Action | Unprofessional conduct/conversion therapy |
Stage | NOIRA |
Comment Period | Ended on 8/7/2019 |
It is time for the state of Virginia to ban the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy. Conversion therapy, by definition, is an intervention that aims to alter or "fix" an individual's same-sex attractions or gender expression. This implies that any sexual orientation or gender expression other than heterosexuality and cisnormativity is somehow inferior, undesirable and unhealthy. The worldwide medical community agrees that this is simply not the case. The majority of reputable medical and psychological organizations both in the US and elsewhere agree that human sexuality and human gender expression is variable, and that such variation is both normal and healthy.
The following list is just a few of the many organizations that have issued statements opposing the practice of conversion therapy:
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Academy of Nursing
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists
American Counselling Association
American Group Psychotherapy Association
American Medical Association
American Medical Student Association
American Mental Health Counselors Association
American Psychiatric Association
American Psychoanalytic Association
American Psychological Association
American School Counsellor Association
Association of Christian Counsellors
Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Issues in Counseling
Australian and New Zealand Professional Association for Transgender Health
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
British Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies
British Psychoanalytic Council
British Psychological Society
Canadian Association for Social Work Education
Canadian Association of Social Workers
Canadian Professional Association for Transgender Health
Canadian Psychiatric Association
Clinical Social Work Association
College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario
College of Sex and Relationship Therapists
Gay and Lesbian Medical Association
GLADD (The Association of LGBT Doctors and Dentists)
International Federation of Social Workers
National Association for Children’s Behavioral Health
National Association of School Psychologists
National Association of Social Workers’ National Committee on LGBT Issues
National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery
National Counselling Society
NHS England
NHS Scotland
Pink Therapy Professional
Ordre des travailleurs sociaux et thérapeutes conjugaux et familiaux du Québec (Order of social workers and conjugal and family therapists of Quebec)
Ordre professionnel des sexologues du Québec (Professional order of sexologists of Quebec)
Royal College of General Practitioners
Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
The Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Addiction Professionals and their Allies
The Association of LGBTQ Psychiatrists
UK Council for Psychotherapy
World Professional Association for Transgender Health
Clearly, our doctors, psychologists, and other experts agree that the use of conversion therapy needs to stop. It is time that Virginia takes this important step to protect it's citizens from this harmful and disproven practice.