Government Experts Dis Gay Conversion Therapy
It doesn’t work, it’s harmful, and it pathologizes the normal, healthy process of developing one’s sexual and gender identity. That’s the gist of a federal report calling for an end to so-called conversion therapy, which purports to change lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youths into heterosexuals.
"We recognize that the significant health disparities faced by LGBT youth—in particular, issues related to suicide, depression, substance abuse and homelessness, among many others—often relate to experiences of family rejection due to their sexual orientation, their gender identity or their gender expression," Elliot Kennedy, special expert on LGBT affairs at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, told reporters on Thursday.
The report’s findings follow President Barack Obama’s comments in April in support of a popular White House petition seeking to ban the practice, in which young people are taught that homosexuality is a choice that can be changed through counseling. The administration stopped short of pushing for federal legislation that would outlaw the practice but made clear its support for the several state-level laws that forbid conversion therapy.
Four states and the District of Columbia have passed bans on conversion therapy, and 21 states have introduced similar legislation, according to the report. These bills made progress in Iowa, Nevada, and Rhode Island this year but have not been fully passed. Similar laws failed in Colorado, Maryland, Virginia, and Hawaii earlier this year. Though there is no federal ban on this kind of therapy, multiple bills and resolutions to end or curtail its use have been introduced in 2015. All are being considered by subcommittees and have not passed the House or Senate.
“It's not our job to tell parents how to raise their children,” White House senior advisor Valerie Jarrett told reporters on Thursday. “But it is our responsibility to provide parents with the scientific evidence necessary in order for them to make the best possible decisions when raising their children. We do strongly believe that young people should be valued for who they are, no matter what they look like, where they're from, the gender with which they identify or who they love."
That danger that faces LGBT youths who don’t have parental support played itself out in the suicide of transgender teen Leelah Alcorn in Ohio last December. The 17-year-old was pulled out of school by her parents when she came out and was told her gender identity was just a phase, according to her suicide note. Her parents sent Alcorn to religious therapists who urged her to seek help from God.
Alcorn’s story is not an anomaly: LGBT youths are more than twice as likely as their heterosexual peers to attempt suicide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Families can play a critical role in perpetuating or breaking this trend through their support or rejection of children when they come out, according to a report SAMHSA released last year.
In essence, the new report drives home the point that there is no one right or normal way for a child’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to develop. When families and loved ones of LGBT youths embrace that fact, the report says, these kids will reap positive short- and long-term health benefits.
Related stories on TakePart:
• Leelah Alcorn Isn’t Alone: What Happens When Religious Parents Reject Transgender Teens
• The Crisis of America’s LGBT Youths in Foster Care
Original article from TakePart
