WASHINGTON, DC — June 1, 2021 — The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people, commended Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers for signing three pro-LGBTQ executive orders, including one that instructs the state’s Department of Health Services (DHS), Department of Children and Families (DCF), and Department of Corrections (DOC) to update policies and “expressly disallow” payment of state and federal funds for conversion therapy on minors.
“Conversion therapy is a dangerous, fraudulent practice that should never be subsidized with taxpayer dollars. Thank you to Governor Evers for taking this action at the start of Pride Month to protect LGBTQ youth,” said Sam Brinton (they/them pronouns), Vice President of Advocacy and Government Affairs for The Trevor Project. “This is a great step forward and now we need the state legislature to pass legislation prohibiting mental health providers from subjecting any LGBTQ young person in Wisconsin to this discredited and abusive practice.”
Research:
- According to The Trevor Project’s 2021 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health, 13% of LGBTQ youth reported being subjected to conversion therapy, with 83% reporting it occurred when they were under age 18. LGBTQ youth who were subjected to conversion therapy reported more than twice the rate of attempting suicide in the past year compared to those who were not.
- According to a peer-reviewed study by The Trevor Project published in the American Journal of Public Health, LGBTQ youth who underwent conversion therapy were more than twice as likely to report having attempted suicide and more than 2.5 times as likely to report multiple suicide attempts in the past year.
For journalists looking to learn more about how to cover the issue of conversion therapy, here is a guide on best practices.
