Research on Conversion Practices
Significant research has shown conversion practices to be not only ineffective, but harmful. As a result of these findings, there is an international scientific consensus which confirms that conversion practices do not work, are degrading, and in some instances can amount to torture.
On this page, we have compiled some of the research conducted in Canada and around the world on conversion ‘therapy’ practices and change efforts (SOGIECE).
Know of research we should link to? Submit your research suggestion.
Sex Now
Sex Now is Canada’s largest and longest running survey of gay, bisexual, trans, Two-Spirit and queer (GBT2Q) men’s health, and has been run by CBRC since 2002. Often referred to as “the gay census,” Sex Now has become an essential source of data on the health and well-being of GBT2Q in Canada, and is widely used by community, public health, research, and policy stakeholders.
THE LATEST: Conversion Therapy in Canada (May 2021)
This report, consisting of data collected as part of our 2019 Sex Now Survey, reveals that as many as 10% of GBT2Q people in Canada have experienced conversion therapy.
The SOGIECE/CT Survivor Support project
The SOGIECE/CT Survivor Support project was a 2021-2022 community-based research project funded by Women and Gender Equality (WAGE). It was led by, with, and for survivors. Through a survey, focus groups, and interviews, 270 survivors came forward to talk to us about how they have been harmed. We assessed support needs, developed an advocacy plan, and established a stakeholder and partner network.
- The report for the SOGIECE/CT Survivor or Support Project: Findings from a National Survey, Focus Groups, and Interviews
- The Executive Summary, Findings from the Conversion Therapy/SOGIECE Survivor Support Project
- The recorded webinar Conversion ‘Therapy’ Survivors Have Spoken! Findings from CBRC’s SOGIECE/CT Survivor Support Project from April 7, 2022
- By Survivors, For Survivors: My Experience Leading the SOGIECE/CT Survivor Support Project: a blog post by the project coordinator who is also a survivor
The Public Legal Education and Information (PLEI) project (2022-2023)
The Public Legal Education and Information (PLEI) project (2022-2023), funded by the federal Department of Justice, was a 2022 national needs assessment to understand knowledge gaps related to conversion practices in general and specifically in regards to the federal conversion therapy law, among 2S/LGBTQIA+ service providers, and among queer, trans, and Two-Spirit people. Information gathered from surveys, focus groups, and interviews with 176 2S/LGBTQIA+ service providers and community members have informed the creation of the StopCP Knowledge Centre and many of the resources available on the site.
More to come
Understanding Experiences of Conversion ‘Therapy’ Practices among BIPOC, Immigrant, Newcomer and Refugee 2SLGBTQ+ People: A Qualitative Project (2022-2023)
Understanding Experiences of Conversion ‘Therapy’ Practices among BIPOC, Immigrant, Newcomer and Refugee 2SLGBTQ+ People: A Qualitative Project (2022-2023) is a qualitative research study documenting the experiences of BIPOC, as well as newcomer, immigrant and refugee queer, trans and Two-Spirit people who have experienced conversion ‘therapy’ practices in Canada.
The Summit
The Summit is CBRC’s annual two-day knowledge exchange and capacity building conference on 2S/LGBTQIA+ health. Videos of presentations from past Summits related to conversion practices are available on CBRC’s YouTube channel and include:
- The Resurgence of Trans Conversion Practices, with Florence Ashley, on understanding the social and theoretical context within which trans CP are inscribed, and strategizing ways of concretely responding. (Summit 2021)
- SOGIECE/CT Survivors: Nothing About Us Without Us! focuses on the voices of survivors, starting with reports on two research projects with survivors, followed by a group of survivors discussing barriers and challenges, resources needed for recovering and healing, and the effectiveness of bans. (Summit 2021)
- Ending, Healing, and Learning – The Current and Future State of SOGIECE, moderated by Dr. Travis Salway, is an interactive panel featuring critical discussion from the perspectives of survivors, policy advocates, and service providers to mobilize research, practice, and policy actions with regard to SOGICE. (Summit 2019)
- A systematic review of the prevalence of lifetime experience with ‘conversion’ practices among sexual and gender minority populations, Salway T, Kinitz D, Kia H, Ashley F, Giustini D, Tiwana A, et al. (2023) PLOS ONE 18(10): e0291768
- “Conversion Therapy” Experiences in Their Social Contexts: A Qualitative Study of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression Change Efforts in Canada, Kinitz D.J., Goodyear T., and Salway T. (The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 2021)
- Conversion Therapy in Canada: A Guide for Legislative Action, Dr. Kristopher Wells (MacEwan University, revised edition 2020)
- Ending Conversion Therapy in Canada: Survivors, Community Leaders, Researchers, and Allies Address the Current and Future States of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression Change Efforts, SOGIECE Dialogue Report (Vancouver, Feb 2020)
- Experiences with sexual orientation and gender identity conversion therapy practices among sexual minority men in Canada, 2019–2020, Salway T, Juwono S, Klassen B, Ferlatte O, Ablona A, Pruden H, et al. (2021) PLOS ONE 16(6): e0252539
- Geographic distribution of conversion therapy prevalence in Canada, Tiwana A., Salway T., Schillaci-Ventura J., Watt S., (2022)
- Homophobia, conversion therapy, and care models for trans youth: defending the gender-affirmative approach, Ashley, F. (2019). Journal of LGBT Youth, 17(4), 361–383.
- Impacts of colonization on Indigenous Two-Spirit/LGBTQ Canadians’ experiences of migration, mobility and relationship violence. Ristock, J., Zoccole, A., Passante, L., & Potskin, J. (2019). Sexualities, 22(5-6), 767-784.
- Interrogating Gender-Exploratory Therapy, Ashley, F. (Perspectives on Psychological Science, 18(2), 472–481, 2023) (audio) Includes an exploration of the strong conceptual and narrative similarities between gender-exploratory therapy and conversion practices.
- Overcoming Conversion Therapy: A Qualitative Investigation of Experiences of Survivors, E. Dromer, O. Ferlatte, T. Goodyear, D.J. Kinitz, T. Salway (SSM Qualitative Research in Health, Volume 2, December 2022)
- Prevalence of Exposure to Sexual Orientation Change Efforts and Associated Sociodemographic Characteristics and Psychosocial Health Outcomes among Canadian Sexual Minority Men, Salway, T., Ferlatte, O., Gesink, D., & Lachowsky, N. J. (2020), Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 65(7), 502–509.
- Protecting Canadian Sexual and Gender Minorities from Harmful Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Change Efforts, Salway, T. (n.d.). A 2019 brief submitted to the Standing Committee on Health for the Committee’s study of LGBTQ2 Health in Canada.
- QuickStat #1 – Conversion Therapy, The Trans PULSE Canada Team, 2019
- Reparative Therapy, Ashley, F., The SAGE Encyclopedia of Trans Studies, SAGE Publications, vol. 2, pp. 713–17 (2021) (audio)
- Ridding Canadian Medicine of Conversion Therapy, Salway T., Ashley F., Canadian Medical Association Journal, vol. 194(1), pp. E17–18 (2022)
- The scope and nature of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression change efforts: a systematic review protocol, David J. Kinitz, Travis Salway, Elisabeth Dromer, Dean Giustini, Florence Ashley, Trevor Goodyear, Olivier Ferlatte, Hannah Kia, and Alex Abramovich (Systematic Reviews 2021)
- They Want You to Kill Your Inner Queer but Somehow Leave the Human Alive: Delineating the Impacts of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression Change Efforts, Goodyear, T., Kinitz, D., Dromer, E., Gesink, D., Ferlatte, O., Knight, R., Salway, T. (The Journal of Sex Research, 2021).
- Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression Change Efforts and Suicidality: Evidence, Challenges, and Future Research Directions, T. Goodyear, J.A. Delgado-Ron, F. Ashley, R. Knight, T. Salway (LGBT Health, 2023)
- Sexual orientation and gender identity and expression conversion exposure and their correlates among LGBTQI2+ persons in Québec, Canada M Blais, F. Cannas Aghedu, F. Ashley, et al (PLOS ONE, April 6, 2022)
- Transporting the Burden of Justification: The Unethicality of Transgender Conversion Practices, Ashley, F., Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 50(3), 425-442. (2022). (audio)
- What is So-called “Conversion Therapy”?, Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity. Salway, T. (2021)
- Azima ila Hayati – An invitation in to my life: Narrative conversations about sexual identity, Sekneh Hammoud-Beckett, The International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work, 2007 No. 1 www.dulwichcentre.com.au
- A national transgender health survey from China assessing gender identity conversion practice, mental health, substance use and suicidality, Wang, Y., Han, M., Zhang, Y. et al. Nat. Mental Health 1, 254–265 (2023).
- Conversion Therapy Online: The Ecosystem, W. Via, H. Beirich (2022 and 2023), The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism.
- Conversion Therapy Online: The Players, W. Via, H. Beirich (2022) The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. Profiles 25 conversion therapy providers around the world.
- ‘Conversion Therapy’ As Degrading Treatment, Ilias Trispiotis, Craig Purshouse, Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, Volume 42, Issue 1, Spring 2022, Pages 104–132
- Conversion Therapy: Current Practices, Emerging Technology, and the Protection of LGBTQ+ Rights in Africa, Thiruna Naidoo, Ayodele Sogunro (Pretoria University Law Press, 2021)
- Conversion Therapy Online: The Ecosystem, Wendy Via and Heidi Beirich, Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, 2022
- Conversion Therapy Online: The Players, Wendy Via and Heidi Beirich, Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, 2022
- Engaging Mental Health Service Providers to Recognize and Support Conversion Practice Survivors Through Their Journey to Recovery, Anderson J., Jones T., Power T., et al, Cognitive and Behavioral Practice (2023)
- Engaging Conversion Survivors: Guidelines for media and government: SOGICE Survivors (Australia) has developed an ethical framework for engaging with survivors.
- Harmful Treatment: The Global Reach of So-Called Conversion Therapy, A. Bishop, OutRight Action International (2019)
- Gender Identity Change Efforts Are Associated with Depression, Panic Disorder, and Suicide Attempts in South Korean Transgender Adults, H. Lee, D. Operario, A. J. Restar, S. Choo, R. Kim, et. al. Transgender Health 2023 8:3, 273-281.
- The Global State of Conversion Therapy – A Preliminary Report and Current Evidence Brief, Adamson T., Garner A., Wallach S., Hanley M., Howell S., (2020)
- ‘I’m Gay! I’m Gay! I’m Gay! I’m a Homosexual!’: Overt and Covert Conversion Therapy Practices in Therapeutic Boarding Schools, Sarah Golightley, The British Journal of Social Work, Volume 53, Issue 3, April 2023, Pages 1426–1444
- Is conversion therapy ethical? A renewed discussion in the context of legal efforts to ban it, G. Andrade, M. Campo Redondo (Ethics, Medicine and Public Health, Volume 20, 2022)
- It’s Torture, Not Therapy: A Global Overview of Conversion Therapy: Practices, Perpetrators, and the Role of States, International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (2020).
- Lifetime Exposure to Conversion Therapy and Psychosocial Health Among Midlife and Older Adult Men Who Have Sex With Men, S. Meanley, S. A. Haberlen, C.N. Okafor, A. Brown, M. Brennan-Ing, D. Ware, et. al. The Gerontologist, Volume 60, Issue 7, October 2020, Pages 1291–1302.
- Mis-education of Australian Youth: exposure to LGBTQA+ conversion ideology and practises, Jones T, Jones TW, Power J, et al (Sex Education: Sexuality, Society and Learning, 2022)
- ‘Practices of So-Called “Conversion Therapy”: Report of the Independent Expert on Protection Against Violence and Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity’ Madrigal-Borloz, Victor; United Nations Human Rights Council. (1 May 2020)
- Report on Conversion Therapy, Executive Summary, United Nations Independent Expert on Protection Against Violence and Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
- Supporting LGBTQA+ peoples’ recovery from sexual orientation and gender identity and expression change efforts, T. Jones, N Despott, et al (1 Jan 2022, Australian Psychologist)
- Supporting Survivors of LGBTQA+ Conversion Ideology and Practices: A reference guide, Despott N, Anderson J, Power J, et al, (La Trobe University, 2022). For mental health professionals, including counsellors and phone counsellors, who may encounter survivors of conversion practices in their work.
- A systematic review of quantitative studies capturing measures of psychological and mental health for Gay and Lesbian individuals of faith, Dean J. Wilkinson & Amy Johnson (2021), Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 24:9, 993-1016.
- Adverse Religious Experiences and LGBTQ+ Adults, Alex Fox, Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses, Antioch University of New England (2022)
- Conversion practices in Aotearoa New Zealand: Developing a holistic response to spiritual abuse, Michael Roguski, Nicola Atwool, (2024) PLoS ONE 19(5): e0302163.
- Does Religion Prevent LGBTQ Acceptance? A Case Study with Queer and Trans Muslims in Toronto, Canada, Golshan Golriz (2021). Journal of Homosexuality, 68:14, 2451-2475.
- Healing Spiritual Harms: Supporting Recovery from LGBTQA+ Change and Suppression Practices, T.W. Jones, T.M, Power, et al. (The Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, 2021)
- LGBTQ+ Stress, Trauma, Time, and Care, Menhinick, K.A., Sanders, C.J. Pastoral Psychol 72, 367–384 (2023).
- “My Existence is not Haram”: Intersectional Lives in LGBTQ Muslims Living in Canada, Shahid Alvi & Arshia Zaidi (2021). Journal of Homosexuality, 68:6, 993-1014.
- Mapping the Landscape of Faith-Based Heterosexism and Transphobia in Canada, Brigitte Pawliw-Fry, Rainbow Faith and Freedom Network, 2021.
- Religious Conflict, Sexual Identity, and Suicidal Behaviors among LGBT Young Adults. Gibbs JJ, Goldbach J. (2015) Arch Suicide Res. 2015;19(4):472-88.
- Religious trauma and moral injury from LGBTQA+ conversion practices, Timothy W. Jones, Jennifer Power, Tiffany M. Jones, Social Science & Medicine, Volume 305, 2022, 115040.
- QTR: A Journal of Trans and Queer Studies in Religion: This new open-access academic journal is dedicated to expanding both scholarly and public knowledge about the rich and complex connections between religion, gender, and sexuality. First issue: May 2024.
- Worshipping with Love: Exploring experiences of religious-based homophobia & transphobia in places of worship. Foerster and Musyj, Rainbow Faith and Freedom (2023)