Conversion therapy isn't real. Junk science that harms LGBTQ youth should be banned.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/conversion-therapy-isn-t-real-junk-science-that-harms-lgbtq-youth-should-be-banned-opinion/ar-AA1O4j2n?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=15e99ca420b24f1d86c0b1b8a6a3a740&ei=128 🔗 [Link: msn.com/en-​us/news/opinion/conversion-​therapy-​isn-​t-​real-​junk-​science-​that-​harms-​lgbtq-​youth-​should-​be-​banned-​opinion/ar-​AA1O4j2n/]

Opinion by Haley Norris (9 Oct 2025)

Conversion therapy ‒ the practice of attempting to alter someone's sexual orientation or gender identity through a variety of methods ‒ has long been debunked by scientists, doctors and survivors alike as dangerous and deceptive. Bans against using it on minors have been passed in 23 states as well as Washington, DC.

On Oct. 7, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that could render those bans unlawful and pave the way for countless American children and youth to be harmed.

The case in question, called Chiles v. Salazar, hinges on Colorado's conversion therapy ban.

Despite its name, the practice has no basis in therapeutic medicine and has been condemned by the medical community for years, including by the American Psychological Association and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

It reinforces stigma and shame around LGBTQI+ identities, causing many who have been subjected to it to report experiencing high rates of depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.

A decade ago, advocates pushed for a federal ban on conversion therapy, backed by science and other evidence. However, the same conservative legal groups who have fought to implement bathroom bans, bar trans kids from playing sports with their friends and restrict access to best-practice gender-affirming care have also been fighting hard to rebrand conversion therapy.

These groups, which include the Alliance Defending Freedom, rely on the same playbook they use to fight other areas of LGBTQI+ health care access: by claiming that regulating mental health professionals violates the First Amendment.

Conversion therapy has been attempted unsuccessfully for over 100 years.

That alone tells me that the root cause is not some "mental illness" but something deeper within us, like genetics, that cannot be changed. If it were something like a mental issue, then treatment such as conversion therapy would have a high success rate and be endorsed by the medical and mental health community.

Since it has a high failure rate, the indication is that it is something else. And that is why over 26 professional medical associations, like the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association, endorse gender affirming care to align the body with one's mental image of self. And by adopting this approach have found a success rate of over 97% for those who follow the medical protocols.

I suspect that this debate will continue for another 100 years, so long as people with no medical background and strong opinions are allowed to decide the laws against us.