By: Priya Migneault Today in a historic 14 to 1 vote the City of Calgary has banned Gay Conversion therapy. This comes after a massive wave of opposition of the bylaw in early May, where hundreds of Calgarians shared personal stories of their struggles with identity and conversion therapy. Any business or individual found practicing forms of conversion therapy can be fined up to $10,000 and spend up to one year in prison. It is estimated that 47,000 LGBTQ+ Canadians have undergone conversion therapy, but what is conversion therapy and why have so many Canadians been affected by it? Conversion Therapy is the scientifically debunked practice of trying to change someone’s gender and/or sexual orientation through harmful medical and psychological practices. These practices are typically enforced on young individuals through religious and family beliefs. The practices can range from electric shock therapy, talk therapy, to medication and have been known to be unsuccessful and very harmful. Conversion Therapy still exists in Canada and there is currently a federal ban in the works to change that. There are currently only five countries who have banned conversion therapy for minors, according to NBC: Germany, Brazil, Malta, Ecuador, and Taiwan. The idea that someone could be medically treated for being homosexual has been around for over a century. Beginning in the 1920's, some medical professionals believed that people's sexual orientation was psychological and therefore could be treated. It wasn't until the early 2000's that medical professionals came forward to the media that Conversion Therapy could not change someone's sexual orientation and even then there was quite a bit of opposition. Since then, many scientific studies have come to the unanimous conclusion that Conversion Therapy cannot completely change one’s sexual identity or orientation and are they extremely harmful. In 2015, the same year that same sex marriage was legalized in the USA, President Barack Obama publicly shamed the practice. Although, this is an amazing day for many in and outside the LGBTQ+ community, Canada and Alberta still have a way to go until this practice is completely banned. For more on this story stay tuned until next week, where we will be covering Calgarians perspectives on the ban.
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AuthorAWCS Youth Program Zed News YYC reporters Archives
December 2022
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