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Anti-LGBTIQ ‘conversion therapy’ occurs worldwide, new study reveals

Activities to ‘cure’ LGBTIQ people are widespread globally, says report, driven by ultra-religious groups and “internalised” prejudice.

By Nandini Naira Archer
Anti-LGBTIQ ‘conversion therapy’ occurs worldwide, new study reveals
LGBT protest against True Freedom Trust who offer conversion therapy in Belfast, Northern Ireland 2019. | David Young/PA Wire/PA Images. All rights reserved.
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A new report paints a chilling picture of how ‘conversion therapy’ – attempts to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity – occurs in at least 80 countries worldwide.

The first global study of its kind, published on Thursday, shows how these practices are prevalent beyond well-documented US cases – and range from mental health services to prayer and ‘self-help’ groups.

Far from an outdated activity, conversion therapy is “a very current global problem”, said Maria Sjödin, deputy director at LGBTIQ rights group OutRight International that published the study.

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