Youth's Lives Every Day
LGBTQ youth who underwent conversion therapy were more than twice as likely to report having attempted suicide in the past year
February 9, 2022 — The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people, condemned the Oklahoma House State Powers Committee for passing HB 2973, a bill that enshrines protections for the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy.
“We are disheartened to see Oklahoma lawmakers open this legislative session by endorsing the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion ‘therapy’,” said Troy Stevenson (he/him pronouns), Senior Advocacy Campaign Manager for The Trevor Project. “Research from The Trevor Project is clear: LGBTQ youth who are subjected to this harmful practice were more than twice as likely to report having attempted suicide in the past year. Even further, so-called conversion therapy has been debunked by every major medical association. We urge Oklahoma lawmakers to take a clear stance in protecting LGBTQ youth – and put a stop to this bill.”
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. Further, a peer-reviewed study by The Trevor Project found that 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.
Conversion therapy is widely opposed by prominent professional medical associations including the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. For journalists looking to learn more about how to cover the issue of conversion therapy, here is a guide on best practices.
If you or someone you know needs help or support, The Trevor Project’s trained crisis counselors are available 24/7 at 1-866-488-7386, via chat at TheTrevorProject.org/Get-Help, or by texting START to 678678.
About The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people. The Trevor Project offers a suite of 24/7 crisis intervention and suicide prevention programs, including TrevorLifeline, TrevorText, and TrevorChat as well as the world’s largest safe space social networking site for LGBTQ youth, TrevorSpace. Trevor also operates an education program with resources for youth-serving adults and organizations, an advocacy department fighting for pro-LGBTQ legislation and against anti-LGBTQ rhetoric/policy positions, and a research team to discover the most effective means to help young LGBTQ people in crisis and end suicide.
