WASHINGTON — The American Psychological Association voiced grave concern regarding the rationale used by a panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in overturning two local Florida ordinances intended to protect minors from potentially harmful efforts by licensed mental health providers to change their sexual orientation.
“Sexual orientation change therapy is highly unlikely to change a patient’s sexual orientation and there is real evidence of harm, according to a 2009 study of the peer-reviewed scientific literature conducted by the American Psychological Association,” said APA President Sandra L. Shullman, PhD. “The scientific research since 2009 has greatly increased the evidence that participants in such efforts believe they were harmful. Although these results came mostly from studies of adults, APA shared with the court our concern about the likely harmful effects on minors who cannot legally consent to such procedures. The presumption behind these treatments is that any sexual orientation other than heterosexuality is inherently flawed and must be fixed. Based on the available research, APA rejects the presumption that a gay or lesbian young person must change.”
The majority of the three-judge panel concluded that “speech-based therapy” is not medical conduct but merely expression of a viewpoint, and regulation of a viewpoint is presumptively unconstitutional.
“The conclusion that talk therapy is merely a viewpoint expression denigrates psychotherapy and ignores the fact that licensed practicing psychologists base their professional activities on scientific evidence,” Shullman said. “This ruling is wrong-headed and may well result in harm to patients, especially minors who are often subjected to this type of therapy against their will.”
APA filed an amicus curiae (friend of the court) brief in this case to inform the court about the psychological science that underpinned the measures adopted by Palm Beach County and the city of Boca Raton, Florida, banning conversion therapy for minors. The brief was joined by the Florida Psychological Association; the National Association of Social Workers, and its Florida chapter; and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.
To date, 20 states, numerous U.S. localities and several countries have banned so-called conversion therapy for minors because it can lead to negative outcomes, including treatment-related anxiety, suicidal ideation, depression, impotence and relationship dysfunction. APA issued a report in 2009, “Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation,” which found that efforts to change sexual orientation via therapy are unlikely to succeed and may result in harm. APA is updating its official policy on the topic.