Idaho State Capitol -On Monday, critical legislation was introduced in the House Health and Welfare Committee by Rep. John McCrostie/(D-Boise) to protect LGBTQ young people from the dangerous practice of conversion therapy.
“Conversion therapy has been discredited by a number of prominent health organizations”. Rep. McCrostie explained. “It is an incredibly harmful practice that has no proven benefits, actually encourages self-harm, and drastically increases the likelihood of suicide attempts in LGBTQ young people. In 2017, Idaho’s suicide rate was 5th in the nation. By becoming the next state to ban the practice of conversion therapy, Idaho can prevent suicide and protect our citizens.”
“The Trevor Project applauds Representative John McCrostie and all fair-minded legislators in Idaho for taking the first step to protect the Gem State’s most vulnerable youth from the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy,” said Troy Stevenson, Campaign Manager for 50 Bills 50 States at The Trevor Project. “According to our research, LGBTQ youth who had undergone conversion therapy were more than twice as likely to attempt suicide than those who did not. Implementing these vital protections will work to save young lives in Idaho.”
The Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth, released in June 2019 the results of its inaugural 2019 National Survey on LGBTQ Mental Health, including the following insights around conversion therapy:
- LGBTQ youth who had undergone conversion therapy were more than twice as likely to attempt suicide as those who did not.
- 42 percent of LGBTQ youth who underwent conversion therapy reported a suicide attempt in the past year.
- 57 percent of transgender and non-binary youth who have undergone conversion therapy reported a suicide attempt in the last year.
Conversion therapy is widely opposed by prominent professional medical associations including the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The Trevor Project’s 50 Bills 50 States campaign is the largest grassroots campaign in the world endeavoring to protect LGBTQ youth from conversion therapy.