The Delhi Commission of Women on Saturday issued a notice to National Medical Commission seeking action against illegal “conversion therapy training” for the LGBTQI+ advertised by Tirupati-based organisation World Congress of Psychologist .
The advertisement was about a three month-long training program which claimed to treat 47 “psychosomatic disorders”, and included homosexuality, lesbianism, transvestism among them.
“It is an established fact that homosexuality, lesbianism and transvestism are not ‘psychosomatic disorders’”, the Delhi Commission of Women said in its notice. “Over 50 years ago, the American Psychiatric Association [APA] issued a resolution stating that homosexuality is not a mental illness or sickness.”
Conversion therapies are pseudo-scientific practices, targeting the LGBTIQA+ into changing their sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.
In the notice, Swati Maliwal, the chairperson of the Delhi Commission of Women cited a 2021 judgement by the Madras High Court that prohibited any attempt to “cure or change” the sexual orientation of LGBTIQA+ person by physical and mental health professionals.
The High Court had also directed the National Medical Commission, Indian Psychiatric Society and The Rehabilitation Council of India to take action including withdrawal of license to practice, against the concerned professional involved in any form or method of conversion therapy.
Maliwal also cited a 2012 Supreme Court judgement that recognised gender identity an important aspect of personal identity and inherent to a person. The court had held that transgender persons have the right to express their self-identified gender by way of speech, mannerism, behaviour, presentation and clothing among others.
The court had noted that like gender identity, sexual orientation is integral to one’s personality, and is a basic aspect of self-determination, dignity and freedom.
“Despite these judgements, it is unfortunate that conversion therapy is still prevalent and such programmes as mentioned above seem to be organized,” Maliwal noted.
The women’s panel has sought a detailed report from the National Medical Commission on the program by April 1.
Queer activists and mental health practitioners prefer the term Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Change Efforts to conversion therapy. They hold that such practices, which pathologise gender identities and sexual orientations, are unscientific in nature and intent and are rooted in homophobia and transphobia.
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