Research by the Trevor Project has shown that 41% of LGBTQ+ youth have attempted or thought about committing suicide at some point in the last year. The leading cause of suicidal thoughts and depression of LGBTQ+ youth is conversion therapy and discrimination/bullying, So why does the world allow conversion therapy and discrimination to continue? Bullying and discrimination was introduced into the LGBTQ+ community early on in its history as conversion therapy was used as a way to attempt to convert those with “unusual same-sex desires” to the normality that was believed. Conversion therapy used an array of techniques which all used mental and physical abuse to subdue their victims. Research has shown how harmful and deadly conversion therapy is and how it often results in depression and loss of identity through its wicked and vicious practices that leave its “victims” mentally degraded and dehumanized.
Conversion or reparative therapy is a form of therapy designed to try to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity (“Conversion Therapy”). Conversion therapy has been around since the late 1900s, usually used by religious leaders and organizations. This form of therapy is used for many different reasons. In the 1960s and 70s, being a part of the LGBTQ+ community was looked at as a disorder, created by being attracted to inappropriate erotic or sexual desires (Ott). In today’s world, being a part of the LGBTQ+ community is seen to religious areas as being wrongful and a major sin. Conversion therapy uses many different forms of abuse, but most can be split into two categories.
New research on conversion therapy has split the forms of abuse into two categories, talk and aversion therapy. Talk conversion therapy which is more common in today’s world. Talk therapy is based on “fixing” trauma and manipulation which they believe to be the cause of same-sex attraction (Wilder). Talk therapy is often used by religious leaders in confessionals, and therapists who try to make it seem as though what they are doing is right. On the complete opposite side of the spectrum, aversion therapy is the more dangerous and abrasive form of conversion therapy. It is also what most people think of whenever they think of that style of therapy. It typically involves medieval methods including electric shock, lobotomys, or less dangerous methods like snapping a rubber band against a wrist (Wilder). While all methods of conversion therapy are different and there is still more to learn about the abuse, every form of this therapy leads to immense amounts of PTSD, anxiety, and shame on the victim.
Often in cases where the victim is underage, the child will go through hate and bullying by friends, family, and communities. In most situations, most of the hate and bullying come from religious areas. LGBTQ+ youth with religious backgrounds and families are often placed in therapy by their parents which leads to broken trust and embarrassment. There are many documented cases of this, but one that stands out is the Lopes-Galloway case. Lopez- Galloway’s parents used his christian community to attempt to change him by hurting his trust and faith in his family. It creates a sense of no longer belonging and loneliness. As for his christian counselor, so many conversion therapists get away with using their crude psychological practices by labeling themselves as a “christian counselor” as to not raise suspicion (Ducharme). This hatred by family and friends, can lead the victims to struggle with self esteem and mental health. On the other end of the spectrum, many go through public humiliation, getting outed by their church in front of all of their peers, which can lead to extremely high levels of embarrassment. One church even did this, “Prayer for homosexually tempted persons and their families offered as part of the intentions during mass is one way to let them know that the community cares for them” (Homosexuality and Hope…). While in theory, using mass teaching as a way to deter those with homosexual feelings is great on paper, the amount of emotional stress and self loathing damage this can cause is irreversible. All of these feelings often leave victims to have rough emotions later in life.
The practice of conversion therapy has been discredited as dangerous and ineffective for years through research. The research done shows that many survivors of the practice struggle with mental health issue, some including self-esteem issues and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (Ducharme). Studies have already shown that LGBTQ+ youth struggles with mental health, often having suicidal thoughts, depression, and eating disorders. By adding the constant stress of conversion therapy, it not only will give those who are secure in their mental health and struggle that was not there before, but those who previously struggled will get worse. In many cases, government officials have tried to stop the use of conversion therapy on minor, but they are always too late, “In April of 2015, President Obama issued a statement that appears in conjunction with a petition calling for a ban on conversion therapy, particularly for minors, that was inspired largely by Leelah Alcorn’s suicide” (“Conversion Therapy”). Hundreds if not thousands of LGBTQ+ teens have commited suicide in the U.S, and yet still officials do not take the threat of conversion therapy as a serious threat to youth all over America. How many more kids will die before the government decides to take actions to stop it, and can they even completely stop the use of conversion therapy?
The answer to that question is yes it can be stopped, and some measures have been taken in the past. In 2012, The Third Circuit helped courts ban the use of SOCE (Sexual Orientation Change Efforts) against minors. The courts used the idea that therapy does not fall under the category by which it would be protected by the right to freedom of speech. Therefore, if a therapist used conversion or “reparative” therapy, they could be charged with malpractice. After this ruling, many other circuit courts agreed with The Third, making the ruling seem even more legit to those who saw the therapy as a freedom of speech (Wilder). However, even though bans are in place, open conversion therapists are still in place all over the U.S. One team of researchers even went so far as to attempt to find out how many conversion therapists they could find, and even though bans against conversion therapy are in place, that team found at least 1,320 conversion therapy practitioners. In every state except Vermont and Hawaii, and even those might still have practitioners they could not find (Ducharme). But helping stop conversion therapy can go further than bans and law, one thing to help conversion therapy fade into the shadows for good is acceptance. If it were not for the hate and misunderstanding surrounding the community, LGBTQ+ youth would not be going through this in the first place. Teenagers are the most susceptible age group to struggle with the need to be accepted by their family, friends, and community. So it is most important to at least try to understand those teens who are struggling with their identity and their place in the world.
Unfortunately, even though conversion therapy in all forms proves to be a dangerous form of “medical care”, still the law and government will not make it a stand to protect LGBTQ+ youth. The world today is a dangerous place for those who identify as a part of the LGBTQ+ community, adults and youth are being shamed and discriminated against just for being their full authentic self. For those reasons, in today’s age more than ever, we need to work together to protect the LGBTQ+ youth from conversion therapy in all of its forms, before it’s too late.
“Conversion Therapy.” GoodTherapy.org Therapy Blog, Good Therapy LLC, 26 Oct. 2017, www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/conversion-therapy. Accessed 5 Feb. 2025.
Ducharme, Jamie. “Conversion Therapy Is Still Happening.” Time, Time Use LLC, 12 Dec. 2023, time.com/6344824/how-common-is-conversion-therapy-united-states/. Accessed 31 Jan. 2025.
Homosexuality and Hope: The Statement of the Catholic Medical Association. Vol. 68, The Linacre Quarterly, May 2001, epublications.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=2464&context=lnq. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Human Rights Campaign. “The Lies and Dangers of “Conversion Therapy.”” Human Rights Campaign, The Human Rights Campaign, 6 Sept. 2011, www.hrc.org/resources/the-lies-and-dangers-of-reparative-therapy.
Ott, Katherine. “The History of Getting the Gay Out.” Americanhistory.si.edu, Smithsonian, 15 Nov. 2018, americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/history-getting-gay-out.
The Trevor Project. “Facts about LGBTQ Youth Suicide.” The Trevor Project, The Trevor Project, 15 Dec. 2021, www.thetrevorproject.org/resources/article/facts-about-lgbtq-youth-suicide/.
Wilder, Elizabeth. “EBSCO Sign In.” Ebsco.com, Washington Law Journal, 2025, research.ebsco.com/c/imurp5/viewer/pdf/ylwvxrwkpj. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
The CHS Creative Quarterly winners are chosen by the CHS Writers’ Circle club members.
