- Conversion therapy is intended to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
- Its results are questionable and it is associated with feelings of guilt and shame, depression, anxiety and even suicide.
- In Mexico City, this type of therapy is classified as a crime, although in the rest of the states there are no regulations in this regard or a federal law.
It was in 1990 when homosexuality was removed from the list of mental illnesses of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) of the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, important achievements have been made, although there is still a fight pending and that is related to the conversion therapy.
What are they and how do they work?
In its general definition, these are interventions that aim to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Its promoters claim that these therapies can transform gay, lesbian or bisexual people into heterosexuals. They also point out that they can do the same for trans or gender diverse/other than cisgender people, meaning that gender identity corresponds to the sex assigned at birth.
To achieve this, they rely on physical, psychological and sexual abuse. Techniques such as electrocution, forced medication, isolation, confinement, insults and humiliation are also used to try to obtain conversion.
Based on the foregoing, it has been denounced on multiple occasions that the conversion therapy It is a modern version of torture. But regardless of the fact that the general consensus is that these are negative aspects, there are still very few countries that have regulations in this regard.
For its part, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) states that the supposed “healing” services of people with a non-heterosexual sexual orientation lack medical justification. They also represent a serious threat to the health and well-being of those affected.
PAHO adds that there is no rigorous scientific study that demonstrates the effectiveness of efforts to change sexual orientation. At the same time, it notes that there are many testimonies about the serious damage to mental and physical health that these “services” can cause. Repression of sexual orientation has been associated with feelings of guilt and shame, depression, anxiety, and even suicide.
Now, with regard to the fact that every June 28 marks the World Day for Sexual Diversity it is worth looking at the global landscape of conversion therapy. Regardless of the bad prestige it has, the reality is that it remains active in much of the planet.
Countries where conversion therapy is illegal
Among the few countries where conversion therapy has been banned are Germany, Brazil, Ecuador, Puerto Rico and Malta, according to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA).
Outside of North America, most countries have no ban on conversion therapy, meaning the practice is legal. However, changes are now starting to show as the national governments and parliaments of Ireland, Israel, Norway, Denmark and Finland are considering legislation to start discussions on the issue.
Brazil was the first country to ban the practice related to sexual orientation, in 1999, and expanded this to cover gender identity in 2018. Several countries have introduced a criminal ban on health professionals who carry out the practice, some of which include Taiwan, Ecuador and Malta, according to stonewall.
In the case of our country, the Mexico City Congress classifies as a crime conversion therapy. Although in the rest of the states there are no regulations in this regard or a federal law.