Following that, in May Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-CA) introduced the Therapeutic Fraud Act which was the first federal legislation to prohibit the practice of providing conversion therapy to individuals in exchange for monetary compensation or even advertising similar services claiming that sexual orientation or gender identity can be subject to change via so-called therapeutic methods. What is new about this report, said Brian Altman, director of the division of policy innovation at SAMHSA, is that the psychologists and other experts convened for it also came to a consensus about the best ways to help children who may be grappling with gender identity or expression, meaning they may be trans. “SAMHSA’s report provides this information, as well as resources young people, families and others can use to promote healthy development for all youth”.
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The report further stated that instead of trying to fit these youngsters into stereotypes, they should be encouraged and be “supported in their right to explore, define, and articulate their own identity”.
The APA released a report in 2009 that reviewed decades of research and found that conversion therapy was not only ineffective, it was potentially harmful.
“Parental behaviors and attitudes have a significant effect on the mental health and well-being of sexual and gender minority children and adolescents”, the report’s authors said.
I wholeheartedly agree-conversion therapy is a clear violation to human rights and the dignity of a few of the LGBTQ community’s youngest and most vulnerable members.
The SAMHSA authors stressed that eliminating conversion therapy is only one step in helping LGBTQ youth lead happy, productive lives. “The problem is that we need help from a system we have only known to hurt us”. According to the report, there is a “still-pervasive interpersonal, institutional, and societal bias and discrimination against sexual and gender minorities” that must be addressed.
“Variance in sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression are normal”, said Elliot Kennedy, Special Expert for LGBT Affairs, with SAMHSA.
Numerous professional organizations, including the American Psychiatric Association and American Medical Association, oppose the practice.
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“It’s not our job to tell parents how to raise their children, but it is our responsibility to provide parents with the science evidence necessary in order to make the best decisions when raising their children”, said White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett in a phone call today. “From representing LGBTQ youth institutionalized for their identity to advocating for laws protecting them from physical and psychological abuse, NCLR has been leading the fight to end these unsafe and discredited practices for decades”.
