The American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association have both condemned the use of "Reparative Therapy" on homosexuals in order to "change" their sexual orientation.

Twice the APA has condemned reparative therapy treatments: 1) 1997; the American Psychiatric Association addressed "ex-gay" therapy by stating, “The potential risks of ‘reparative therapy’ are great and include depression, anxiety, and self-destructive behavior…Further, APA calls on these organizations and individuals to do all that is possible to decrease the stigma related to homosexuality wherever and whenever it may occur.” 2) 2000; the American Psychiatric Association issued yet another statement and recommended “that ethical practitioners refrain from attempts to change individuals sexual orientation, keeping in mind the medical dictum, to ‘first do no harm.’"

Further reading on the American Psychiatric Association's stance on reparative therapy can be found here: http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/resolution97.html

Further Reading on the American Psychological Association's stance on reparative therapy can be found here: http://www.apa.org/about/governance/council/policy/sexual-orientation.aspx

It is imperative that LGBT+ minors not be exposed to such a toxic environment where they're treated as less-than their heterosexual counterparts. As we've seen from the rash of suicides plaguing high-profile religious conservative districts in the United States, the use of "ex gay" therapy, or the exposure to it, is not only painful, but deadly. At the very least, minors (citizens of the United States of America under the age of 18) should be excluded from attending reparative therapy sessions either forcibly or on a volunteer basis.

It is time for a government inquiry into the abuses by "ex gay" ministries and then take appropriate action, including government mandated disciplinary procedures, based upon those findings. That is not to say this is an infringement on religious freedom. This is the same logic used in restricting cults from animal and child sacrafices and cult prostitution.