Those of us in the United States tend to think of the “ex-gay” conversion industry as a largely American phenomenon. However, conversion therapy and “ex-gay” ministries are a worldwide scourge.
A powerful TIME magazine article highlights the fight to prohibit this cancer in India. According to the must-read piece:
Across India, medical practitioners and health care professionals offer conversion therapy in the form of counseling, medication, institutionalization, hormone injections, and even electro-convulsive therapy and hormonal castration. Outside of medical settings, spiritual godmen and gurus also espouse cures through religious rituals, “corrective” rape, and other forms of physical violence.
Rajashree Raju, a Queerala board member who regularly assists survivors, says many people—practitioners and families alike—don’t see how such practices are forced upon individuals and are often incredibly harmful. “If there was a law against it, we can counter what is essentially harassment,” Raju says.