The Global State of Conversion Therapy - A Preliminary Report and Current Evidence Brief

The term “conversion therapy” is most widely used to describe practices attempting to change, suppress, or divert one’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Such practices are also called: reorientation therapy, reparative therapy, sexual orientation change efforts, ex-gay/ex-trans therapy, gay cure therapy, or more recently, support for unwanted same-sex attraction or transgender identities. To discover global prevalence of both conversion therapy and various methods of practicing attempted therapy a survey was distributed online. The survey was developed by combining existing measurement tools with newly designed questions to gauge experiences with conversion therapy. The survey consisted of a series of 44 questions covering a range of topics, including personal experience with conversion therapy, types of therapy experienced, long-term impacts, mental health, human rights, faith, and others. The survey was provided in several languages, including English, Arabic, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, and others. Any Hornet user was able to voluntarily participate in the survey. 8092 individuals from over 100 countries participated in the survey, ranging in age from under 18 to 85+. 8092 individuals from over 100 countries participated in the survey, ranging in age from under 18 to 85+. Of the 5820 individuals who responded to the question “Does conversion therapy happen in your country?”, 1851 participants responded “yes,” that they were aware conversion therapy occurs in the country where they live, and 1227 (21.08%) and 1263 (21.70%) responding that they were unsure or maybe, respectively. 1627 (20.09%) of respondents indicated that either they or someone they know (family member, friend, etc.) have been in conversion therapy. The majority of practitioners who led conversion therapy were mental health providers, followed by religious authorities or their associates. These findings with a large global sample reveal that the practice of conversion therapy continues to be utilized around the world despite broad consensus on its harmful effects and lack of scientific justification.