Why is this petition important

For years, conversion therapy (sometimes referred to as reparative therapy) has been proven by experts that it is nothing but harmful towards LGBTQIA+ youths and young adults. The religious-based practices were aimed at altering people who are lesbian, gay, and bisexual to become heterosexuals, and people who are transgender and/or gender-nonconforming to become cisgender.

However, these practices were so discredited and dangerous that for most people resulted in severe, long-lasting trauma and psychological damage to their mental health and well-being to the point where they may cause physical harm to others and/or themselves. The practices in most conversion therapy programs include electric shock therapy, forced medication, sexual assault, forced isolation, and exorcism. 

According to the study from statista, around 28% of U.S. LGBTQIA+ people who had experienced conversion therapy has attempted unaliving themselves within the previous 12 months as of 2022, compared to 11% of LGBTQIA+ people who have not experienced conversion therapy. While conversion therapy has been banned in 36 U.S. states, it is still currently legal in 14 others. It needs to change.

This past June, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) has introduced a federal bill in the U.S. House of Representatives called The Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act (H.R. 2119) to outlaw conversion therapy programs in all 50 states, co-sponsored by 62 Democrats. 

With your support, we can be able to help our representatives achieve the goal of following Canada’s footsteps and federally protect LGBTQIA+ Americans of the next generation from being forced against their will to endure abusive and dehumanizing conversion therapy treatments. Nobody deserves to believe that their sexuality and gender identity is a curable mental illness. It’s important that they should love themselves for who they are, not be converted to condemn themselves.