This Needs To Be Banned!

It is torture. It is trying to make a person in to something they are not, conversion therapy or as it is also known as reparative therapy and it is against the ethics of every major medical and mental healthcare associations.

A Survivor Of Gay Conversion Therapy Shares His Chilling Story
“We were no longer people at the end of the program.”
Huffington Post
By JamesMichael Nichols
November 17, 2016

With two months between us and a Trump administration, it’s time we consider Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence’s relationship with the many different issues affecting LGBTQ people ― including conversion therapy.

Conversion therapy is not only promoted in the Republican party’s 2016 platform, the most anti-LGBTQ platform in the party’s history, but something Vice President-elect Mike Pence has actively supported while a member of congress. He is also arguably one of the most anti-LGBTQ state elected officials in the country.

So, what exactly is conversion therapy? Why is it so bad?

Conversion therapy is a set of practices that intend to change a person’s sexuality or gender identity to fit heterosexual or cisgender standards and expectations ― and it is usually religiously motivated.

Therapy practices can include methods such as talk therapy, electroshock therapy, treating LGBTQ identity as an addiction issue like drugs or alcohol, and more. While certain therapies, like talk therapy, are also legitimate forms of care for people who experience mental health problems, being gay is, of course, not a mental health disorder.

I know if anyone was going to connect electrode up to my brain I would agree to anything… the sky is green… yup, isn’t it a nice shade of green.

The 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey found that,

Thirteen percent (13%) of respondents reported that one or more professionals, such as a psychologist, counselor, or religious advisor, tried to stop them from being transgender.

Of those who had conversion therapy,

• Participants who had a professional try to stop them from being transgender were:
• Far more likely to currently be experiencing serious psychological distress (47%) than those who did not have the experience (34%).
• More likely to have attempted suicide (58%) than those who did not have the experience (39%).
• Nearly three times as likely to have run away from home (22%) than those who did not have the experience (8%).
• More likely to have ever experienced homelessness (46%) than those who did not have the experience (29%).
• More likely to have ever done sex work (18%) than those who did not have the experience (11%).

Conversion therapy harms!

It is junk science.

In an article in the Huffington Post Peterson Toscano wrote,

With such disastrous results, I understand the need to legally ban these types of conversion treatment programs. Laws banning conversion therapy send a powerful signal to the public about the dangers of tampering with someone’s sexuality and gender identity, but they come with a legal risk. These laws ultimately can be challenged by conservatives in federal courts leading to a Supreme Court decision. If we have a Conservative-leaning Supreme Court, it may well strike down these laws and embolden anti-LGBTQ therapists and ministers even more.

He has written a play about his time in conversion therapy, he called the play “Doin’ Time In The Homo No Mo’ Halfway House” and from his website,

After 15 years of submitting to reparative therapy, ex-gay support groups and even three exorcisms, Peterson Toscano enrolled in the ex-gay program, Love in Action. He graduated successfully from the program nearly two years later, but in January, 1999, decided he just needed to accept himself as a gay man.

We need to ban it now!

Here in Connecticut ctEQUALITY is collecting story from those who have gone through Conversion Therapy.

Have you had past experiences with efforts by a medical or mental health professional to try to change your sexual orientation or gender identity? You might have heard these practices alternatively referred to as conversion therapy, reparative therapy or gender identity/sexual orientation change efforts.

Connecticut Trans Advocacy Coalition is a member of ctEquality which is a coalition of likeminded organizations fighting for equality and justice for LGBTQ people in Connecticut and our goal for the coming legislative session is to pass legislation banning conversion therapy for children under the age of 18. We're looking to hear from you.

You can help us collect stories from anyone who has undergone this kind of treatment, been referred to a provider for this treatment, or been told as a parent to take their child for this kind of treatment. We are especially interested in hearing from people who have had these kinds of experiences before turning age 18 or any parents who have had related experiences.

If you're willing, you can share an overview of your story. Someone from ctEquality will follow-up with you to connect and learn more about your experience. Also please share this with your friends on social media.

Click here to tell your story.