"The law is doing nothing to stand up to conversion therapy. We are all so scared."
Aboyami Kenny, House of Rainbow
About
Two of my close friends came out as trans in the last year. Two people I love who I shamefully had no idea were struggling to express themselves, but now I know are happier because they are allowed to truly be themselves. I heard, via them, about the struggles that LGBTQI+ people face on a daily basis, particularly regarding the medical inequalities and the amount of time it takes to get a gender recognition certificate. I wanted to tell their story, and the bits that everybody seems to be missing, but when I looked deeper, I discovered an even bigger issue worth investigation: conversion therapy. It seems so archaic as a concept that you can hardly believe it is still legal in the UK for medical and religious communities to try and alter the gender identity (or sexual orientation) of a trans, gay or bisexual person.
For centuries, gay people have been marginalized by communities trying to invalidate who they are based solely on their sex or sexuality. Trans people have had an especially rough deal. Coverage of conversion therapy rarely hones in on the transgender community, even though 43% of trans people have experienced conversion therapy in one form or another, according to statistics from Stonewall released last year. Trans people are at an even greater risk of being approached by somebody trying to exploit their weaknesses to change and mould them than any other LGBTQI+ group. The Trans Cure? explores the impact of conversion therapy specifically on trans communities. Eight years after the ban was first proposed, nothing has changed. The trans community feel shocked and vilified, and ready to tell all, and The Trans Cure? tells their story.
Reach Out to us
If you have feedback, or you have been impacted by conversion therapy and want us to tell your story, then reach out to us via the form below or by emailing us at conversiontherapyisstill@gmail.com. We will get back to you within 3-5 working days.