#cw conversion therapy

[arowitharrows]

God how I wish there'd been articles like this years ago when people were tripping over themselves to deny any and all struggles asexual people face. The amount of times people demanded "proof" when we talked about our experiences. Well, there's certainly more research being published nowadays, if that counts as "proof". I hope they read it.

Today “asexuality is widely accepted as a sexual orientation in the literature,” Hille says, but cultural awareness remains in its infancy, especially compared with other orientations under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella. Saying you don't experience sexual attraction is still like saying you don't eat, Hille explains, and “if you don't eat, there's something wrong with you, and you're hurting yourself.” Asexual people sometimes get this message not just from family and acquaintances but from their health-care providers. Shelby Wren, a health equity researcher at the University of Minnesota, published a study in 2020 in which 30 to 50 percent of respondents who had disclosed their asexuality in a medical setting said a therapist or doctor had attributed their asexuality to a health condition. The proposed diagnoses included anxiety, depression and, in one case, a personality disorder. “You don't know what's going to happen when you disclose your sexual orientation,” Wren says. “And for a lot of people, that stops them from talking about things that could be relevant to their health care.”

[...]

Refraining from disclosing one's asexuality to a mental health provider is often a “very rational decision,” Chasin says. “It's always much worse to be actively rejected and misunderstood.” For instance, asexual people are sometimes subjected to conversion therapy, a practice aimed at changing someone's sexuality or gender identity. It is banned for minors in 22 U.S. states because of its well-documented and extensive harms, including increased rates of suicide. A 2018 U.K. government survey of LGBTQIA+ people found that asexual respondents were the most likely to be offered conversion therapy and as likely as gay and lesbian people to receive it. A recent survey by the Trevor Project found that 4 percent of asexual youths in the U.S. were subjected to conversion therapy, on par with bisexual respondents. On the legislative level, bans on conversion therapy should explicitly reference asexuality, Benoit says. So, too, should professional associations of health-care practitioners, says Samantha Guz, a social work researcher at the University of Chicago. “Asexual people are made to be so invisible in our society that I don't think just having a broad call against conversion therapy is specific enough,” Guz says.

Even well-meaning doctors might unwittingly harm their patients. To a clinician, a patient who is worried that they should feel more sexual desire—and who does not know they are simply asexual—might initially look similar to patients who want sexual intimacy and could benefit from treatments aimed at increasing or restoring desire. Treatments for certain types of sexual dysfunction do help some people whose level of sexual desire leaves them distressed and unsatisfied, Brotto says. For some people, though, this distress may be coming not from an intrinsic desire to want sex but from external pressures such as partners or society as a whole. “I have worked with folks where it's taken us many, many months for the person to really understand how well asexuality fits with their identity,” as opposed to having an issue that is rooted in a health problem or a situational condition, Brotto says. Most doctors, though, don't know that such a distinction exists or is necessary, she adds.

#asexual #aromanticism is not discussed much here fair warning #can't wait until research catches up with that as well #cw conversion therapy #cw medical malpractice #cw aphobia #ref

[undedkat]

I feel like we don’t talk about some of the more messy elements of aphobia. Like aro and ace women experience high rates of corrective rape because they’re women who don’t want to marry or have sex. Aro and ace people can and will get sent to conversion therapy because not wanting to date is not acceptable to aphobes. Yes, aphobia is exclusionary but aphobia can also be horrific and violent. Especially when aphobia intersects with misogyny.

#ARO AND ACE MEN CAN ALSO BE VICTIMS IM NOT SAYING THEY CANT I JUST WANTED TO INCLUDE THE INTERSECTION WITH MISOGYNY #the corrective rape thing is highest among lesbians in unindustrialized countries but aro and ace women get it too #I remember as a kid seeing a really horrific post about an asexual women getting murdered by a nice guy because she was asexual #cw conversion therapy #cw rape mention #lgbtq #aphobia

[thefoxineer]

when my card declines at the conversion therapy so they show me a picture of botw link

#cw conversion therapy #cw homophobia #196 #r/196 #r196 #apartmentofawesome #rule #196archive #literally 19684 #196 rule #/r/196 #shitpost #botw #breath of the wild #tears of the kingdom #totk #loz #loz totk #loz tears of the kingdom #loz breath of the wild #zelda #legend of zelda

[bigbroadvice]

Hi, I want to preface this with the fact I was raised in a conservative home, homeschooled, and very .. insulated from people I guess. My first public schooling experience was college and I only made a few friends I kept at arms length for a while. So I don’t know a ton of people.

I have recently been questioning a lot about politics and religion and science (I was never taught about evolution either and am just now learning about it) and I am .. questioning LGBT stuff and I was wondering if you know of studies proving LGBT identities? Or evidence for them? I was raised being told they just didn’t exist and the idea that they could be real is .. I guess amazing to me. I’m so sorry if this sounds cruel at all. I support and love my LGBT friends, I just don’t understand if there’s any science or proof behind it and .. I’m kind of questioning if I’m LGBT too but I really need evidence or I know I’ll never be accepted by my family. Are there studies proving people can be born gay or trans? Or anything else? Something like that? I’ve found studies looking at trans brains that look promising and the hemispheres and hypothalamus of gay and lesbian people but idk if there’s anything else.. thank you in advance.

Sorry this took so long to respond. I felt like I needed to do some research for it but I’ve been struggling to keep my head above water with college work.

Don’t worry, this is a perfectly valid question given where you’re coming from and that’s exactly what I’m here for, all the questions you’re not sure who else to ask.

Honestly, it sounds like you’re already doing a really thourough job researching, in fact I’d love to see what you’ve found. I’m not sure what kind of scientific proof I could find for you that LGBT people are real. It’s like finding research that proves the sun is real. Of course it is, it’s right there. Queer people are everywhere and always have been.

But I understand that you were raised in an environment that went to great lengths to deny that reality. I was also homeschooled in a very conservative home and while they couldn’t outright deny the existence of queer people because I had some access to the outside world and knew I myself was queer, they did try their very hardest to explain it away as something you get infected with, confusion, a choice, and/or sin.

I don’t know all the science behind why people are queer, I just know that they are and there’s no changing it. Some people are naturally attracted to another sex, and some people are naturally attracted to the same one. Some people have always felt comfortable in the gender they were assigned at birth, and some people never have and never will. People will try to tell you that can be changed, but it can’t. They used to try to medicate it like a disees but all that did was make people depressed or feel nothing at all, not start feeling attraction for the opposite sex.

Growing up, they told me that if I prayed enough and did all the right things I could stop being queer if I wanted it enough. Well, I’m here to tell you that’s a lie. I went though years of conversion therapy and am still just as queer as I’ve always been. No amount of bible verses and earnest pleading prayers and counseling sessions and exorcisms was able to make that go away, it just made life miserable.

The only choice involved in being LGBT is weather you choose to love or hate yourself for it. It’s not going away, so you can either choose to live in shame and keep yourself from things that would make you happy, or you can embrace it and live freely.

If you’re looking for more avenues to research, I’d recommend queer history. It’s really eye opening seeing how queer people have always existed in every time period and every culture, through persecution and celebration. We have been and always will be here for as long as humanity is, because we’re an inextricable part of it.

#big bro advice #cw religion #cw conversion therapy #cw christianity #cw homophobia #cw religious trauma #lgbtq #lgbtq community #queer #queer community #queer history #lgbt

[controversial-blorbo-bracket]

I have never watched House, all I know is that in one episode he tried to cure people of their asexuality. So as someone who is AroAce, I want to drop-kick him into the sun

.

#not a poll #ask #anonymous #house #discourse #cw aphobia #cw conversion therapy #I think? idk I haven’t seen the episode but that’s what ‘curing’ a sexuality sounds like to me #why did I say I haven’t seen the episode as if I’ve ever seen any episode of house. I don’t watch medical dramas

[rhododaktyl]

ok was wednesday (2022) conceived with the intent of making enid a lesbian / canon wenclair and then they just went back on it late in the writing process? bc what the fuck do you mean enid's parents try to send her to conversion therapy camp (these are the literal words they use in the show) and it has no analogical significance

#also im not scared of like symbolism and metaphor. #if they did this but then didn't also do whatever they're doing with enid / ajax it would be actually like cool and normal #the unhingedness of this writing decision... like?? hello? #i havent finished the show yet so maybe they flesh this out in a way that makes sense...but... #wednesday netflix #wednesday netflix spoilers #wednesday 2022 #wednesday 2022 spoilers #wenclair #rhododaktyloi oc #cw conversion therapy

[nerdygaymormon]

Unfortunately, LGBTQ+ individuals are a vulnerable population and some unscrupulous individuals exploit that vulnerability for gain.

This news article tells of a therapist who was trusted because of he is part of the same religion and he claimed success in helping people dealing with their unwanted sexual orientation.

In case it's not clear, he didn't help them accept themselves and undo the internalized homophobia they learned, rather he claimed success in helping clients overcome their attractions, which is not in line with accepted treatments by the mental health profession.

His use of touching is a violation of ethical boundaries between a therapist and a patient, a common tool in conversion therapy. It also seems this therapist is still wrestling with his own orientation and this is a way to get some physical contact with men.

These types of "therapies" have left a trail of shattered lives and can cause lasting mental and physical harm. It harms not just the individuals who experience this, but also LGBTQ+ people more broadly as it conveys to many the message that queer lives are not of equal moral value or human dignity as non-queer lives.

#cw conversion therapy #cw abuse

[the-bar-sinister]

Tumblr's really going in on the "protect the children!!!1" shit while I saw one of those Blazed catholic posts advocating for fucking CONVERSION THERAPY. Staff has the moral backbone of a moldy chocolate eclair

Oh wow, that's uh....... bad. That sucks

#🔫💪 #tumblr culture #friendmail #ask answers #cw conversion therapy #cw queerphobia #cw toxic religion

[drfrankensteinvsthequeerborgs]

only a dozen angels, total, I mean fuck Naomi and her conversion therapy bullshit but she was technically right about Cas being an existential threat considering he's like single-handedly responsible for them being an endangered species

#dfvq liveblog #dfv queue #dfvq spn #spn13x19 #angels are watching over you #castiel winchester #naomi supernatural #but he's my war criminal #cw conversion therapy #cw brainwashing

[tamsythepansy]

Bits that'll go over like a lead balloon at the affirming workshop, part 1:

"Good evening, _____ United Church, I'd like to share my story of how I escaped from the cult of manhood. You see, I myself was once a man... but with the help of the Holy Spirit, I found Jesus, and I got better. And I want any of you in here who might still be struggling under the yoke of masculinity to know that, yes, there is hope..."

#holy shitposting #trans shitposting #cw conversion therapy #i guess

[hex-maniacal]

I finally have some time so I wanted to make a post while I have the chance so everyone here knows where I've been, but I'll be able to get in touch individually with all the friends I've made on here in a few hours. Thank you all for being patient with me. Cw for self harm and just general mopey-ness under the cut

A bit before my birthday I was hospitalized for the flu, in case you didn't know, I have a compromised immune system(it's not too bad that there's any worry about dying, but I get sick very easily and need to stay at the hospital every now and then when it gets bad), and I guess it just beat the hell outta me. I haven't been fully conscious and lucid for the days since then, but recovery should go well from here on, though I am really beat up about having missed my birthday 😞 I know it's a dumb thing to be fussing about but blegh. My mental state has been deteriorating a lot recently, and just before this I had a falling out with a friend I've had for years who just converted to Christianity and tried to get me to go to conversion therapy. It's been a lot of bad really fast and I guess this visit and thinking about the bills it just kinda made me snap. I know it was a mistake but I tried to harm myself. My siblings were there to keep me safe but I don't think I'll be okay alone for a while. I'm planning on staying with my sister at her place for a few days once im out of here later tonight. It may be a bit before I'm in the right state to run this account, but thank you all for being so kind in the past, and I'm sure you'll only be even nicer in the future. I miss being able to post here and I hope I can come back soon :). Once I finish checking out and getting settled at my sister's I'll be back on to try to get in touch with everyone. I'm sorry this post doesn't really fit the vibe of the account 😅 thank you for bearing with me.

#cw self destruction #tw self h4rm #hauntext #cw transphobes #cw self h4rm #cw conversion therapy

[strangertheory]

I really am returning to wondering if Lonnie put Will into some sort of horrible conversion therapy when he was younger.

#I'll elaborate on the details that have me thinking on this in a later post maybe #cw conversion therapy #stranger things theories

[writingpuddle]

📓

My longest running brainworm is a high school AU which would be a massive endeavour and I'll probably never have time to write, but the basic premise is that all the foxes are going to the same high school but they are all smack in the middle of their tragic backstories when Neil and Mary show up in town. Dan is captaining the failing Exy team (coached of course by Wymack) and praying to get a scholarship while perpetually exhausted from working nights at the strip club. Matt is living with his dad and uses intermittently; he's on the team but sometimes his dad will throw a party and he's out on a bender for days and so he's not reliable. Nicky just got back from conversion therapy and is trying to play at straight which is really difficult given his penpal Erik just showed up in Palmetto as part of an international exchange program. Renee is still Natalie, freshly adopted by Stephanie but not yet really comprehending that her old life is over. She stills gets calls from her mother in prison. Seth is picking fights on the weekend just so that his mother will notice him. Allison quit the Exy team at her parents orders but when the team is too small to compete Dan hunts her down and tries to bully her into joining so they'll have enough people to play. (She's not in great shape, owing to her parents basically enforcing an eating disorder on her to try and make her model thin). And Andrew just got out of juvie and moved in with Tilda and Aaron and all the attendant baggage.

Kevin and Riko play for the football team. Kevin played Exy as a kid, but when his mom died Riko told him it was a stupid made up sport and real athletes play football. But when Mary gets an evening job, Neil starts sneaking around behind her back to play Exy. Kevin notices him practicing in the gym during lunch hour and can't resist correcting his form...

Anyway like. I've written a couple scenes out of it and if it were ever to get written it would be like 40-50 chapters of extreme drama and I absolutely don't have the time but fuck, dude. I want to manifest it so bad.

---

Put "📓" or some other version of a book emoji into my inbox and I'll explain the plot of a fanfiction that I haven't written but daydream about.

#cw drugs #cw eating disorders #aftg #andreil #asks #anons #cw conversion therapy

[xandromedovna]

(CW conversion therapy)

What frustrates me about media representations of conversion therapy is that it rarely captures how mundane it is. They often play up the hypocrisy or the abusiveness for drama or laughs (which is 1000% valid I’m not knocking the classics), but I have yet to see something that treats it like an everyday part of the character’s life. The queer character is nearly always sent off to a camp to be fixed where sadistic and repressed counselors run them through every stereotype in the book. And I get that educating people about how fucked up this is is important, because it’s still legal in many places and a lot of people still don’t think it’s that big a deal, but escaping is often framed as this heroic, I’m-free-now-and-proud-and-everything’s-fine romanticized notion of what surviving conversion therapy is. These stories of overcoming are important but they aren’t mine. Conversion therapy is also increasingly portrayed as an anachronism, as something that’s over, something no one seriously believes or does any more, something that makes any story a period piece of a less tolerant time.

I didn’t have to go to a camp or a hospital, the conversion therapy came to me, to my everyday world. It wasn’t this like emergency that required tearful pleas and strict punishment, it was just “my struggle”. My dad subscribed me to LIFE (Living in Freedom Eternally), and every month they would send me newsletters about ex-gays who overcame their sinful attractions and live normal healthy lives (according to a cishet worldview). I had weekly meetings with my Pastors to check on my progress working through the materials and my devotionals. I was handed a binder filled with the latest (in the 90s, it was conveniently outdated and cherrypicked) scientific research on the origins of homosexuality, which ironically convinced me even more that I was queer. I was given a handy summary of all the mistranslated Bible verses where my very existence is a sin, but it’s okay, as long as I go against my nature at every turn and do what comes naturally to my cishet counterparts. I’M the one that’s unnatural.

This was the late 2000s, by the way.

And this was just casually accepted. My Christian friends acted as my Accountability Partners to make sure I was still wrestling with my attractions and making progress in ignoring them, and I wanted them to. I wanted them all to help me because I genuinely believed I was doomed. I thoroughly believed all of this to my core. They didn’t need to send me away to convert me because it was all around me, and in fact they knew that sending me away would actually ensure the treatment wouldn’t work. When my parents discovered I was queer in 9th grade, I was grounded for two years. But this became increasingly unenforceable as time dragged on and they “trusted” me to be straight. They had already written it off as a colossal failure, and by the time I went off to college, it became clear I had made my decision to live as openly queer.

Except it wasn’t a failure. To this day I am still weeding through the trauma this caused. Yeah I’m queer and trans and proud and I have three-dimensional experiences outside of this, but I couldn’t just reject those teachings and be done with it, I constantly go through periods where I have to slog through it all again. Because it’s not actually about whether you “end up” queer or not, it’s about whether they’ve sewn enough doubt in your brain that you continually struggle with it long after you are under their direct influence. It’s about leaving that door open so that we always have the option to come crawling back when we see the error of our ways. They didn’t need fancy machines or a whole camp for a resounding success, they didn’t even need me to ‘turn’ cishet-- the suffering is the point.

And until I see that piece, what Hannah Arendt called the “banality of evil”, fictional conversion therapy stories will always seem historically inaccurate to me.

(she/her please)

#conversion therapy #cw conversion therapy #cw ex-gay #queer representation #2000s #cw christianity #cw gaslighting #baby me I see you and I love you

[thevoiceofdog]

When Blake is sent to Guiding Path Academy, a school for converting gay boys, there’s only one thing he can do.

Today’s story is the second and final part of  “Run” by Dirt Coyote, who, when he’s not causing all sorts of trouble on twitter, is writing a novel, a series, and short furry fiction. You can find his works in the recently released Furs with Benefits, upcoming anthologies, and at DirtCoyote on Twitter for future updates.

Read by Kergiby.

CW: Conversion therapy, homophobia, religious abuse

#the voice of dog #furry #writing #furry writing #podcast #audio fiction #lgbtq #pride #cw conversion therapy #cw homophobia #cw religious abuse

[samazine]

this is a PARODY, not an endorsement 

#tw suicide #cw suicide #suicide #suicide mention #tw suicide mention #cw suicide mention #tw homophobia #cw homophobia #homophobia #tw conversion therapy #cw conversion therapy #conversion therapy #tw christianity #cw christianity #tw catholicism #cw catholicism #advertising #propaganda #advertisement #parody #collage #collage art #found art #mixed media #artist #artist on tumblr #traditional art