TRANSGENDER CONVERSION THERAPY
Conversion therapy, otherwise referred to as Reparative or Reintegrative therapy by proponents, is a type of psychological process which the goal is to fundamentally alter the gender identity and sexual orientation of LGBTQ people. Historically, conversion therapy has been aimed at both homosexual cisgender people, as well as transgender people – though, the latter is oft-forgotten.
The methods more or less remain the same, regardless of the intended subject: build a negative association with the subject's identity or sexuality. For homosexual men in the past, for example, this meant electroshock therapy or forced inhalation of jenkem (human feces) paired with sexual images of men in order to form a negative association. For transgender people, both historically and today, a similar process is undergone which entails electric shocks paired with images of men or women’s clothing, in order to discourage a perceived wrongness in desiring to wear that clothing and subsequently expressing a gender not associated with their gender assigned at birth.
According to a study conducted in 2019, there was a 95% association between transgender people exposed to conversion therapy and higher odds of lifetime suicide attempts. Roughly 20% of transgender people who sought assistance from any therapist, secular or otherwise, were subsequently exposed to an effort to change their identity. Those transgender people exposed to the therapy before the age of 10 were found to be four times more likely than other transgender people to attempt suicide.
To look at an example of transgender conversion therapy still ongoing today, one may look at David Pickup, who, as of 2019 practices conversion therapy in Dallas, Texas. On Pickup’s website, he follows suit with his peers in creating new language for preestablished concepts. Historically, gay conversion therapy has referred to gay people not as gay, but as “same sex attracted” and does not refer to a “cure” but rather “finding confident subjective feelings of masculinity”. Pickup employs similarly roundabout language immediately by referring to gender dysphoria as “Gender Identity Inferiority”, and refers to it as a traumatic experience.
The language on Pickup's website is clearly directed at men, and solely refers to maleness throughout, despite herein referring to trans women. Pickup describes himself as caring and authentic, and his website blames a lack of affirmation of gender identity in adolescence to causing homosexuality or transgender identity, which appears to be conflated here with no references given to, for example, transgender women who are not attracted to men. In response, Pickup claims that his reintegrative therapy will reintegrate affirmations of male gender identity in people who were assigned male at birth, and additionally lead to, in his words, a dissipation of homosexual feelings and a preparation to move toward heterosexual attractions for women.
Sources:
Pickup, David. “‘Feels a Lot Better?".” Davidpickuplmft.com, www.davidpickuplmft.com/what-is-reparative-therapy.
Pickup, David. “David Pickup, Marriage & Family Therapist, Dallas, TX, 75248.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 20 July 2019, www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/david-h-pickup-dallas-tx/231980.
McGaughy, Lauren. “'We Don't Need Fixing': Texas Debates Ban on Gay Conversion Therapy for Kids.” Dallas News, The Dallas Morning News, 23 Aug. 2019, www.dallasnews.com/news/2019/05/02/we-don-t-need-fixing-texas-debates-ban-on-gay-conversion-therapy-for-kids/.
Gajdics, Peter. “What Actually Happens During Reparative Therapy.” ADVOCATE, Advocate.com, 29 Oct. 2012, www.advocate.com/commentary/2012/10/29/what-actually-happens-during-reparative-therapy?page=full.
Evans, Alice. “Trans Conversion Therapy Survivor: 'I Wanted to Be Cured so Asked to Be Electrocuted'.” BBC News, BBC, 23 Aug. 2019, www.bbc.com/news/uk-49344152.
Turban JL, Beckwith N, Reisner SL, Keuroghlian AS. “Association Between Recalled Exposure to Gender Identity Conversion Efforts and Psychological Distress and Suicide Attempts Among Transgender Adults.” JAMA Psychiatry. 2020;77(1):68–76. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2019.2285
Fitzsimons, Tim. “Transgender 'Conversion Therapy' Associated with 'Severe Psychological Distress'.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 11 Sept. 2019, www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/transgender-conversion-therapy-associated-severe-psychological-distress-n1052416.
Reports, Staff. “Dallas Billboard Company Says 'Repulsive' Conversion Therapy Ad Coming Down.” LGBTQ Nation, LGBTQ Nation, 18 Jan. 2015, www.lgbtqnation.com/2015/01/dallas-billboard-company-says-repulsive-conversion-therapy-ad-coming-down/.