A new report entitled “Ending Conversion Therapy: Supporting and Affirming LGBTQ Youth” was just released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today, calling for an end to the use of conversion therapy on LGBTQ+ youth. While the Obama Administration has been calling for an end to this type of therapy since last year, and legislation against it has made it through a few state legislatures, this report is another major step toward ensuring that young people are no longer subjected to the harmful and inappropriate practice.
Conversion therapy, sometimes referred to a reparative or sexual reorientation therapy, is a widely discredited practice that attempts to “change” an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity. It is derived from the incredibly inaccurate, but once widely believed, premise that LGBTQ individuals are suffering from disorders and need to be “cured.” According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, it can include practices such as “violent role play, reenactment of past abuses, and exercises involving nudity and intimate touching.” It can lead to increased anxiety, depression, and in some cases, be a catalyst for suicidal tendencies.
It has been condemned by major health and psychological organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. However, it has only expressly been made illegal by four states–California, New Jersey, Illinois, and Oregon–as well Washington D.C. Legislation to end this practice has been introduced in 21 states. The hope appears to be that this report will spark even more action.
SAMHSA Special Expert on LGBT Affairs Elliot Kennedy explained the major takeaway of the report saying:
Conversion therapies or other efforts to change sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression are not effective, reinforce harmful gender stereotypes and are not appropriate mental health treatments.
Kennedy also told Reuters Health that “variations in sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression are normal.”
The recent, highly-publicized death of Leelah Alcorn, a 17-year-old transgender woman who committed suicide after her parents forced her to attend conversion therapy, particularly incited calls for change. The Obama administration responded with a statement that supported ending the use of this therapy for minors. This SAMHSA report is another step toward ending the clearly harmful practice, but it’s also still not enough. Until no more young people are objected to the kind of abuse and unethical practices that Alcorn was, there is still more work to do.