Gay therapy

What does the scholarly research speak about whether conversion therapy can change sexual orientation without causing harm?

Overview: We identified 47 peer-reviewed studies that that met our criteria for adding to knowledge about whether conversion therapy (CT) can alter sexual orientation without causing harm. Thirteen of those studies included primary research. Of those, 12 concluded that CT is ineffective and/or harmful, finding links to depression, suicidality, anxiety, social isolation and decreased capacity for intimacy. Only one study concluded that sexual orientation transform efforts could succeed—although only in a minority of its participants, and the study has several limitations: its entire sample self-identified as religious and it is based on self-reports, which can be biased and unreliable. The remaining 34 studies perform not make an empirical determination about whether CT can alter sexual orientation but may provide useful observations to help guide practitioners who treat LGB patients.

The research on conversion therapy is limited by the difficulty of empiricall

So-Called &#;Conversion Therapy&#; Practices

*This section was created as a collaboration between GLAAD and Born Perfect
Anti-LGBTQ activists have falsely claimed for years that a person&#;s sexual orientation or gender identity is a selection and changeable — but only for LGBTQ people. They often falsely claim that LGBTQ identities are not real, but rather an expression of mental illness or an passionate disorder that can be &#;cured&#; through psychological or religious intervention. Anti-LGBTQ activists claim that being attracted to people of the same sex or creature transgender are curable conditions, and therefore people attracted to the same sex or are transgender accomplish not need or justify equal treatment under the law or protection from discrimination.

Programs that claim to change a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, known as &#;conversion therapy,&#; have been widely condemned. In , notorious “ex-gay” ministry Exodus International closed its doors, issuing an apology for the harm done by its programs. Since then, 20 U.S. states hold banned th

The Lies and Dangers of Efforts to Modify Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity

Organizational Positions on Reparative Therapy

Declaration on the Impropriety and Dangers of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Change Efforts

We, as national organizations acting for millions of licensed medical and mental health nurture professionals, educators, and advocates, come together to state our professional and scientific consensus on the impropriety, inefficacy, and detriments of practices that seek to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender individuality, commonly referred to as “conversion therapy.”

We remain firmly together in help of legislative and policy efforts to curtail the unscientific and dangerous perform of sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts.

American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry

"The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry finds no evidence to support the application of any “therapeutic intervention” operating under the premise that a specific sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression is patho

Conversion Therapy and LGBT Youth

Polling also indicates that many people complete not think conversion therapy is effective; only 8% of respondents to a national poll said they thought conversion therapy could change a person’s sexual orientation from gay to straight.

Current Laws

Conversion Therapy by Licensed Health Look after Professionals

As of June , 18 states and the District of Columbia had passed statutes limiting the use of conversion therapy: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, D.C., Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington. The laws protect youth under age 18 from receiving conversion therapy from licensed mental health care providers. California was the first state to pass a conversion therapy ban in Four states—Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, and Fresh York—passed bans in In addition, a number of cities and counties in states without statewide bans have passed bans at the local level.

All of the state statutory bans allow licensing entities to discipline he