1 in 5 LGBTQ+ people have experienced ‘conversion’ practices, study finds
Nearly one in five LGBTQ+ people have experienced so-called ‘conversion’ practices in the UK, a new study from Galop, the UK’s leading anti-abuse charity for LGBTQ+ people, has found.
Trans and non-binary people were subjected to it at higher rates than other members of the LGBTQ+ community, with 43% reported to have experienced it. ‘Conversion’ practices are typically defined as any attempt at changing or suppressing a person’s sexuality or gender identity, often involving techniques such as electroshock therapy or prayer.
It has been widely condemned by health experts and bodies all over the world, including the National Health Service and the World Health Organisation, with some comparing it to torture.
Galop regularly works with survivors of ‘conversion’ practices, one of which told the charity: “My mother tried to make me date men when I was dating a woman, exposed me to images of male genitalia and heterosexual sex acts and pornography in an attempt to ‘fix me’, and threatened to poison my food on a regular basis when I refused to break up with my girlfriend.” READ MORE: 93% of LGBTQ+ people want ‘conversion therapy’ banned for all More than half (56%) of those who have endured it stated that it happened because of their family. “I was told that I couldn’t be gay whilst living under [my father’s] roof, and was thrown out of home the week I turned 16,” another explained to Galop.
