Case Against Conversion Therapy

Many LGBTQ young people are still pushed into so-called treatments that can do serious harm to their mental health. This book looks at where these practices came from, what they do to the people who undergo them, and the dangers they carry. It also explains why the field now calls them sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) or gender identity change efforts (GICE), since the methods have no real therapeutic value.

Drawing on a large body of research, the book asks what the evidence shows about whether SOCE and GICE work and what they do to those who receive them. It also examines what drives people, whether adults seeking change for themselves or parents seeking it for their children, to pursue these treatments. The aim is to lay out the evidence against these practices in a way that leaves little room for dispute.

In the four decades of research on the topic, SOCE has been found to be both ineffective and harmful. Professional bodies, including the American Psychological Association, have spoken against the practice and recommend affirming, supportive care instead. Even so, these efforts remain legal in most states and are still used with lesbian, gay, and bisexual children and adolescents.

As the number of gender nonconforming and transgender people has grown over the past two decades, so have efforts to reshape the gender expression of nonconforming children and teenagers. The book rests on a principle long held by the scientific and health communities: same-sex attraction and gender nonconformity are not signs of psychopathology, and sexual and gender minorities should be supported in living as their own identities. This affirming approach, the book notes, is consistent with decades of APA policy and ethics.