A Democratic state lawmaker is working to convince his colleagues to ban conversion therapy for kids.
Rep. Jason Dunnington said the practice essentially amounts to abuse. At an interim study in support of the bill Tuesday, psychologist Paulette Pitt said LGBTQ youths are already far more likely to attempt suicide.
Suicide prevention nonprofit The Trevor Project surveyed 34,000 LGBTQ youths aged 13 to 25. It found 5% had experienced conversion therapy, and 42% of those who underwent conversion therapy attempted suicide in the past 12 months.
For those who hadn't been in conversion therapy, 17% had attempted suicide. For those who experienced discrimination, 22% had, and 36% of those experiencing physical harm had attempted suicide.
"I don’t know if you guys have ever been impacted by suicide. It’s awful. It’s an awful experience as a family. It’s an awful experience as a bystander. It’s an awful experience as a provider. We need to do our kids a favor. Please take this off the table," Pitt said.
Practitioners say conversion therapy can change LGBTQ persons’ sexual orientation or gender identity. Pitt said there is no proof of that but plenty of evidence it may cause harm.
"All of the national organizations have a joint consensus around this being an unethical practice and not to be engaged in. So, the American Psychological Association, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Medical Association, the American Counseling Association," Pitt said.
Casey Pick with The Trevor Project agreed there’s no verifiable evidence the practice can change sexual orientation or gender identity and said it often tries to pin those on a childhood trauma like neglect or sexual abuse.
"And what you wind up getting is not only are you pursuing something that is fruitless with regards to your sexual orientation or gender identity — and which feels like failure, it feels like isolation just on that basis — you’re then also not getting the appropriate treatment for whatever trauma they’re trying to pin your orientation or identity on," Pick said.
Dunnington offered a bill last session that would ban conversion therapy for kids and make its practice a violation that would cost health care providers their licenses. It was not given a committee hearing.
