Ideology underpinning conversion therapy has foothold despite ban: LGBTQ2S+ advocates

Despite a federal ban on conversion therapy being in place for more than a year, advocates fear the broader ideologies underpinning the practice continue to have a strong foothold in Canada.

Despite a federal ban on conversion therapy being in place for more than a year, advocates fear the broader ideologies underpinning the practice continue to have a strong foothold in Canada.

New Criminal Code offences came into effect in January 2022, but it appears no charges or prosecutions have yet taken place.

Conversion therapy is the practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation to heterosexual or to change their gender identity to match the sex they were assigned at birth.

Nick Schiavo, executive director of No Conversion Canada, said he is worried about the possibility that those who wish to influence a person's sexual orientation may use "coded language" to avoid falling under the law.

Florence Ashley, an incoming assistant professor at the University of Alberta's law faculty, said it's common for organizations to use broader terms, such as: "We're not actually changing sexual orientation. We're kind of healing and repairing the underlying trauma that makes people gay, or we're just letting them truly explore who they are."

There are no real repercussions to being open about that line of thinking, Ashley said.

When conversion therapy was banned in Canada, there were some immediate effects. For example, Exodus Global Alliance, one of the largest organizations in the world that offers conversion therapy, announced it was closing its operations in the country.