The Obama administration on Wednesday came out in support of ending the practice of so-called “conversion” or “reparative” therapy on minors in an effort to change their sexual orientation or gender identity.
The White House took the position in issuing a response to a petition posted on the White House website on Jan. 3 asking for a legislative ban on conversion therapy. The posters of the petition invoked the memory of Leelah Alcorn, a 17-year-old Ohio transgender woman whose death made national headlines after she committed suicide by walking in front of a semi-truck. Prior to her death, the teen had been isolated from her friends and schoolmates and sent to Christian therapists who had advocated conversion therapy due to her parents’ rejection of her gender identity. With limited access to social media, Alcorn left behind a suicide note on her Tumblr account in which she begged people to “fix society” by educating people about gender and to be more accepting of transgender people. LGBT activists in cities across the country, including Washington, held marches or vigils in remembrance of Alcorn that also served as a call to change how society often treats transgender people and urging lawmakers to consider a ban on conversion therapy.
In the response, which was also posted on the official White House blog, Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to President Obama, noted that the overwhelming majority of medical and mental health professionals have rejected the idea that one’s sexual orientation can be “changed,” with the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the World Health Organization, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the American Counseling Association rejecting the practice.
“When assessing the validity of conversion therapy, or other practices that seek to change an individual’s gender identity or sexual orientation, it is as imperative to seek guidance from certified medical experts,” Jarrett wrote. “The overwhelming scientific evidence demonstrates that conversion therapy, especially when it is practiced on young people, is neither medically nor ethically appropriate and can cause substantial harm. As part of our dedication to protecting America’s youth, this Administration supports efforts to ban the use of conversion therapy for minors.”
The administration is not pushing for a congressional ban on the practice, but is rather throwing its support behind efforts at the state level to either ban conversion therapy or to revoke the licenses of those counselors and therapists who practice it on minors. However, Jarrett did not that the administration was “hopeful that the clarity of the evidence combined with the actions taken by these states will lead to broader action that this Administration would support.”
Only three jurisdictions — California, New Jersey and the District of Columbia — have banned conversion therapy for minors. In fact, the White House even cited Gov. Chris Christie’s (R-N.J.) justification for signing the ban into law, when the potential GOP presidential contender then said that “exposing children to these health risks without clear evidence of the benefits that outweigh these serious risks is not appropriate.” Legislation similar in scope to the California, New Jersey, and D.C. measures has been introduced in 18 other states this year, including Virginia, but has either been withdrawn or scuttled in committee in at least one legislative chamber in all those states. Maryland introduced a similar bill during the 2014 legislative session, but the chief sponsor of the bill withdrew it after advocates made a calculated decision to focus on the regulation and oversight of conversion therapy rather than attempt to force a heated battle with fellow legislators over a potentially controversial bill during an election year.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest LGBT civil rights organization, posted news of the Obama administration’s backing of conversion therapy bans on its website. Chad Griffin, the president of HRC, took to Twitter to praise the president’s stance, tweeting, “Huge statement from the @WhiteHouse against so-called ‘conversion therapy’ tonight.”
The National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) issued its own statement responding to the White House’s latest move.
“Having President Obama and the weight of the White House behind efforts to ban conversion therapy is so critical in the fight for transgender and LGB young people,” Mara Keisling, NCTE’s executive director, said in the statement. “My hope is that when a transgender person’s struggle is acknowledged by one of the most recognizable figures in the world, it positively changes the way they view themselves. The pseudo-science that propels conversion therapy cannot match the self-acceptance that comes with this kind of change.”
Featured image credit: Christopher Dilts/Obama for America.
A majority of the Supreme Court appeared poised to overturn Colorado's ban on licensed counselors attempting to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of minors, after 90 minutes of oral arguments on October 7. The decision could upend similar conversion therapy bans in 23 states and the District of Columbia.
Conversion therapy attempts to change a person's same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria by teaching patients to suppress their impulses or modify behavior to fit traditional notions of gender and sexuality. The practice is often wrongly described as "curing" a person of same-sex attraction or gender dysphoria -- when even many practitioners admit they cannot eliminate such feelings, only offer ways to manage or resist them.
One Million Moms, the project of the anti-LGBTQ American Family Association known for railing against depictions of queer people, has a new target: NASCAR.
The group has launched a petition urging the racing organization to cancel an upcoming advertising campaign for the 2026 season, expected to air in February around the time of the Daytona 500, over its use of the slogan "Hell Yeah!"
Created by the Los Angeles agency 72andSunny, the ad aims to reintroduce fans to NASCAR’s brand and appeal to blue-collar audiences by emphasizing its "rebellious, Americana roots" while "satisfying its core fan base and reaching new audiences," according to Adweek.
Ibrar Nadeem, an aide to Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli, bragged to Muslim supporters about the candidate's past opposition to marriage equality during a "Muslims4Jack" event in Piscataway, New Jersey on October 18.
"We want to have a ban on same-sex marriage," Nadeem said, as recorded in a video posted to X.
Nadeem went on to note that Ciattarelli had voted against legalizing marriage equality as a New Jersey state assemblyman and claimed that his preferred candidate would continue to oppose it.
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