Conversion Therapy in the South: Who are the Survivors?

• In Event: 2323 - Student Forum Refereed Roundtable
  In Refereed Roundtable 100min: 3. Identity, Institutions and Personhood in the Study of Sexuality and Gender

Abstract

A variety of studies have determined that conversion therapy, or efforts to change one’s sexual orientation or gender identity, can be both ineffective and severely harmful. However, few of these studies focus on what demographic factors might impact the likelihood that an individual experiences conversion therapy. This study utilizes large-scale, quantitative data from the LGBTQ Institute Southern Survey to determine which demographic variables correlate with experiences of conversion therapy and whether, like other studies, the experience of conversion therapy correlates with negative mental health outcomes. Findings demonstrate a strong negative correlation between having experienced conversion therapy and current mental health status. Older respondents and respondents with more education reported being less likely to have been exposed to conversion therapy, while transgender and bisexual individuals were at significantly higher odds having experienced some form of conversion therapy. These findings support previous literature claiming associations between conversion therapy and negative mental health consequences. In addition, our findings regarding age as well as the greater likelihood of transgender and bisexual individuals’ experiences offer new insights that should be studied further in future research.

Author

• Madison Nicole Higbee