Throughout history, the practice of conversion therapy has been used as a way of “correcting” same-sex attraction and gender nonconformity. Same-sex attraction and transgenderism have long been considered deviant and abnormal behaviors. Up until 1973, The American Psychiatric Association classified homosexuality as a mental disorder. This led many people to support different forms of conversion therapy. Many believe that there is scientific backing for conversion. Most of these methods involve inducing physical and emotional trauma in order to deter same-sex attraction or force people into gender reassignment. According to Kathy Baldock, an LGBT rights advocate, in an article from ABC News Australia, this therapy even includes “giving people drugs while they showed them gay porn so they’d throw up. Not giving them drugs while they showed them heterosexual porn so they wouldn’t throw up.” Conversion therapy was invented for one reason only – to eradicate homosexuality and correct a person’s sexuality or gender identity no matter the cost.
Despite what we may think, conversion therapy is still a very widely used practice. The majority of states have not yet banned conversion therapy for minors. There are some individual states, county, and cities that have banned it, but these constitute for very little in the wider scope of the United States. In addition, there is no state that has banned conversion therapy for adults. According to Victoria Brownworth in an article for Dame Magazine, A law banning conversion therapy for adults is pending in California. “If AB 2943 is passed, California would become the first state to completely ban the practice for both minors and adults.” This would involve conversion therapy only with respect to treatment from a licensed counselor, including mental hospitals, prescriptions, and more specific forms of aversion therapy. This would still allow for religious groups and families to perform individualized conversion therapy with no legal consequences.
More and more people are becoming opposed to the idea of conversion therapy. With more counties and states banning the practice for minors, our nation is moving toward a safer world or LGBT youth. Not only has conversion therapy proved to be ineffective, but it also brings serious emotional, physical, and mental harm to everyone who goes through it. By supporting legislation that would ban conversion therapy for minors, our country would become even closer to full protection for the LGBT community.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-21/gay-conversion-therapy-survivors-on-greg-hunt-comments/9679416
https://www.damemagazine.com/2018/07/31/why-is-gay-conversion-therapy-still-legal/
Dear Mariah,
I am intrigued by your post because you really provided an eye opening article. After reading your post, I really realized how conversion therapy works and how horrible it really is. It’s horrible to think that people are forced to this just because they do not live up to society’s expectations.
One thing you said that stands out for me is: “ According to Kathy Baldock, an LGBT rights advocate, in an article from ABC News Australia, this therapy even includes ‘giving people drugs while they showed them gay porn so they’d throw up. Not giving them drugs while they showed them heterosexual porn so they wouldn’t throw up.’ ” I think this is interesting because it really shows how mentally and physically harming conversion therapy can be.
Thanks for your project. I look forward to seeing what you write next because you really were able to expand the minds of my peers and I.
Please check out my blog, where I also fight for LGBTQ+ equality: http://lgbtqhealthcare.home.blog
Mariah,
I really enjoyed your post. I learned a lot from it since I am not that informed about the LGBT youth and the conversion therapy. It’s sad to see that our nation sees being LGBT as a mental disorder. This part of the post just is heart breaking. “According to Kathy Baldock, an LGBT rights advocate, in an article from ABC News Australia, this therapy even includes “giving people drugs while they showed them gay porn so they’d throw up. Not giving them drugs while they showed them heterosexual porn so they wouldn’t throw up.”” Personally, I don’t think making someone throw up with drugs is humane at all. I think that the question I have is how this could possibly influence with Trump wanting to git rid of transgenders or if it has to do with any of this? I said before, I am not completely informed about this topic, but I have seen like short documentaries and videos on people who are transgender. And it makes me happy and glad to see them going out the world and their communities and living who they are. I read this article on how his the government redefines gender to exclude trans people, it could be a public health crisis. I think this article could open up ways in which you could possibly connect conversion therapy to this
http://time.com/5432489/transgender-definition-medicine/