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Advocacy

Conversion Therapy: What’s Happening in 2020?

BY: Kinzi Sparks
Volunteer working and writing in a notebook and typing on the computer

Since 2012, 18 states and the District of Columbia have acted to protect LGBTQ youth from the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy — with Utah poised to become the 19th state in the coming weeks. That momentum looks to continue in 2020: the states of Florida, Missouri, Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia have already filed such bills for the 2020 legislative session, with Oklahoma, Minnesota, and others preparing to take action before the sessions begin.

According to The Trevor Project’s research, LGBTQ youth who report having at least one accepting adult were 40% less likely to report a suicide attempt in the past year. As more community leaders take action to protect young people from the trauma of conversion therapy, imagine how supported and affirmed LGBTQ youth will feel about their identities.

That’s why The Trevor Project’s Advocacy team continues to work with the leaders and local advocates across the country to educate more lawmakers and their constituents about the harms of conversion therapy. We work together to ensure that these vital protections continue to progress state by state; as well as within the federal government.

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Advocacy

FCC Moving Forward with 9-8-8 as 3-Digit Suicide Prevention Number

This morning, the Federal Communications Commission announced its plans to finalize a two-year phase-in of ‘988’ as the new, nationwide, 3-digit phone number for suicide prevention. The rules, if adopted by the Commission at its July 16 Open Meeting, would require all phone service providers to begin directing all 988 calls to the existing National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by July 16, 2022.   Statement from Sam Brinton (they/them pronouns), Vice President of Advocacy and Government Affairs for The Trevor Project: “The Trevor Project commends the FCC for moving forward with the implementation of 9-8-8 on an efficient two-year timeline. Suicide remains the second…
Press

New Report Reveals Alarming Prevalence of Conversion Therapy, With Over 1,300 Active Practitioners Across the U.S.

Nearly half of the identified practitioners (46%) hold active professional licenses as mental health providers December 12, 2023 — The Trevor Project, the leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ young people, released a new report today which sheds light on the alarming and extensive presence of practitioners of so-called conversion “therapy” across the U.S. Conversion “therapy” refers to a range of dangerous, discredited, and unscientific practices that attempt to change one’s LGBTQ+ identity. The report, It’s Still Happening, is the culmination of rigorous and systematic research that began in 2018 by researchers at The Trevor Project, who…

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