Why Conversion Therapy is not a Solution

Disclaimer- The following piece is based on a mix of opinions and facts derived from various sources. We do not intend to offend the sentiments of any individual or community. 

Photo by Karollyne Videira Hubert on Unsplash

Being queer means having to go through the socially mandated process of not just coming to terms with your own identity, but also having to explain the same to your near and dear ones. And the process does not always go well. If you wander long enough within the dark hallways of social media, you are bound to come across at least one account of an individual being forced to undergo conversion therapy. 

Conversion therapy constitutes any attempt to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity to force them to fit into what the society deems normal. With little regard for the individual’s safety, the prime focus becomes correcting their behaviour to something that society can accept. 

The roots of this coercive attempt to “cure” someone of their queerness lie in the assumption that these are merely psychological irregularities. This ideology, however, has no supporting evidence in the realm of behavioural sciences. People are also prone to ignoring the physiological aspects of the experience, not thinking about the toll that such things can take on someone’s health and well-being. 

Conversion therapy can take many shapes and forms. It might be done in the form of a “spiritual awakening” at the hands of someone who claims to be a man of God, or it might take the brutal form of physical torture. In gruesome incidents, “corrective” rape has been promoted as a form of reparative therapy.

Even as the practice has been outlawed in many nations, India is not a part of the list. The Madras High Court has been a propagator of the rejection of conversion therapies, issuing a judgment in 2021. The Conversion Therapy (Prohibition) Bill, 2022 is yet to get an official nod in the Indian parliament. 

So many lives have been lost to this malpractice. There is no evidence regarding the efficiency of such attempts to convert people to “normalcy”, however there are known instances of how it has ruined or even ended lives. Many accredited medical associations, national and international, have condemned the practice for its medical negligence as well as a lack of solid basis. 

Social media has given a platform to these voices. Even if an outright ban on the practice is yet to be implemented in the country, the people who are forced into it can at least bring such instances to light through these platforms. In fact, the only reason why the people who are aware about this sort of a practice is because of coming across these accounts on various networking sites. 

Have we as a society fallen so far that we find it acceptable to rob someone of their mental, and at times physical, well-being in the name of fixing them? What harm does the queer lifestyle bring to anyone? We are now well into the 21st century and it's time to accept that every individual has the right to live their life they want to. Controlling the way someone chooses to express themselves is a regressive concept that we as a society need to ban. 

By : Nishita Sinha