Have you heard of “conversion therapy”? These are practices aimed at changing a person’s sexual orientation* or gender identity or expression.** Conversion therapy is dangerous and discredited. It has not been proven effective by any scientific study or medical experts.

Play Video
How Conversion Therapy Impacted Sam and His Family

Sam turned painful experiences with conversion therapy into national advocacy on the national level.

The Mental Health Impact of Conversion Therapy

Embedded within conversion therapy practices are social prejudices and homophobia. Youth who are subjected to it — most are younger than age 18 — experience feelings of self-hatred and rejection. Conversion therapy can lead to risks of depression, anxiety, and suicide.

If you are not sure if your state bans conversion therapy, learn more below. Then, educate your policy-makers and your community about why this matters.

*Sexual orientation is about who we’re emotionally, physically and romantically attracted to
** Gender identity is about how we see ourselves in terms of gender

How are you feeling after reading this?

  • 🤷
  • 😊
  • 💯
  • 😔
  • 😠
  • 🤔

Key Stats

  • 13% of LGBTQ youth report being subjected to conversion therapy; 83% of those subjected to conversion therapy report it occurred when they were under age 18. [source]
  • LGBTQ youth who were subjected to conversion therapy reported more than twice the rate of attempting suicide in the past year compared to those who were not. [source]
  • Transgender and nonbinary youth reported being subjected to conversion therapy at twice the rate of cisgender LGBQ youth. [source]

Take Action Now

Explore Related Action Area

Continue your engagement by learning more about and taking action on related issues.

Young woman reading a text message on her smartphone. Happy young woman smiling cheerfully while holding a smartphone on her couch. Young woman sitting with a laptop in her living room.
Young woman reading a text message on her smartphone. Happy young woman smiling cheerfully while holding a smartphone on her couch. Young woman sitting with a laptop in her living room.

LGBTQ Health & Well-being

Need help right now?

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
800-273-8255

Find additional resources