“From
social workers and foster parents to probation officers and facility
chaplains, these toolkits are designed to assist child welfare and
juvenile justice agencies with protecting youth from harmful,
ineffective conversion therapy,” said NCLR Youth Policy Counsel and Born Perfect Campaign Coordinator Carolyn Reyes.
“Conversion therapy has been denounced by every major medical and
mental health organization and has been shown to lead to depression,
anxiety, substance abuse, and even suicide. While a child is in the care
of the State, it is critical that State systems ensure they are
protected from this harm.”
Friday, July 20, 2018
NCLR Launches Toolkits to Protect LGBTQ Youth in Juvenile Justice and Child Welfare Systems from Conversion Therapy
The
National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) today released two toolkits
for child welfare and juvenile justice agency employees on how to
protect LGBTQ youth from the serious harm caused by conversion therapy.
Conversion therapy, sometimes called “ex-gay therapy,” is an attempt to
change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity and has
been debunked by every major medical and mental health organization in
the U.S. Ending Conversion Therapy in Child Welfare and Ending Conversion Therapy in Juvenile Justice
help state agencies recognize how and when LGBTQ youth may be subjected
to conversion therapy while in the care of the state, explain the
negative impact of conversion therapy and its close relationship to
family rejection, and include tips and model language about how to
develop policies protecting LGBTQ youth from these harms.