The Truth About ''Corrective'' Conversion Therapy

Correctional Conversion Therapy is a practice that is still used to harm the LGBTQIA+ community. Despite being illegal in some states, it is still legal in the United States. This therapy is based on the false idea that being LGBTQIA+ is a mental disorder that can be corrected. It often uses shame and coercion to try to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity. This therapy can be extremely harmful, leading to depression, anxiety, and even suicide. Let's explore where this "therapy" started.

Corrective conversion therapy is a form of psychological treatment that aims to change a person's sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual. The history of corrective conversion therapy dates back to the late 1800s when it was used to try to "cure" people of homosexuality. In the early 1900s, several psychologists began to experiment with different techniques to change someone's sexual orientation, including psychoanalysis, electric shock therapy, and lobotomies.

The use of corrective conversion therapy increased in the 1950s and 1960s when homosexuality was considered a mental illness by the American Psychiatric Association. Many psychologists believed that it was possible to change someone's sexual orientation through therapy, and they believed that it was their responsibility to do so.

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The "corrective" conversion therapy program was started in 1920 by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg. He was a doctor at the Battle Creek Sanitarium, where he treated patients with sexual disorders. He believed that homosexuality was a sin and that it could be cured through therapy. The Battle Creek Sanitarium was one of the first places to offer "corrective" conversion therapy for homosexuals. In 1970, he released his first major study. It stated that some people were able to change their sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual through therapy. This study helped to legitimize corrective conversion therapy and it became widely used throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

Over the years, "corrective" conversion therapy has been used by a number of different organizations, including the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH).

Research in the 1990s showed that corrective conversion therapy was not effective and could be harmful. In 2001, the American Psychological Association issued a statement cautioning against the use of corrective conversion therapy. In 2009, the American Psychiatric Association issued a similar statement warning about the dangers of corrective conversion therapy.

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Despite these warnings, corrective conversion therapy is still being used today. It is estimated that over 700,000 Americans have undergone corrective conversion therapy. The majority of these individuals are gay men, although there is also an increasing number of lesbians who are undergoing this treatment.

Just because something is legal, doesn't mean it's right. Corrective conversion therapy is legal in the United States today, but that doesn't make it right. This type of therapy uses psychological abuse to try and change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity. It can be extremely harmful, and can lead to depression, anxiety, and even suicide. We need to end this type of therapy and work to accept and support everyone, no matter who they are.

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