Conversion Therapy in the Southern United States: Prevalence and Experiences of the Survivors

ABSTRACT

Numerous studies have determined that conversion therapy, a practice meant to change one’s sexual orientation to heterosexual or gender identity to cisgender, can be ineffective and severely harmful. However, few studies have documented the prevalence or characteristics of its survivors. This study is a quantitative analysis of the LGBTQ Institute Southern Survey that estimates the prevalence of conversion therapy (specifically SOCE) in the Southern United States and documents its significant association with negative mental health outcomes. Conversion therapy survivors comprised 7.6% of the sample (11.6% after listwise deletion). Respondents who were younger and reported being a gender minority; lesbian, gay, or some other sexual orientation; Hispanic; less educated; and less religious were more likely to have experienced it. Findings support previous studies which report a strong correlation between conversion therapy and poor mental health outcomes. Results regarding the prevalence and demographics of survivors offer new insights for further research.

KEYWORDS:

• Conversion therapy
• reparative therapy
• LGBTQ youth
• sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE)
• gender identity change efforts (GICE)
• mental health
• same-sex attractions
• gender nonconformity

Acknowledgments

We truly appreciate Ana LaBoy, Dr. Daniel Pasciuti, Joshua Simpkins, and Dr. Christopher Connor for taking the time to provide a wealth of advice and encouragement throughout the development of this study. Thank you to our Georgia State University and LGBTQ Institute donors who helped support our efforts to create and conduct the LGBTQ Institute Southern Survey. We would also like to thank all individuals and partner organizations involved in the data collection process as well as everyone who shared their stories by participating in taking the Southern Survey: because of you, this passion project has come to fruition. We are incredibly grateful for the guidance and participation of all these individuals and for the opportunity to give back to the LGBTQ community.

Disclosure statement

The author reports that there is no potential conflict of interest.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available upon reasonable request by contacting the corresponding author, Dr. Eric Wright, via email at: [email protected].

Notes

1. The states include Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

2. Prior to listwise deletion, 495 of 6,502 (7.6%) respondents reported experiencing conversion therapy before age 18.