I Joed a Bunch of Gay Conversn Groups

Contents:

• GAY AND TRANS PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN TO CONVERSN THERAPY ARE SHARG THEIR TRMATIC STORI, AND IT'S A REMR WHY IT NEEDS TO BE ABOLISHED
• I’M A GAY CHRISTIAN WHO TRIED CONVERSN THERAPY
• 5 SURPRISG FACTS ABOUT GAY CONVERSN THERAPY
• I JOED A BUNCH OF GAY CONVERSN GROUPS

GAY AND TRANS PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN TO CONVERSN THERAPY ARE SHARG THEIR TRMATIC STORI, AND IT'S A REMR WHY IT NEEDS TO BE ABOLISHED

Beyond studi foced solely on reparative therapy, broar rearch clearly monstrat the signifint harm that societal prejudice and fay rejectn has on lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and queer (LGBTQ) people, particularly youth. For example, rearch on the issue of fay acceptance of LGBTQ youth nducted at San Francis State Universy found that "pared wh LGBTQ young people who were not rejected or were only a ltle rejected by their parents and regivers bee of their gay or transgenr inty, highly rejected LGBTQ young people were:.

I’M A GAY CHRISTIAN WHO TRIED CONVERSN THERAPY

"Our AMA… oppos, the e of 'reparative' or 'nversn' therapy that is based upon the assumptn that homosexualy per se is a mental disorr or based upon the a prri assumptn that the patient should change his/her homosexual orientatn. In 1997 APA produced a fact sheet on homosexual and bisexual issu, which stat that “there is no published scientific evince supportg the efficy of “reparative therapy” as a treatment to change one’s sexual orientatn.

The potential risks of “reparative therapy” are great and clu prsn, anxiety, and self-stctive behavr, sce therapist alignment wh societal prejudic agast homosexualy may rerce self-hatred already experienced by the patient. Many patients who have unrgone “reparative therapy” relate that they were accurately told that homosexuals are lonely, unhappy dividuals who never achieve acceptance or satisfactn.

The possibily that the person might achieve happs and satisfyg terpersonal relatnships as a gay man or lbian are not prented, nor are alternative approach to alg wh the effects of societal stigmatizatn discsed... Therefore, APA oppos any psychiatric treatment, such as “reparative” or “nversn” therapy, that is based on the assumptn that homosexualy per se is a mental disorr or is based on the a prri assumptn that the patient should change his or her homosexual orientatn.

5 SURPRISG FACTS ABOUT GAY CONVERSN THERAPY

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Amerin Psychologil Associatn reaffirms s posn that homosexualy per se is not a mental disorr and oppos portrayals of sexual mory youths and adults as mentally ill due to their sexual orientatn;. However, the crease media mpaigns, often upled wh ercive msag om fay and muny members, has created an environment which lbians and gay men often are prsured to seek reparative or nversn therapi, which nnot and will not change sexual orientatn. Aligned wh the Amerin Psychologil Associatn's (1997) posn, NCLGB [NASW's Natnal Commtee on Lbian and Gay Issu] believ that such treatment potentially n lead to severe emotnal damage.

Servic that purport to "cure" people wh non-heterosexual sexual orientatn lack medil jtifitn and reprent a ser threat to the health and well-beg of affected people, the Pan Amerin Health Organizatn (PAHO) said a posn statement lnched on 17 May, 2012, the Internatnal Day agast Homophobia. “The most important fact about 'reparative therapy, ' also sometim known as 'nversn' therapy, is that is based on an unrstandg of homosexualy that has been rejected by all the major health and mental health profsns.

I JOED A BUNCH OF GAY CONVERSN GROUPS

The Amerin Amy of Pediatrics, the Amerin Counselg Associatn, the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn, the Amerin Psychologil Associatn, the Natnal Associatn of School Psychologists, and the Natnal Associatn of Social Workers, together reprentg more than 477, 000 health and mental health profsnals, have all taken the posn that homosexualy is not a mental disorr and th there is no need for a 'cure. For timat of the proportn of youth who intify as lbian, gay, or bisexual see Lra Kann et al., Sexual Inty, Sex of Sexual Contacts, and Health-Related Behavrs among Stunts Gras 9-12 – Uned Stat and Selected S, 2015 (2016). On Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgenr Issu, Posn Statement: Sexual Orientatn Change Efforts (SOCE) and Conversn Therapy wh Lbians, Gay Men, Bisexuals, and Transgenr Persons (2015), Release, Am.

”“I have tried to move on, but the relig unselg really affected me, and up to now, I have a hard time believg if there is even a God the first place, ” said Jay Angwenyi, a gay man livg  Kenya. I was motivated by Bible College teachgs whose founr was secretly groomg and sexually harassg his younger youth mister and employee to a homosexual relatnship while teachg and preachg the 'Sun' of homosexualy.

I went to a seri of speech geared toward the youth of the church where one speaker talked about how watchg porn would lead you down an evable path that ends by you beg a homosexual and then a child molter (which obvly isn't te). Th, upon puberty, the gay boy fantasiz about homoerotic and homoromantic experienc wh least, that’s the nversn “cure” is to help the gay client unrstand the orig of his homosexualy and fd posive ways of nnectg to straight men (i. And, worst of all, is when relig nversn therapists (or Christian mistri pretendg to be therapists) nvce the gay man that J do not love him unls he stops beg a, I hate do Gay Christians Contue Conversn Therapy?