Conversion Therapy

Religious liberty is one of our nation’s most closely-held foundational values—but it does not give anyone the right to harm others, even under the guise of conversion therapy. Former proponents of the practice agree, including nine former “ex-gay leaders” who co-signed a letter calling for a ban on conversion therapy, as well as Russell Moore, the President of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, who denounced it as “severely counterproductive” just this fall. Conversion therapy is a practice in which therapists attempt to forcibly change the sexual orientation or gender identity of gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender patients—many of whom are children—often in extremely damaging ways that only masquerade as medical care. That’s why Third Way supports legislative efforts taking place in states across America to protect youth from these dangerous practices. It’s crucial to respect the beliefs of patients in therapy that may be struggling with or conflicted about their sexual orientation or gender identity because of their religious beliefs. But there are other ways to accomplish that goal.

Psychologists have developed treatment practices that recognize and adhere to the values and beliefs of people of faith who believe that their sexual orientation is “disordered” but carefully avoid the extreme damage caused by practices like conversion therapy. These affirmative care models, outlined by the American Psychological Association in its Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation report, encourage therapists to help relieve the tension their patients may be feeling and to help those patients get to a place they want to be—without shaming or harmful abuse, but also without turning a session into a lecture on why “gay is good”. When it comes to young people, some parents still find it difficult to reconcile the sexual orientation of their children with their long-held religious beliefs, yet research from the Family Acceptance Project demonstrates that family acceptance is critical to LGBT adolescents’ wellbeing. Many psychologists offer family-oriented approaches to care that can help bring families together, rather than tearing them apart, all while respecting the deep convictions families and the patients themselves may hold about the morality of homosexuality or the desirability of the LGBT labels.

Both affirmative care for adult patients and family-oriented care for young patients respect religious liberty and the beliefs of patients and their families who feel conflicted about sexual orientation or gender identity. They also focus on well-being, rather than morality. These approaches have been shown to have positive outcomes for everyone involved, in stark contrast to conversion therapy and the life-long damage it can cause. There is no doubt that in this day and age, psychology and accepted practices of psychiatric care can respect differing opinions about LGBT identities while protecting patients from ineffective and harmful practices like conversion therapy.