What It's Like To Endure Gay 'Conversn' Therapy: 'I Felt Like I Was To Blame' | HuffPost Voic

Contents:

• WHAT IT’S LIKE TO EXPERIENCE GAY CONVERSN THERAPY
• 5 SURPRISG FACTS ABOUT GAY CONVERSN THERAPY
• WHAT IT'S LIKE TO ENDURE GAY 'CONVERSN' THERAPY: 'I FELT LIKE I WAS TO BLAME'
• A SURVIVOR OF GAY CONVERSN THERAPY SHAR HIS CHILLG STORY
• THE CEL, DANGERO REALY OF GAY NVERSN THERAPY
• FORMER 'EX-GAY' LEARS DENOUNCE 'CONVERSN THERAPY' IN A NEW DOCUMENTARY

WHAT IT’S LIKE TO EXPERIENCE GAY CONVERSN THERAPY

Conversn therapy is sometim lled “reparative therapy” or “ex-gay therapy. Pecially among transgenr In some relig practic, homosexualy and other forms of genr exprsn and inty are sometim viewed as “evil. It may clu g anti-gay slurs and prayers.

But provirs, ually unlicensed, n often disguise the terms they e to avoid beg terms clu:Sexual attractn fluidy exploratn therapy (SAFE-T)Elimatg, rcg, or creasg equency or tensy of unwanted same-sex attractn (SSA)Reparative therapySexual reorientatn effortsEx-gay mistryPromotg healthy sexualyAddrsg sexual addictns and disorrsSexualy unselgEnuragg relatnal and sexual wholensHealg sexual brokennsConversn therapy techniqu n lead to feelg “ls than” or “damaged, ” impactg self-teem. A number of medil and mental health anizatns have issued public statements rejectg the e of nversn therapy bee of many provirs who claim to be qualified to provi nversn therapy are often not licensed mental health practners or medil study found that LGBTQ (lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, or qutng) people who are rejected or discrimated agast are:8 tim more likely to report havg attempted suiciAlmost 6 tim more likely to report high levels of prsnMore than 3 tim as likely to e illegal dgs3 tim more likely to be at high risk of HIV and other STDsAcrdg to rearch, nearly 700, 000 LGBTQ adults the U. Conversn therapy, also known as “reparative” or “ex gay” therapy, refers to the practice of “curg” LGBTQ inti.

5 SURPRISG FACTS ABOUT GAY CONVERSN THERAPY

The Cut spoke wh Deb Cuny, a 37-year-old tn worker, about the nversn therapy she endured when she was a sophomore llege.

I was tght that homosexualy was a s. If you were gay, you’d go to hell, simple.

I’d talk about “lezzi” and “homos”; you know, I was that kid who spread mors about the PE teachers. It really sucks when you’re homophobic and you realize you’re gay. Exod ternatnal ex-gay mistri are all about “helpg” people return to their God-given genr exprsn and, you know, back to heterosexual relatnships.

WHAT IT'S LIKE TO ENDURE GAY 'CONVERSN' THERAPY: 'I FELT LIKE I WAS TO BLAME'

She met people like them and they got to meet people like me; she even started workg wh a lol ex-gay mistry. I was fally full-on openly gay.

At one pot I asked: If you get the mon of perversn out, will I no longer be gay?

A SURVIVOR OF GAY CONVERSN THERAPY SHAR HIS CHILLG STORY

In October, they both walked together their first pri para and Mom told me that durg a recent church event he spoke up agast homophobic ments ma by some ngregants. What It’s Like To Experience Gay Conversn Therapy.

THE CEL, DANGERO REALY OF GAY NVERSN THERAPY

Gay Therapy(Image cred: Dreamstime)Gay nversn therapy, as is known, supposedly helps gay people overe same-sex attractns.

But mastream psychologists say the therapy is effective, uhil and often harmful, exacerbatg anxiety and self-hatred among those treated for what is not a mental 2013, two s volvg the therapy to nvert gay people to heterosexuals h the urts, wh one seekg to sue unselors who offer the therapy and the other seekg to fend are five thgs you need to know about the therapy and the current psychologists say nversn therapy don't workA diagnosis of major prsn do not evoke much rponse, eher a stigmatizg or supportive, om a person's social work, a study dited. (Image cred: Oleg Golovnev | shutterstock)Homosexualy is not nsired a mental disorr, so the Amerin Psychologil Associatn (APA) do not remend "curg" same-sex attractn any se.

FORMER 'EX-GAY' LEARS DENOUNCE 'CONVERSN THERAPY' IN A NEW DOCUMENTARY

Instead, societal ignorance, prejudice and prsure to nform to heterosexual sir are the real dangers to gay people's mental health, acrdg to a 1997 statement on "nversn" or "reparative" therapy by the APA. [7 Absolutely Evil Medil Experiments]More recently, people who have been through nversn therapy report talk therapy that emphasiz psdoscientific theori, such as the ia that an overbearg mother and a distant father make a child gay. In an April 2012 say The Amerin Prospect, wrer Gabriel Arana scrib his "ex-gay" therapy experience.

His therapist blamed his parents for Arana's homosexualy, and urged him to distance himself om his female bt Lev, one of the men sug Jonah for ceptive practic, says that he qu nversn therapy after his therapist had him strip down and touch himself to "rennect wh his masculy, " acrdg to the New York 's happeng the urts? [5 Myths About Gay People Debunked]In a send se California, a feral judge is hearg arguments agast a new state law that bans nversn therapy for mors. Homosexualy was removed om the DSM 1974, a major tone for the 'psychiatrists' bible.