This week, more than 370 international spiritual leaders called for a global ban on conversion therapy by signing a declaration spearheaded by the Global Interfaith Commission on LGBT+ Lives, an organization that “aims to provide a strong and authoritative voice from religious leaders across the global faith community who wish to affirm and celebrate the dignity of all, independent of a person's sexuality, gender expression and gender identity,” according to its website.
In a statement on its website, the organization urged for an “end to violence and criminalization against LBGT+ people and for a global ban on conversion therapy.”
“We call for all attempts to change, suppress or erase a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression – commonly known as ‘conversion therapy’ – to end, and for these harmful practices to be banned,” the declaration reads. “We ask for forgiveness from those whose lives have been damaged and destroyed on the pretext of religious teaching”.
The declaration’s signatories include more than 370 international spiritual leaders from the Christian, Jewish, Sikh, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu religions across 35 countries and include Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Emeritus Desmond M. Tutu of South Africa and Rabbi Mel Gottlieb, president of the Academy for Jewish Religion in California.
Conversion therapy, also referred to as reparative therapy, has involved techniques such as ice-pick lobotomies, chemical castration and aversive conditioning treatments such as applying electric shock to the genitals. More recent techniques used in the US include counseling, visualization, psychoanalytic therapy and spiritual interventions.
According to the American Medical Association, conversion therapy is based on the false assumption that homosexuality and gender identity are mental disorders that can be changed.
Conversion therapy can cause “significant psychological distress,” according to the medical organization, which cites a study that shows that 77% of people subjected to conversion therapy reported significant long-term adverse effects including depression, anxiety, lowered self-esteem, internalized homophobia, self-blame, intrusive imagery and sexual dysfunction.
“Participants also reported significant social and interpersonal harm, such as alienation, loneliness, social isolation, interference with intimate relationships and loss of social supports,” the American Medical Association warns.
According to Born Perfect, an organization that aims to end conversation therapy, the discredited practice has been banned in 20 US states, including California, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey and Washington.
