misrepresenting the efficacy of sexual orientation change efforts by promoting or promising change in sexual orientation when providing assistance to individuals distressed by their own or others’ sexual orientation; We conclude that the benefits reported by participants in sexual orientation change efforts can be gained through approaches that do not attempt to change sexual orientation."
-American Psychological Association

One of the Largest Conversion Therapy Networks is Disbanding

1 in 5 LGBTQ People Have Experienced Conversion Practices, Study Finds

AMA: Pushing to Ban Conversion Therapy

Imagine Dragons Frontman Slams Conversion Therapy

Boy Erased: Surviving Gay Conversion Therapy

Message From Someone Who Survived Conversion Therapy

Conversion Therapy Needs to Be Banned

The damaging, destructive pseudoscience of gay conversion therapy needs to be banned. It's the outdated idea that homosexuality is a disease that needs curing, using A Clockwork Orange-style aversion tactics — in some cases, exposing LGBTQ youth to damaging stimulus such as ice baths, electric shock and nausea drugs while viewing same-sex pornography. It's self-hatred as therapy. Gay exorcism.

Finding one's sexual identity can be a fight in itself, yet teens are not protected. Youth subjected to these disturbing practices have higher rates of depression and substance abuse. Worse, not everybody who goes through them comes out alive: The issue gained national attention when a transgender 17-year-old in Ohio, Leelah Alcorn, committed suicide in December 2014 after receiving treatment from therapists she said were biased and hostile toward her, repeatedly calling her a boy.

Condemnation by every reputable health group from the World Health Organization to the American Medical Association is nothing new. In 1998, the American Psychological Association stated its position opposing any psychiatric treatment, "since therapist alignment with societal prejudices against homosexuality may reinforce self-hatred already experienced by the patient."

States have begun banning the practice. And demonstrations are underway nationwide to raise awareness of the issues and express support for the LGBTQ community. Those who oppose conversion therapy want to send a message of love and positivity, and a signal that the work for human rights continues. The resounding message is that we are all worthy, no matter who we love — a message all youth should receive. Any methods of gay conversion therapy are more than just repulsive, reckless and unethical. They should be illegal. When there's a consensus in the medical community, we pay attention — especially when it comes to our kids' health. Why not conversion therapy, and why not now?

[Source: Paul Dillon, Eastern Washington Program Director for YMCA Youth & Government]

Huff Post: Ex-Gay Christian Groups Continue Their Efforts

Family Research Council: Ex-Gay Pride Month Dinner

Video Interview: Kids Meet Gay Conversion Therapy Survivor

Ways Religious Frauds Try to Make Gays & Lesbians Straight
Thousands Seek Help After Being Forced Into Ex-Gay Therapy

CNN Article: How I Learned to Stop Praying Away the Gay

One of the Largest Conversion Therapy Networks is Disbanding

Strange "Cures" for Homosexuality

Conversion Therapy for LGBTQ Youth is Bad

In October 2015, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) published the report Ending Conversion Therapy: Supporting and Affirming LGBTQ Youth. The report marked the first time we had conclusive, universal data, federally, that conversion therapy for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth is not effective. In fact, conversion “therapy” has far more harmful repercussions than positive.

Children in the LGBTQ community, whether they understand or recognize their sexual orientation, seek understanding and acceptance. Forming a healthy identity is one of the most crucial parts of a child’s development. The problem is our society thinks of gender two ways: male or female. This leaves little room for variance for youth who have non-traditional identification with their genders assigned at birth. For example, elementary school teachers unintentionally introduce the idea of only two genders with which a child can identify. It can alienate children simply by asking them to line up based on gender—boys in one line, girls in the other. While this may not be the teacher’s intention, for a child confused about their gender orientation, this can be stressful. Physiological sex and gender are two very different things and we must recognize their impact on youth growing up in our modern world.

Two Movies Addressing Conversion Therapy Issue

Thousands Seek Help After Being Forced Into Ex-Gay Therapy

Policy and Position Statements on Reparative Therapy

Christians Freaking Out Over Canada's Plan to Ban Conversion Therapy

Miseducation of Cameron Post: Reparative Therapy at the Movies

One of the Largest Conversion Therapy Networks is Disbanding

Conversion Therapy Content is Being Banned by Social Media Thanks to the Work of GLAAD
Dan Reynolds Calls for End to Conversion Therapy

Judith Glassgold, PsyD, American Psychological Association associate executive director and government relations office public interest directorate, made the point that it’s normal for children to explore gender identities. Binary definitions of gender are not a part of the normal human experience. These definitions are something that society dictates. So, if it is a societal problem, why do we blame people for gender exploration? This is an issue that parents, especially, must address.

Dr. Caitlin Ryan, director of the Family Acceptance Project at San Francisco State University, pointed out that health care providers assume parents and educators know about the unique lived experiences of members of LGBTQ community. In reality, many parents are misguided about the stresses facing LGBTQ youth. Health care providers need to know how important it is for LGBTQ children to feel accepted by their families.

The Family Acceptance Project study found LGBTQ youth whose families rejected them were six times more likely to develop a mental illness and eight times more likely to attempt suicide. This is astonishing. Most parents worry about what their children are exposed to, but in this case, it is particularly important parents be careful and act with care. It’s easy for a parent to indirectly tell their child that not conforming to societal standards is wrong. By telling a child, “this is just a phase,” or “you’ll grow out of it,” parents and guardians set a precedent that they don’t accept their children the way they are.

AMA: Pushing to Ban Conversion Therapy

Christians Freaking Out Over Canada's Plan to Ban Conversion Therapy

Two Movies Addressing Conversion Therapy Issue

A positive way to help affirm and show acceptance of LGBTQ youth is to teach healthy coping skills. This is not just applicable for parents with LGBTQ children, but for youth in general. Hate crimes and bullying occur in all pockets of this nation to all kinds of people, straight or gay. And this is especially true for members of the LGBTQ community. Teaching a child resiliency will strengthen their ability to form a confident identity and teach them they’re stronger than it may seem. These are the greatest skills a child can have in school and in life.

As Lin Manuel Miranda said in his 2016 Tony Award acceptance speech, “Love is love is love is love.” No amount of conversion therapy or prejudice will prevent that from being true. Thanks to SAMHSA’s conversion therapy study, we have scientific data detailing the dangers and ineffectiveness of these types of therapy and that acceptance is much stronger than rejection in building healthy children and adults.

[Source: Adam Swanson, National Council for Behavioral Health, June 2016]

One of the Largest Conversion Therapy Networks is Disbanding

NBC: California Bans Controversial Ex-Gay Therapy for Minors
Advocate: California Officially Bans Ex-Gay Therapy for Youths
CNN: California Gov Calls Reparative Therapy Quackery

Gay Conversion Therapy: Damaging Destructive Pseudoscience

1 in 5 LGBTQ People Have Experienced Conversion Practices, Study Finds

APA Takes Stand Against Reparative Therapy

The governing board of American Psychological Association passed a resolution, 125 to 4, declaring that mental health professionals should not tell gay clients they can become straight through therapy or other treatments. The article goes on to say "Instead, the APA urged therapists to consider multiple options (that could range from celibacy to switching churches) for helping clients whose sexual orientation and religious faith conflict. In the resolution, and in a comprehensive report based on two years of research, the 150,000 member association put itself firmly on record in opposition of so called "reparative therapy" which seeks to change sexual orientation. No solid evidence exists that such change is likely, says the report, and some research suggests that efforts to produce change could be harmful, inducing depression and suicidal tendencies."

The APA Council of Representatives expressed its ethical concerns of reparative therapy and issued these basic principles:

--Homosexuality is not a mental disorder and the APA opposes all portrayals of lesbian, gay and bisexual people as mentally ill and in need of treatment due to their sexual orientation.

--Psychologists do not knowingly participate in or condone discriminatory practices with lesbian, gay and bisexual clients.

--Psychologists respect the rights of individuals, including lesbian, gay and bisexual clients to privacy, confidentiality, self-determination and autonomy.

--Psychologists obtain appropriate informed consent to therapy in their work with lesbian, gay and bisexual clients.

--The resolution further states that the APA "urges all mental health professionals to take the lead in removing the stigma of mental illness that has long been associated with homosexual orientation."

Supporters of the resolution, which passed the APA Council overwhelmingly by a voice vote, believed that it was critical for the Association to make such a statement due to the questions of the ethics, efficacy and benefits of conversion therapy which are now being debated within the profession and within society as a whole. "Our concern," stated Douglas Haldeman, PhD, President of APA's Society for the Psychological Study Of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Issues, "is that a person, especially a young person, who enters into therapy to deal with issues of sexual orientation should be able to have the expectation that such therapy would take place in a professionally neutral environment absent of any societal bias.

Additionally, therapists should be providing clients with accurate information about same-sex sexual orientation. This resolution reasserts the profession's commitment to those two principles." The APA Council of Representatives is the major legislative and policy-setting body of the organization. The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 151,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 50 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 58 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting human welfare.

Policy and Position Statements on Reparative Therapy

Ethical Guidelines for Professionals Working With LGBTQ Clients

ACA: Ethical Concerns of Reparative Therapy

The Ethics Committee of the American Counseling Association have offered consultation regarding the practice of conversion therapy based on their Code of Ethics. They shared their formal interpretation of specific sections of the ACA Code of Ethics concerning the practice of conversion therapy and the ethics of referring clients for this practice.

The basic goal of reparative/conversion therapy is to change an individual's sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual. Counselors who conduct this type of therapy view same-sex attractions and behaviors as abnormal and unnatural and, therefore, in need of "curing." The belief that same-sex attraction and behavior is abnormal and in need of treatment is in opposition to the position taken by national mental health organizations, including ACA.

ACA opposes portrayals of lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals as mentally ill due to their sexual orientation. In addition, their resolution supports dissemination of accurate information about sexual orientation, mental health and appropriate interventions and instructs counselors to "report research accurately and in a manner that minimizes the possibility that results will be misleading.” They adopted a statement "opposing the promotion of reparative therapy as a cure for individuals who are homosexual." In fact, according to the DSM-IV-TR, homosexuality is not a mental disorder in need of being changed. With this in mind, ACA has a difficult time discussing the appropriateness of conversion therapy as a treatment plan.

One of the Largest Conversion Therapy Networks is Disbanding

NBC: California Bans Controversial Ex-Gay Therapy for Minors
Advocate: California Officially Bans Ex-Gay Therapy for Youths
CNN: California Gov Calls Reparative Therapy Quackery

Gay Conversion Therapy: Damaging Destructive Pseudoscience

ACA has found no scientific evidence published in psychological peer-reviewed journals that conversion therapy is effective in changing an individual's sexual orientation from same-sex attractions to opposite-sex attractions. They find no longitudinal studies conducted to follow the outcomes for those individuals who have engaged in this type of treatment. They conclude that research published in peer-reviewed counseling journals indicates that conversion therapies may harm clients.

Conversion therapy assumes that a person who has same-sex attractions and behaviors is mentally disordered and that this belief contradicts positions held by the American Counseling Association and other mental health and biomedical professional organizations. Additionally, the ACA does not endorse reparative therapy as a "cure" for homosexuality.

Conversion therapy as a practice is a religious, not psychologically-based, practice. The premise of the treatment is to change a client's sexual orientation. The treatment may include techniques based in Christian faith-based methods such as the use of "testimonials, mentoring, prayer, Bible readings, and Christian weekend workshops.”

It may also use cognitive-behavioral techniques such as aversion therapy (stopping clients from masturbating to same-sex images; encouraging imagery of getting AIDS paired to same-sex arousal), reinforcement techniques that emphasize traditional gender role behavior (for men to "engage in team sports, to go the gym, and for women "to learn how to cook, sew, and apply make-up"), and use of sexual surrogates. However, there is no training offered or condoned by the American Counseling Association to educate and prepare a professional counselor wishing to engage in this type of treatment.

Research does not support conversion therapy as an effective treatment modality. There have been "no objective screening criteria, no consensus about outcome measurement, and no blinded or side-by-side studies" and there is "no article in a peer reviewed scientific journal" stating that conversion therapy alters someone's sexual orientation. Further, no long-term studies have been conducted to discern whether research participants who reported a change in their behaviors maintained these changes over time. And, most importantly, there is potential for harm when clients participate in conversion therapy.

[Source: Joy S. Whitman, Harriet L. Glosoff, Michael M. Kocet, and Vilia Tarvydas]

Huff Post: Ex-Gay Christian Groups Continue Their Efforts

Family Research Council: Ex-Gay Pride Month Dinner

Video Interview: Kids Meet Gay Conversion Therapy Survivor

Ways Religious Frauds Try to Make Gays & Lesbians Straight
Thousands Seek Help After Being Forced Into Ex-Gay Therapy

CNN Article: How I Learned to Stop Praying Away the Gay

One of the Largest Conversion Therapy Networks is Disbanding

Strange "Cures" for Homosexuality

Gay Cure Ministry Shuts Down and Apologizes

In June 2012, after 37 years, Exodus International, an organization whose mission was to "help" gay Christians become straight, is shutting down. But not before issuing an apology. "We're not negating the ways God used Exodus to positively affect thousands of people, but a new generation of Christians is looking for change and they want to be heard," Tony Moore, an Exodus board member, said Wednesday. The announcement comes less than a day after Exodus issued a wide-ranging apology to the gay community for "years of undue judgment by the organization and the Christian Church as a whole," a statement from the group says.

CCN: Exodus International Shuts Down and Apologizes

LA Times: From Pray Away the Gay to Acceptance

ABC News: Exodus International has Change of Heart

LGBTQ Nation: Purveyors of Ex-Gay Therapy Closing Down

CBS News: Exodus International Shuts Doors

NY Daily News: Ex-Gay Ministry Apologizes and Closes

Former Exodus Chair Apologizes

"Exodus is an institution in the conservative Christian world, but we've ceased to be a living, breathing organism," said Alan Chambers, the president of Exodus. "For quite some time, we've been imprisoned in a worldview that's neither honoring toward our fellow human beings, nor biblical." Chambers, who has a wife and children and previously identified as gay, has acknowledged that he has "ongoing same-sex attractions." Exodus, which has promoted "freedom from homosexuality through the power of Jesus Christ," has de-emphasized conversion therapy in recent years as more of the counselors in its network have abandoned the practice.

The American Psychological Association defines conversion therapy as aimed at changing sexual orientation, but adopted a resolution in 2009 condemning the practice. In it, the organization said "mental health professionals should avoid telling clients that they can change their sexual orientation through therapy or other treatments." But the same resolution also encouraged therapists to consider the religious beliefs of clients who say such beliefs are important to their views of homosexuality. The APA removed homosexuality from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1975. But yet with the apology, some things have not changed, according to Chambers. "I cannot apologize for my deeply held biblical beliefs about the boundaries I see in scripture surrounding sex, but I will exercise my beliefs with great care and respect for those who do not share them," he said. "I cannot apologize for my beliefs about marriage. But I do not have any desire to fight you on your beliefs or the rights that you seek."

[Source: CNN]

NY Times: Psychiatry Giant Apologizes to Gay Community
Atlantic Wire: Spitzer Trying to Do Right

Truth Wins Out: Apology for Infamous Ex-Gay Study

1 in 5 LGBTQ People Have Experienced Conversion Practices, Study Finds

Dan Reynolds Calls for End to Conversion Therapy

Video Interview: Kids Meet Gay Conversion Therapy Survivor

Prominent Psychiatrist Apologizes

Dr. Robert Spitzer is a major architect of the modern classification of mental disorders. He is considered by some to be the father of modern psychiatry. In May 2012, he apologized to the gay community for his decade-old study that concluded some gay people can go straight through what's called reparative therapy. He now says he no longer believes his work showed that.

"I believe I owe the gay community an apology for my study making unproven claims of the efficacy of reparative therapy. I also apologize to any gay person who wasted time and energy undergoing some form of reparative therapy because they believed that I had proven that reparative therapy works with some 'highly motivated' individuals."

For the study, Spitzer had interviewed 200 people who'd claimed some degree of change. The "fatal flaw" is that there is no way to judge the credibility of their accounts, Spitzer says in a letter he submitted last month to a journal that published his work in 2003. The work made headlines when he presented it at a 2001 meeting of the American Psychiatric Association. One reason for the attention was that Spitzer had played a leading role 30 years before in removing homosexuality from the list of mental disorders in the association's diagnostic manual. Spitzer's study was attacked by critics who questioned the reliability of the accounts from the people he interviewed. At the time, Spitzer acknowledged that he had no proof their stories were accurate, but said several aspects of their accounts suggested their statements could not be dismissed out of hand.

In 1973, Dr. Spitzer, a Columbia University professor, helped spearhead the removal of homosexuality as a mental disorder from the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual. So, it was quite a media sensation when Spitzer unveiled a controversial new study in May 2001 suggesting that some very motivated homosexual study subjects provided by anti-gay organizations could switch sexual orientations. At that time, LGBTQ leaders and many researchers pointed to methodological flaws in the study. Despite his differences with scientists, Spitzer made it clear that he did not want his study used to justify discrimination. He also strongly emphasized the fact that he did not think most gay people could become heterosexual and that change was extremely rare.

Unfortunately, anti-gay organizations repeatedly misused his study to claim that all gay people could go from gay to straight through prayer or therapy. His study results were deliberately misinterpreted so often, that Spitzer has been forced to repeatedly set the record straight. Here are examples of Spitzer saying either that change was highly improbable or that right wing organizations had misapplied his work to fit their political agenda.

Now he says his reasoning was wrong, and that "there was no way to determine if the subject's accounts of change were valid," he wrote in a letter to the editor of the Archives of Sexual Behavior. Spitzer, who is 80 years old and lives in Princeton, NJ, sent a copy to The Associated Press after a reporter interviewed him about his change of heart. "I believe I owe the gay community an apology for my study making unproven claims of the efficacy of reparative therapy," Spitzer wrote. "I also apologize to any gay person who wasted time and energy undergoing some form of reparative therapy because they believed that I had proven that reparative therapy works with some 'highly motivated' individuals."

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