Regional Campaign to End ‘Conversion Therapy’ in Asia by ILGA Asia, All Out & Local Organisations Launches
23 March 2023
In Kerala, India, 21-year-old student Anjana Hareesh died by suicide in 2020 after being forced by her family to undergo “conversion therapy.”
Across Asia, LGBTIQ people like Anjana have been coerced to change who they are through abusive practices that are clouded in secrecy. Through so-called conversion therapy, they suffer through beatings, rape, electrocution, forced medication, confinement, forced nudity, verbal humiliation, and other acts of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse.
Watch the teaser:
To advance the fight to eliminate conversion therapy in Asia, ILGA Asia is launching a campaign in collaboration with All Out and local civil society organisations from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. In the next phase of our campaign, we will turn our attention to other states in the Asia region.
To raise public awareness about these deeply harmful practises, we will release five video interviews with survivors of conversion therapy and advocates against the practice.
Tashi’s story
Our first video featuring Tashi Choedup, a queer monastic from India is released today. Watch the video below:
Tashi Choedup, looking back at their experiences, shared in the video:
“It's about saving the younger generation, the other queer people out there. Also, putting the word out there that this is a hoax, and that's important. I think it has to be as loud as possible and everywhere. Passing the law and having the law is not enough, but it must be implemented in a strict way that anyone who does conversion therapy, especially if they are doctors, their licenses must be cancelled.”
Petition: End “Conversion Therapy” in India now!
Let’s ensure that these practices are put to a halt by calling on decision-makers. Take action against conversion therapy in India by signing our petition here on All Out in a joint campaign with Yugantar, TransRightsNow Collective and Sahodaran Chennai.
Tarin’s story
For Trans Day of Visibility 2023, we feature the story of Tarin Tani, a trans woman from Bangladesh who survived abusive "conversion therapy" practices.
In this video, she talks about her experiences of abuse at the hands of family members, medical professionals and religious leaders:
“I was 25 and I was waiting for my graduation. I told my parents that I was trans [woman] and they were shocked. They said ‘How is this possible? You are biologically a boy!” For 6 months, I clearly remember that they locked me in a room. They tortured me. And some religious leader [used to] come everyday and [used] some…holy water and [said] that I am a man, not a woman. At that time, I was shocked and [asked] my mom ‘I am your child, why are you doing this to me?’ Then they sent me to a doctor. The doctor gave me some therapies… and some medicine which were horrible for [my health]. My father and mother beat me, slapped me and sometimes there was a chain on my leg [connected] with the bed so [that] I can’t go outside. Several times…I think I have attempted suicide.”
Petition: End “Conversion Therapy” in Bangladesh now!
Now Bangladesh has a chance to put an end to this once and for all! Sign our petition to demand a comprehensive ban on “conversion therapy” in Bangladesh here on All Out in a joint campaign with Noboprobhaat Foundation, Inclusive Bangladesh, Somporker Noya Setu and Prantoz Foundation.
Sudipta’s story
In our third episode, Sudipta, a Dalit queer activist from India, recounts their experience with psychiatric conversion therapy as a child:
“The moment I came out to my parents, to my family, I think my agency was completely taken away from me, if I want to come out to a therapist or not. So my identity was revealed and there was a lot of pathological conversation in terms of what kind of medication can be given, what kind of therapies can be given.”
Petition: End “Conversion Therapy” in India now!
Let’s ensure that these practices are put to a halt by calling on decision-makers. Take action against conversion therapy in India by signing our petition here on All Out in a joint campaign with The YP Foundation.
Dimithri’s story
In our fourth episode, Dimithri Wijesinghe, a legal advisor of Bridge to Equality Collective, talks about conversion therapy practices in Sri Lanka:
"Many parents, out of concern, feel that their child needs to be subject to this [conversion therapy] so that they can lead a normal life. That is kind of the broad understanding. So as a result of that, there's a lot of…places where you can go to subject your child or even yourself to a conversion therapy. What happens in our country now with the doctors specifically is, they would prescribe a combination of medication for depression and sleeping pills, and encourage by saying 'keep [taking] this medication and eventually you will feel normal.'"
Petition: End “Conversion Therapy” in Sri Lanka now!
Now, Sri Lanka has a chance to put an end to this, once and for all! Sign now, to demand a comprehensive ban on “conversion therapy” in Sri Lanka. This campaign is run together with Community Welfare and Development Fund (CWDF), DAST, Bridge to Equality and Equal Ground Sri Lanka.
Arisdo’s story
In our fifth episode, Arisdo Gonzalez, an LGBTIQ youth activist from Intimuda Indonesia, talks about his experience of conversion therapy as a person of faith:
“I love to say that conversion therapy doesn’t work for the LGBTIQ community. We don't need to be changed because from what I learned…God loves us so much. God shows that God loves everyone. You don't need to be changed. You were born to be gay and just proud to be gay. You don't need to be heterosexual or cisgender. And for the parents or for the churches who still do conversion therapy, please stop that. It's really bad for us. It doesn't work for us.”
Petition: End “Conversion Therapy” in Indonesia now!
Like Arisdo Gonzales, many members of the LGBTIQ community in Indonesia have been victims of harmful “conversion therapy” practices, but now Indonesia has a chance to put an end to this, once and for all!
Why end “conversion therapy” practices?
Awareness of these secretive practices is the first step towards action. As Mathias Wasik, the Director of Programs at All Out, said:
"Most people are surprised to learn that "conversion therapies" still exist. That's why we're raising awareness that across Asia and around the world, family members, friends, and people in our communities are silently suffering from practices that try to "cure" them from being LGBT+ – exposing them to lasting physical and mental trauma. These attacks on queer lives must end immediately."
To mobilise our communities in this fight, online petitions will be targeted towards the governments and decision-makers of the above countries to call for a complete ban on conversion therapy practices.
This campaign is important due to several positive developments in the region, including the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Sri Lanka and one of India’s largest Pride event in history. However, we expect the campaigns to be challenging in Bangladesh, and Indonesia, where extremism is on the rise, and regressive laws and policies targeting LGBTIQ persons have been passed. This is why the support and leadership of our partner local organisations, who work directly with their communities, are crucial to this initiative, with more to be announced in later stages:
Bangladesh: Noboprobhaat Foundation, Inclusive Bangladesh, Somporker Noya Setu, Prantoz Foundation
India: Yugantar, TransRightsNow Collective, Sahodaran Chennai
Indonesia: Gaya Nusantara Foundation
Sri Lanka: Community Welfare and Development Fund (CWDF), DAST, Equal Ground
These practices have been tolerated for too long, often with the full support of the victims’ own families and communities. We must work together to end them now. Ending conversion therapy is part of our broader struggle to protect and promote the human rights of LGBTIQ communities in Asia. As Henry Koh, ILGA Asia’s Executive Director, puts it:
“Conversion therapies are a flagrant violation of fundamental human rights and dignity and have no place in any society that upholds these values. It is scientifically proven that these practices do not alter a person's sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics — instead, they inflict profound damage and trauma, harming individuals at their core by telling them their very identity is wrong. ILGA Asia’s campaign aims to educate policymakers, healthcare providers, and communities in Asia about the dangers of conversion therapy and advocate for its complete abolishment. LGBTIQ individuals are entitled to live with dignity and respect, without the unnecessary and often traumatic efforts to change who they are. It is time for governments and healthcare professionals to act on ending these harmful, inhumane (conversion therapy) practices, and for societies across Asia to embrace diversity and inclusion in all its forms.”
