Christian Mainline Protestant Pastors’ Beliefs About the Practice of Conversion Therapy: Reflections for Family Therapists

Abstract

Efforts to change the sexual orientation of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals to heterosexual are referred to as conversion therapy. Given the religious groundings that support the practice of conversion therapy, we sought to explore the beliefs of Christian religious leaders about this practice and what they want family therapists to know about the practice of conversion therapy. Twenty-one pastors from diverse Mainline Christian Protestant traditions were interviewed. Queer theory-informed thematic analysis revealed four themes that reflect the participants' perspectives on conversion therapy: (a) Conversion Therapy Is an Abomination, (b) Conversion Therapy Is Similar to Other Abusive Practices, (c) Conversion Therapy Represents A Misuse of Religion, and (d) Ethical Concerns About Therapists Who Practice Conversion Therapy. Implications of this study include a need for self-of-thetherapist work to address religious biases and heteronormative assumptions in order to examine beliefs that support practicing conversion therapy.Although clinical research has consistently found that therapeutic attempts to alter the sexual orientation of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals are both ineffective and harmful (Brad-

The effects of gender identity change efforts on Black, Latinx, and White transgender and gender nonbinary adults: Implications for ethical clinical practice

“…The harmful impact of religiousbased SOCE were mirrored in studies of ex-gay ministries run by Evangelical Christians (Flentje et al, 2013(Flentje et al, , 2014. It is important to note that religious support for SOCE is not unanimous, as a study of Mainline Christian Protestant pastors found these religious leaders viewed SOCE as an abomination and "misuse of religion" (McGeorge et al, 2021).…”

“…The existing research connects the practice of SOCE and GICE with religious institutions and clinicians (Burack, 2015; Flentje et al, 2013; Grace, 2008). Scholars argue that the majority of clinicians who practice SOCE and GICE are affiliated with a religious tradition that supports such practices (Dehlin et al, 2015; McGeorge et al, 2021). Most of the current research focuses on SOCE with racially homogenous White samples, which means little is known about the use of GICE with those with marginalized gender identities and how such experiences intersect with religion and minoritized racial identities.…”

Sexual orientation and gender identity and expression conversion exposure and their correlates among LGBTQI2+ persons in Québec, Canada

“…Religious counselors should also address the religious beliefs and cisheterosexist assumptions underlying their spiritual guidance or clinical practice. Addressing such biases does not imply deconstructing their religious beliefs, but rather exploring how their faith can impact their clinical practice [ 29 , 30 ]. Moreover, as families play a key role in pressuring children into conversion practices, they need to be supported and counseled in the acceptance of their LGBTQIA+ children.…”

“Extremely toxic and evil” reflections on gender identity change efforts by Christian religious leaders: Implications for therapy with transgender and nonbinary clients

“…The interview questions were created based on a careful review of the existing scholarly literature and with the assistance of a Christian pastor who had expertise working with individuals with marginalized sexual orientations and gender identities. The questions were also shaped by a previous study that explored pastors' beliefs about sexual orientation change efforts (McGeorge et al, 2021a). Examples of the questions in the interview guide include: What are your beliefs about transgender, nonbinary, and genderqueer identities?…”