Tag: conversion therapy

Late in 2019. Germany’s government approved legislation that would ban the dangerous practice of conversion therapy being used on LGBTQ+ minors. On the run-up to 2020, the German Cabinet approved the draft bill that will make it illegal to advertise or apply “treatments” that aim to change the sexual or gender identity of those who

Director of conversion therapy feature film ‘Boy Erased’ Joel Edgerton has spoken about his regret of not putting the movie directly onto streaming platform ‘Netflix’ rather than launching on the movie festival circuit first. The film which was an adaptation from Garrard Conley’s memoir about his experiences as a young man subjected to gay conversion

The results of a new study have confirmed that individuals who undergo ‘conversion therapy’ to change one’s gender identity have a higher risk of attempting suicide.   The latest research which was published in JAMA Psychiatry follows countless other studies by numerous organisations which have all come to the same conclusion that so-called ‘conversion therapy’ is

Religious leaders in Ethiopia have announced plans to ramp up conversion therapy in their nation citing an “escalating problem” of homosexuality. According to reports by AFP, a new religious association has been formed by Orthodox Christian priest Dereje Negash, with the sole intention of changing LGBTI people’s sexual orientation and gender expression. “The reason we’re

Earlier this month, Amazon pulled all titles by Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, the “father of conversion therapy,” after they determined that his books violated the site’s guidelines. However, in response to Amazon’s move, a group of U.S. House Republicans known as the The Republican Study Committee is asking fellow GOP lawmakers to “contact Amazon with concerns” over its “censorship.” According to a memorandum from The Republican Study Committee acquired by VICE News, lawmakers are saying: “In recent days, Amazon has banned the sale...

A gaggle of House Republicans are lobbying their colleagues to bully Amazon into restocking two ex-gay conversion books it recently yanked from its online shelves. The trouble began earlier this month when the retailer pulled all the titles written by the late Dr. Joseph Nicolosi (a.k.a. the “father of conversion therapy”) after determining they violated the its guidelines. The move came after a Change.org petition gathered over 80,000 signatures calling on the site to stop selling Nicolosi’s books, “A Parent’s Guide...

Rafi Peretz, the Israeli Minister of Education, has backtracked on comments he made in support of so-called conversion therapy for queer people. Over the weekend, Peretz had told local news “I think it’s possible” when asked about conversion therapy. He also added, “I can tell you that I have a deep knowledge of education, and I have done it too,” referring to a student who had reportedly changed his sexual orientation. Before landing his job in the Israeli government, Peretz...

When Kent Mendez, 19, fled his home, he left behind a heartbreaking note to his parents explaining why he had to leave. His family wouldn’t accept him as a gay man. After Mendez posted a copy of the letter – written in both English and Spanish – on Twitter, the web has exploded with outpouring of sympathy and gestures of kindness that will make your heart grow three sizes too big. “There hasn’t been a day where I haven’t cried or...

The governor of Hawaii signed three LGBTQ bills into law: a ban on the gay and trans panic defense, a conversion therapy ban, and another allowing nonbinary gender markers on state ID. Governor David Ige (D) signed a law giving applicants a third option in addition to male and female for drivers’ licenses: an “X.” The new option will be available starting in July 2020. Hawaii is now the 16th state to allow non-binary gender markers on state ID. “This measure returns...

Dan Hall is a chaplain and a Republican state senator from Minnesota who was first elected to office in 2010. While the rest of the city was out celebrating Twin Cities Pride in Minneapolis last weekend, he was spotted across town at the state Capitol Building attending an antigay “Freedom March.” The event billed itself on Facebook as an afternoon of “celebrating freedom from homosexual/transgender lifestyles by the grace and power of Jesus.” Hall’s appearance there came mere weeks after he worked...

Colorado Governor Jared Polis, the nation’s first out gay governor, has signed two bills into law that protect the LGBTQ community. Polis signed a bill that would outlaw giving youth “conversion therapy,” a harmful practice promoted by the religious right that claims to turn gay people straight. The bill passed with bipartisan support in the legislature. “Being gay is not a mental illness and it does not need to be fixed. After sponsoring this bill for the past three years, I’m...

Doctor found guilty of trying to 'cure' patients of their homosexuality A psychiatrist has been found guilty of trying to ‘cure’ his gay clients with gay sex. Dr Melbyn Iscove is a renowned spokesperson in Toronto for the condemned practice of conversion therapy. The 72-year-old was found to have sexually abused two of his male patients, promising to ‘cure’ them of their homosexuality. Psychiatrist tried to ‘cure’ his gay clients with gay sex He had oral and anal sex and mutual masturbation with some...

Pro wrestler Mike Parrow, who triumphantly came out of the closet last month to a ton of support from friends and fans alike, has spoken out further about his journey to get to where he is today. He headed across the pond to the U.K., where he stopped by Good Morning Britain to discuss the rocky road to coming out of the closet. "I've always known I was gay, it was my first "when you come of age" and when normal...

Five states, the District of Columbia, Miami and Cincinnati have also banned the widely discredited practice. The Seattle City Council unanimously voted Monday to ban conversion therapy for queer youth, becoming the third American city to independently outlaw the practice. Under the new ordinance, mental health providers will be barred from offering or advertising conversion therapy to minors. The practice, which claims to help gay people overcome same-sex attraction, has been widely discredited by mental health professionals and called potentially harmful...