What states still have legal gay conversion

If media must interview a practitioner, reporters should vet and report their credentials as a mental health professional or therapist or the lack thereof , and investigate the groups they represent, including connections to and funding from anti-LGBTQ activists.

American Psychiatric Association. Despite growing opposition, conversion therapy remains legal in several U.S. states, highlighted in a new map that reveals where the controversial practice is still permitted. The organization Born Perfect organizes survivors and legal experts to advocate against these harmful practices.

Anti-LGBTQ activists claim that being attracted to people of the same sex or being transgender are curable conditions, and therefore people attracted to the same sex or are transgender do not need or deserve equal treatment under the law or protection from discrimination.

A new report from the Trevor Project finds 1, conversion-therapy practitioners are actively working in the U.S., in almost every state. Some practitioners of conversion therapy are licensed mental health professionals who exploit their credentials to take advantage of vulnerable families and youth.

Formal and informal networks have been created to provide support and healing for those who have been harmed by conversion therapy practices. Since , the American Psychiatric Association has opposed conversion therapy. Conversion therapy is an abusive, pseudoscientific attempt to change an individual's sexual orientation or gender identity.

Attempts to force people to conform with rigid gender identities can be harmful to their mental health and well-being. Research by the Wiliams Institute found that lesbian, gay, and bisexual people who experienced conversion therapy were almost twice as likely to think about and attempt suicide when compared to their peers who did not undergo these practices.

A majority of the United States population lives in jurisdictions that have banned conversion therapy on minors, although significant gaps in protections remain. Explore the current legal status of conversion therapy across the US, including state bans, ongoing legislative efforts, and the impact on LGBTQ+ individuals.

See below for more information. Since then, 20 U. But it is important to note that despite condemnation and refutation from all major medical, psychiatric, and psychological organizations, these harmful and abusive practices continue. In December , Canada and France also banned the discredited practice.