Last week, Allentown, Pennsylvania banned gay and trans conversion therapy. Time to rejoice because this is one more success! It was a unanimous decision by the city council to become the second municipality in the state and the sixtieth in the country to ban this traumatizing practice. Hopefully this movement will encourage more bans across the state and country.

But, some people don’t know what conversion therapy is and why it is receiving these bans. Conversion therapy is a type of “therapy” practice in which the end goal is to change the individual’s sexual and/or gender identity. While that is appalling enough, the means as to which they go through with this “therapy” is more shocking. These means certainly warrant the bans.

But, how do they do it? How do they try to force someone to change who they entirely are on the inside? Stories on the internet from survivors vary from mental torture to shock therapy to exorcisms. Most of these therapy “camps” are religious based and from all these stories on the internet, the young individuals (most often minors) are told that they were be eternally damned to the depths of Hell for this “sin.” Most of the stories from survivors tell of how they were mentally broken down and told that they have an “ailment,” will not have a successful life, and will spontaneously contract HIV. Hopefully, everyone reading this knows that spontaneously contracting HIV is pretty impossible as it is spread through bodily fluids such as blood. If you don’t, you might need to go back to health class.

Tearing down the individual isn’t the only method. Some stories recount being shown pornographic movies in order to either make the individual desire the opposite sex or to disgust the individual for being attracted to the same sex. I’ve come across a few times where a religious exorcism is performed. Shock therapy is also a means used in order to change someone. Each survivor has a different story and each story has a different outcome.

I am thankful to not have been exposed to conversion therapy. I am thankful and fortunate to have a supportive system of people around me from all over the rainbow. I am glad to have them. I’m glad that these people know such a thing in a person cannot be changed. However, some people do not have this support system and are forced to do something in which will mentally, or physically, damage them for years to come.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, conversion therapy is full of lies and dangers to the minors being forced to participate. As such, they are more vulnerable to the, potentially lifelong, effects of depression, anxiety, drug use, homelessness, and suicide. Those of the LGBTQIA youth that are rejected by family members (probably in addition to conversion therapy) were 8 times more likely to commit suicide, 6 times more likely to report high levels of depression, and 3 times more likely to use illegal drugs and be at risk of contracting HIV and other various STDs. All of this information can be found HERE.

So, after knowing all the damage that conversion therapy can cause, why do people still do it? Despite being a rather progressive time, homophobia still exists. Mainly based in certain religious organizations, LGBTQIA youth feel as if they are a disgrace or are well on their way to that fiery damnation in Hell. However, our current vice president, Mike Pence, supports conversion therapy, particularly shock therapy. That is something truly shocking.

So I beg you, whoever you are, to really look into the effects of conversion therapy. Read the stories out there of people who have been through it. Those who have attempted to end their lives because of the psychological torture. The only stories you won’t be able to read are those who didn’t make it, those who succeeded in ending their lives. Help spread the message about the harm this does to the future of our nation.
If you are reading this and was considering sending your child to conversion therapy, I want you to know that you can’t change them. Learn to love your child as they are as this is a part of them as much as their hair or eye color is a part of them. They need your love and support as an ally, not an enemy. Trust me, telling your child that will make them so much more confident and happy. Sending them away to a conversion therapy camp will fracture your relationship with them forever, perhaps even end it.