Asexual Conversion Therapy

It's more common than you might think

As I discussed recently on the app formerly known as Twitter, conversion therapy is a major problem for asexual people. In fact, survey data has found that asexual people are more likely than any other group under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella to be offered conversion therapy.

Conversion therapy involves attempting to change a person’s sexual/gender identity, expression, or orientation. Conversion therapy is dangerous—and frankly, referring to it as “therapy” is giving it too much credit. There’s substantial evidence that conversion therapy causes significant medical, psychological and other harms to queer people, including depression and suicide. As a result, it is banned in some U.S. states.

According to the 2017 UK National LGBT Survey, asexual people are likelier than any other group under the queer umbrella to have undergone or be offered conversion therapy. 10% of asexual respondents said they’d been offered or undergone conversion therapy. Yet, when people think of conversion therapy, asexuality usually doesn’t come to mind.

Unlike other queer identities, asexual people appear most likely to encounter conversion therapy from medical professionals. Often, it’s unintentional. But even unintentional conversion therapy is harmful.

When we think of conversion therapy, we usually think of right-wing religious groups trying to “cure” people of queerness. Some asexual people encounter this type of conversion therapy. Most encounter something different—less religious and more medicalized.

Medicalized conversion therapy often involves treating asexuality (or feelings of low/no sexual interest) as the result of hormone imbalances, trauma, or mental health issues. Treating asexuality as a medical issue is a form of conversion therapy.

Medicalized conversion therapy has a long history. Asexual people aren’t the first to face it. Homosexuality was treated for decades as a medical/psychological disorder that could be “cured” through therapy (including psychotherapy, but also electric shocks, drugs, etc.).

It’s increasingly frowned upon to treat same-sex attraction as a disorder. Unfortunately, low knowledge of asexuality means many medical professionals who abhor conversion therapy accidentally offer it to asexual patients.

This version of conversion therapy might be accidental, but it’s still harmful.

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