Black LGBTQ+ survivors speak out about conversion therapy in religious spaces

Black LGBTQ+ survivors speak out about conversion therapy in religious spaces

Briefly

"In 20 states across America and Washington, D.C., so-called “conversion therapy” practices have been banned, with every major medical and mental health association recognizing the practice is not only ineffective, but harmful to young people subjected to it. A recent ruling by the Supreme Court against Colorado's ban has reignited alarm among LGBTQ+ people, allies, and advocates. The disproportionate impact on Black LGBTQ youth is also deeply troubling and only just beginning to be understood."

"The practice has a harmful and traumatic history. Survivors describe enduring shock therapy; others were subjected to surgical procedures like lobotomies and other personality-altering techniques, like hypnosis. There are also stories of spiritual practices, such as exorcisms. In recent years, less invasive yet still dangerous methods have become more widely known, including practices disguised as talk therapy. Instead of improving health and mindset, these practices push debunked and ineffective tactics to remedy or “heal” people of same-sex attraction, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity."

"“We need to be precise about what has-and hasn't-changed,” he wrote via Substack the same day of the ruling. “The majority ruled that Colorado's law went too far because it stopped therapists before any harm occurred, rather than holding them accountable after the fact.” In other words, he points out, the government cannot preempt harm."