Conversion therapy: change the law not the person

As paediatricians, we have a duty to represent and advocate for the health and well-being of the children and young people we protect. Despite being a bright and vibrant community, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) population is known to have inferior health outcomes, especially with respect to mental health issues including depression, low self-esteem and self-harm.1 We can reduce this inequality by empowering them with health information and stopping their marginalisation within society. Conversion therapy is an umbrella terminology for any psychological, physical or spiritual interventions which aim to change or cure an individual’s sexual orientation or transgender identity because they are perceived as developmental disorders, addictions and/or spiritual problems.2 Conversion therapy is not an old problem from the Alan Turing era; conversion through ‘talking therapies’ remains a legal intervention to this day. The concept of conversion therapy infers that any deviance from...
Source: Archives of Disease in Childhood - Category: Pediatrics Authors: Tags: Viewpoint Source Type: research