what is conversion therapy

Conversion therapy is a pseudoscientific and harmful practice aimed at changing an individual's sexual orientation, romantic orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to conform to heterosexual and cisgender norms. It is often conducted through psychological, medical, religious, or cultural interventions and can include talking therapies, aversion therapy (such as electric shocks or nausea-inducing drugs), prayer, exorcisms, and more extreme methods. Conversion therapy is widely discredited by medical and mental health professionals because it is ineffective and causes significant long-term psychological harm, including depression, anxiety, and suicidal tendencies. It is considered unethical, potentially abusive, and in many places, illegal. The practice is condemned globally and increasingly banned by law due to its damaging impact on individuals subjected to it.