Unintended consequences
Change can be hard — no matter what it is. But for families with children who come out of the closet, the switch to a new normal can often be too much to bear. Many of those families turn to something called “conversion therapy,” in the hopes that their children will embrace a “straight” way of life.
The effects of such therapy can be so psychologically damaging that as of May 2020, 20 states, the District of Columbia and numerous localities have banned health care professionals from providing it to youth (Sopelsa, 2020, para.1).
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Learn more about conversion therapy’s unintended consequences in this 2019 report from the Williams Institute at UCLA.
References:
Mallory, C., Brown T. N. T., & Conron, K. (2019, June). Conversion therapy and LGBT youth update. The Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law. https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/conversion-therapy-and-lgbt-youth/
Sopelsa, B. (2020, March). Virginia becomes 20th state to ban conversion therapy for minors. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/virginia-becomes-20th-state-ban-conversion-therapy-minors-n1...
