I could not imagine going through conversion therapy. I am not sure my parents thought about doing that to me. They did ask me if I was sure I was gay and that's about it.
But for an estimated 20,000 LGBT youth ages 13 to 17, the news is not as good for they will undergo conversion therapy. These stats are just for LGBT+ individuals receiving therapy from a licensed health care professional before the age of 18.
The numbers are according to a new study by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law. Other numbers released show that approximately 57,000 youth will receive the treatment from a religious or spiritual advisor.
I hope and pray these "treatments" would end, but how many have already received such handling? The researchers found that approximately 698,000 LGBT adults in the U.S have received conversion therapy at some point in their lives, with about 350,000 of those as adolescents.
To date, nine states, the District of Columbia and 32 localities have laws protecting youth under age 18 from receiving conversion therapy from licensed health care providers. There is hope for the rest of the nation as several more states will be considering conversion therapy bans and pending federal legislation—the Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act—would outlaw the practice nationwide.
May it be from a professional, religious, or spiritual advisor, this does need to stop. We are who we are.
