Part 1:

There is no reason for conversion therapy to happen, especially to children. It is incredibly dangerous, and
there are countless stories of abuse coming from these so-called therapists. I have heard about electric
shock, needles being stuck in people's fingers, and other terrible techniques to try to make people change
their sexual orientation. These techniques dont work, and cause people to become suicidal. As someone
who is gay, I am appalled by the fact that people seem to think that this is okay, and that only five states in
this country have banned it. Conversion therapy is legal in the state that I live in, and that really scares
me. It is legal in the state of Colorado for parents to force their lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer
(LGBTQ) children to go through this therapy.
The vice president-elect, Mike Pence, supports conversion therapy; we will soon live in a country where
the leaders have no problem abusing children, if it is done to change who those people are. There are still
way too many people in this country who believe that sexual orientation and gender identity are choices,
and that they can easily be changed. These same people find it impossible for them to change from
heterosexual and cisgender, if it is so easy to change these things, I want to see them live as LGBTQ for a
week. Conversion therapy supporters are blinded by hatred and fear, they do not want to believe that there
are people in this world who are different from them, they call being LGBTQ a lifestyle because they
dont want to face differences. We live in a society where people all have to be the same, and if one strays
from that mold, they are hated. The LGBTQ community has fought so hard just to be treated with
decency, and now with the political climate changing, that decency has started to slip away.
This therapy stigmatizes being LGBTQ even more, there have been many times in my life where I have
been afraid to be who I am, and I know that I am not the only person who has experienced this. Especially
with the election outcome as it is, my LGBTQ friends have expressed being afraid to be queer in this
country right now. I have heard about an increase in hate crimes towards minorities, and many young
queer people have probably given up on the idea of coming out to their conservative family while they are
still living with them. There are so many kids who are terrified of coming to their family because of the
possibility of being sent to conversion therapy. LGBTQ youth are four to six times more likely to commit
suicide than their heterosexual and cisgender peers, and conversion therapy probably has a hand in that.
Teaching children that who they are is wrong, and that they have to change something that is impossible
to change in order to be accepted.
There are no real success stories from conversion therapy, it is impossible to change something like
sexual orientation or gender, it is like trying to change height or eye color, its just not possible. There are
kids who stay up all night, trying to be heterosexual or cisgender, and they get up each morning, and
nothing has changed, and they feel like they are failing themselves and their family. Conversion therapists
encourage this behavior, they tell these people that they can change, if they just try hard enough, or if they
make themselves believe that they can change. A lot of these slogans are You dont have to be gay,
change is possible. This is flat out lie, changing is not possible, and telling people this, is so horribly
damaging. People talk about the dangerous lifestyle that queer people have, and that queer people are
more likely to have mental illness like depression and anxiety. The reason for these illnesses, is people
like conversion therapists who constantly say that in order to be good people, queer people must make
themselves straight.

These therapy techniques do not help anyone, they cause more harm than good, and make people lie to
themselves. People need love and acceptance, and conversion therapy does the opposite. Conversion
therapy literally kills people, and it is time for people to recognize that, and start banning it across the
world.
Part 2:
Conversion therapy is what is used to try to change people from gay to straight, or transgender to
cisgender. It is banned in Vermont, California, Washington D.C., New Jersey, Illinois, Oregon, but in the
rest of the states in this country, it is legal, even for minors. It harms people through promising an
impossible change and shaming people into thinking that who they are is wrong. It is very dangerous and
causes people to become suicidal. According to the Human Rights Campaign, Minors are especially
vulnerable, and conversion therapy can lead to depression, anxiety, drug use, homelessness, and suicide
(Human Rights Campaign). When minors are put through conversion therapy, they feel that they have no
support system, they feel completely alone, unless they change. Queer youth are put in a very
uncomfortable position when their parents tell them that they are not accepted at home, unless they
change, which is impossible.
There are countless accounts of people experience experiencing abuse, both physical and emotional, from
conversion therapy. James Guay writes, For a year, I attended weekly individual therapy sessions where
I was encouraged to blame my distant relationship with my father and over-involved relationship with my
mother for my same-sex desires. I was also guided to remember an original woundingin particular,
sexual or physical abusethat I had not experienced (Guay). This kind of therapy causes people to hate
themselves, as well as forcing people to find issues in their past that may not have ever happened in order
to somehow explain why they are queer. As Guay said, he was told to find a horrible thing that had
happened in his past that didnt exist. The people who do this kind of therapy are so desperate to find
anything that they could blame for the reason people are gay, even though it is now common knowledge
that people do not make the choice to be gay, and that it is not an illness, these therapy techniques can
literally kill people, and that is something that is very important to remember.
Many people probably remember Leelah Alcorn, a seventeen year old transgender girl who committed
suicide after her parents didnt accept her, and forced her to go to christian therapists who told her that she
could not be transgender, and that she needed to change in order to be a good person. In her suicide note
she said, When I was 14, I learned what transgender meant and cried of happiness. After 10 years of
confusion I finally understood who I was. I immediately hold my mom, and she reacted extremely
negatively, telling me that it was a phase, that I would never truly be a girl, that God doesnt make
mistakes, and that I am wrong. (Leelah Alcorn). Leelah Alcorn was failed, she lived in an environment
where she was not accepted, and could not get out of it. She was constantly being told that who she is was
wrong, and that nobody would accept her, that she was just living through a phase. During interviews
with her mother after her death, her mother continually called her by male pronouns and her birth name.
Her mother couldnt even respect after she killed herself. The last part of her note was a call to make this
country better for transgender people, My death needs to mean something. My death needs to be counted
in the number of transgender people who commit suicide this year. I want someone to look at that number
and say thats fucked up and fix it. Fix society. Please. (Leelah Alcorn). She asked for someone to fix
society, it has been two years, and transgender people are still treated horribly in this country.

Conversion therapy literally kills people, it is terribly damaging, and should not ever be used. People have
committed suicide, or contemplated it while undergoing this therapy, and it is still legal in most of the
country. This is a horrible part of this society, and everyone needs to do everything they can to change it.
Works Cited:
Guay, James. My Hellish Youth in Gay Conversion Therapy and How I Got Out. Time, 15 July 2014,
http://time.com/2986440/sexual-conversion-therapy-gay/. Accessed 18 November 2016.
Leelah Alcorn: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know. Heavy, 31 December 2014,
http://heavy.com/news/2014/12/leelah-alcorn-joshua-alcorn-dead-suicide-rip-ohio-tumblrsuicide-note/. Accessed 18 November 2016.
The Lies and Dangers of Efforts to Change Sexual Orientation or Gender Identity. Human
Rights Campaign, http://www.hrc.org/resources/the-lies-and-dangers-of-reparative-therapy.
Accessed 18 November 2016.
Part 3:
Conversion therapy helps people become their true selves. People dont have to be gay, and conversion
therapy helps to ensure that people can fulfill their potential in life. Conversion therapy cures people of
the harmful effects of homosexuality. Gay people are at a higher risk of mental illness, including
depression and anxiety, and substance abuse; this therapy helps people who do not want to experience
these things.
Youth in this country are taught that being homosexual is completely acceptable, which it very well may
be, but youth also need to know that there are other options for them. According the the National
Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), And when homosexuality is
discussed, it must not cross the line into lifestyle advocacy. Ultimately, sexual lifestyle decisions hinge on
matters of deeply held values. Schools should respect the right of families to convey their own social
values to their children. (NARTH). They are saying that it is important for schools to not advocate for a
particular lifestyle, schools should stay completely neutral on the issues and give students all the options
that are available, including conversion therapy for students who are struggling with homosexuality.
Conversion therapists do not try to force people into using their services, they are trying to make sure that
the services exist for people who want them. Joseph Nicolosi, a conversion therapist writes, I would like
to explain why sexually questioning teens must have the chance to investigate all of their options -- not
just be encouraged by counselors into adopting a gay identity and living a gay lifestyle (Nicolosi). He is
saying that youth need to know all of their options before they feel pressured into adopting a certain
lifestyle choice.
Conversion therapy has changed from what it used to be, electric shock, aversion techniques, and
medication are no longer used to change peoples sexual orientation. It is now therapy, Truly effective
therapy is hard work. Deep emotions are experienced, and wounds are healed. This can, in time, result in
spontaneous and successful change. (Pickup). This therapy digs into the reasoning for people being
homosexual, and what happened in their past to make them have these feelings. It helps people heal from
their past trauma, and be better people because of it.

People are not born gay, it is something that develops either by choice, or from trauma people may have
experienced in the past. According to NARTH, Tolerance and diversity means nothing if it is extended
to activists and not traditionalists on the homosexual issue. Tolerance must also be extended to those
people who take the principled, scientifically supportable view that homosexuality works against our
human nature. (NARTH). It is science proves that people choose to be homosexual, and it is important
that people who believe this should be accepted in society. There are accounts of people becoming
heterosexual. "This really works. I realized being gay was not who I really was. This is tough work, but
worth everything to me." (Pickup). This is one of many quotes by people who have undergone conversion
therapy, and are no longer living the homosexual lifestyle. Personal stories like this can help people feel
like they are not alone, and that there is support out there for people. This person was able to become his
true self with the help of this therapy.
Conversion therapy is important in making sure that people have the option to fulfill their dreams of who
they want to be in the world. It makes sure that people who have always wanted children can give those
children they best life possible, it gives people the satisfaction of making their family proud. This therapy
helps people become themselves, and it lets them know that if they put their mind to it, anything is
possible.
Works Cited:
NARTH Institute. The Clinical, Research and Medical Divisions of the Alliance for Therapeutic Choice,
http://www.narth.com/. Accessed 18 November 2016.
Nicolosi, Joseph. Joseph Nicolosi Ph.D. http://www.josephnicolosi.com/. Accessed 18 November 2016.
Pickup, David H. Reparative Therapy. http://www.davidpickuplmft.com/. Accessed 18 November 2016.