Action | Unprofessional conduct - conversion therapy |
Stage | NOIRA |
Comment Period | Ended on 8/7/2019 |
So-called “conversion therapy" is a dangerous and discredited practice aimed at changing sexual orientation or gender identity. These discredited practices are based on the false claim that being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) is a mental illness that needs to be cured—a view with no scientific basis. These practices have been discredited b/c they are premised on the false claim that being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) is a mental illness that needs to be cured—a view with no scientific basis. Proposed regulations protect young people from state-licensed therapists in Virginia who falsely claim to parents and youth that being LGBTQ is a mental illness. By doing this they are taking advantage of parents who are unsure & maybe in shock about how to deal with what's going on with their child/family & what they should do, while at the same time harming vulnerable youth.
These harmful practices use rejection, shame, and psychological abuse to force young people to try to change who they are.
These practices are known to be extremely dangerous and can lead the child to believe there is something wrong with being, to feel guilt, shame, depression, have low self-esteem, can lead to substance abuse, and even suicide attempts.
We can’t allow one more young person to be targeted and damaged by these dangerous and discredited practices.