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After a New York Court Win for Transgender Families, the Truth About Conversion Therapy's Harms
In June 2026, a federal judge in Manhattan temporarily blocked prosecutors from obtaining the private medical records of transgender patients treated at New York hospitals
Conversion therapy (any attempt to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity) is rejected by every major U.S. medical association and is linked in peer-reviewed research to depression, family breakdown, and a sharply higher risk of suicide. For families trying to do right by an LGBTQ+ child, understanding why the practice fails and what it costs matters more than ever.
A recent court fight in New York shows just how high the stakes have become for transgender families, and why the question of how we respond to a child's identity deserves clear, evidence-based answers.
A New York ruling that put transgender families in the spotlight
In June 2026, a federal judge in Manhattan temporarily blocked prosecutors from obtaining the private medical records of transgender patients treated at New York hospitals, STAT News reported. Judge Katherine Polk Failla described the effort to gather six years of records on a "uniquely vulnerable group" as unconstitutional, warning that it appeared designed to "demonize and eradicate an entire population of transgender" people.
The ruling was, at its heart, about privacy and dignity. But it also pulled back the curtain on something families navigate quietly every day: a climate of fear and stigma around transgender youth. When affirming, mainstream care is restricted or treated with suspicion, and families under pressure are often steered toward "alternatives." Too often, those alternatives are some form of conversion therapy, a practice that decades of research show does not work and can cause lasting harm.
For parents who genuinely want to help, the distinction is everything.
What conversion therapy actually is (and isn't)
Conversion therapy, sometimes marketed as "reparative therapy," "reintegrative therapy," or framed as spiritual counseling, refers to practices that try to change, suppress, or "cure" a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. It is not a recognized or accredited form of care.
This is not a fringe opinion. The American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics have all concluded the practice is ineffective and harmful. The distinction worth holding onto: a good therapist helps a young person understand themselves; conversion therapy pressures them toward a predetermined outcome. The first supports wellbeing. The second, the evidence shows, undermines it.
Despite this consensus, the practice persists. The Williams Institute at UCLA estimates that roughly 698,000 LGBT adults in the U.S. have undergone conversion therapy, about half of them as adolescents.
The four harms families should understand
The research clusters around four overlapping consequences. None of them is what a loving parent intends, which is exactly why they're worth naming plainly.
1. A measurably higher risk of suicide
This is the most urgent finding. People who experienced conversion therapy face 88% higher odds of attempting suicide than peers who did not, according to the Williams Institute. Among transgender people specifically, lifetime suicide attempts were far more common among those exposed to these practices (63%) than those who weren't (40%).
A landmark 2020 study in JAMA Psychiatry—drawing on more than 27,000 transgender adults—found that exposure to gender identity conversion efforts roughly doubled the odds of attempting suicide, with the steepest harm among those subjected to it before age 10.
The pattern holds for young people, too. The Trevor Project's research finds LGBTQ+ youth who experienced conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide—and more than 2.5 times as likely to report multiple attempts in the past year.
2. Damage to the family bond
Conversion therapy is often pursued by families hoping to protect a child. The tragedy is that it tends to fracture the very relationship it's meant to preserve.
Researchers have drawn a clear line between family rejection and harm: a foundational study in Pediatrics by Caitlin Ryan and colleagues established that rejecting reactions to a young person's identity predict higher rates of depression, substance use, and suicidal behavior in early adulthood. Because conversion therapy sends an unmistakable message, who you are is unacceptable, it functions as a form of rejection, even when the family's love is real.
The encouraging flip side comes from the same body of work. The Family Acceptance Project found that even small shifts toward acceptance measurably lower a young person's risk. Acceptance, not "correction," is the protective factor.
3. Alienation from church and community
For many families, faith is central, and that's precisely where so many of these practices begin. An estimated 81% of people who received conversion therapy got it from a religious leader rather than a health provider.
When a congregation or community treats a young person's identity as a problem to be fixed, the result is often the opposite of belonging. The Williams Institute identifies rejection from families and religious communities, including exposure to conversion therapy, as a salient risk factor for suicide among LGBTQ+ youth. Losing one's spiritual home on top of everything else can deepen isolation at the worst possible moment.
4. Lasting mental-health consequences
Beyond suicide risk, survivors report a long tail of effects: depression, anxiety, substance use, shame, and post-traumatic responses. The timing matters, too. Youth whose most recent exposure occurred within the past year reported the highest rates of suicidal ideation (61%) and attempts (35%). The harm, in other words, is not abstract or distant. It is immediate.
Why these practices are so harmful: the minority stress lens
If conversion therapy is meant to help, why does the data point the other way? Researchers point to minority stress. As Williams Institute scholar Ilan Meyer has explained, so-called conversion therapy reinforces societal stigma and signals to a young person that being who they are is shameful and should be rejected. That chronic, internalized stress, not the identity itself, is what drives poor outcomes.
This reframes the entire conversation. LGBTQ+ young people are not inherently prone to crisis; they are placed at higher risk by how they are treated. The lever families can pull, then, is not changing the child; it's changing the environment around the child.
The shifting legal landscape
Families are making these decisions amid genuine legal uncertainty. In March 2026, the Supreme Court ruled in Chiles v. Salazar that Colorado's ban on conversion therapy for minors implicated the free-speech rights of counselors, sending the case back to lower courts. More than 20 states still have protections on the books, but the patchwork is real, and a court ruling does not alter the underlying medical evidence. As the data and the New York privacy ruling both underscore, the science on harm has not changed, even as the politics have.
What families can do instead
The most effective path is also the most affirming one. Practical steps grounded in the research:
Lead with acceptance. Family support is one of the strongest protective factors known to science. Learn more about supporting an LGBTQ+ child.
Seek affirming, licensed care. A qualified therapist explores identity without an agenda. Our guide to finding affirming support can help you start.
Know the warning signs. If a program promises to "change" or "cure" your child, that's a red flag. See what conversion therapy really is.
Build community. Connection counters isolation. Browse resources for parents and youth.
Frequently asked questions
Does conversion therapy work?
No. Every leading U.S. medical and mental-health organization has found it ineffective and harmful. There is no credible evidence that it changes orientation or gender identity.
Is conversion therapy still legal?
It depends on the state. More than 20 states limit the practice for minors, though the Supreme Court's 2026 Chiles decision reopened questions about how those laws are enforced.
What's the difference between conversion therapy and affirming care?
Affirming care helps a person understand and accept themselves; conversion therapy pressures them toward a fixed outcome. The research consistently links the latter to worse mental-health outcomes.
My family is religious. Are we forced to choose between faith and our child?
No. Many families of faith reconcile deeply held beliefs with full acceptance of their child. As the Family Acceptance Project's work shows, even modest moves toward acceptance meaningfully reduce a young person's risk.
The bottom line
The New York court's decision to shield transgender patients' records was about privacy. But it also pointed to a larger truth families deserve to hear clearly: the science on conversion therapy is settled, and it is sobering. The practice does not change who a young person is—it only raises the odds of depression, estrangement, and suicide. Acceptance does the opposite. For any family weighing how to respond to a child's identity, that is the most important finding of all.
Publicaciones recientes
After a New York Court Win for Transgender Families, the Truth About Conversion Therapy's Harms
In June 2026, a federal judge in Manhattan temporarily blocked prosecutors from obtaining the private medical records of transgender patients treated at New York hospitals
Conversion therapy (any attempt to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity) is rejected by every major U.S. medical association and is linked in peer-reviewed research to depression, family breakdown, and a sharply higher risk of suicide. For families trying to do right by an LGBTQ+ child, understanding why the practice fails and what it costs matters more than ever.
A recent court fight in New York shows just how high the stakes have become for transgender families, and why the question of how we respond to a child's identity deserves clear, evidence-based answers.
A New York ruling that put transgender families in the spotlight
In June 2026, a federal judge in Manhattan temporarily blocked prosecutors from obtaining the private medical records of transgender patients treated at New York hospitals, STAT News reported. Judge Katherine Polk Failla described the effort to gather six years of records on a "uniquely vulnerable group" as unconstitutional, warning that it appeared designed to "demonize and eradicate an entire population of transgender" people.
The ruling was, at its heart, about privacy and dignity. But it also pulled back the curtain on something families navigate quietly every day: a climate of fear and stigma around transgender youth. When affirming, mainstream care is restricted or treated with suspicion, and families under pressure are often steered toward "alternatives." Too often, those alternatives are some form of conversion therapy, a practice that decades of research show does not work and can cause lasting harm.
For parents who genuinely want to help, the distinction is everything.
What conversion therapy actually is (and isn't)
Conversion therapy, sometimes marketed as "reparative therapy," "reintegrative therapy," or framed as spiritual counseling, refers to practices that try to change, suppress, or "cure" a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. It is not a recognized or accredited form of care.
This is not a fringe opinion. The American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics have all concluded the practice is ineffective and harmful. The distinction worth holding onto: a good therapist helps a young person understand themselves; conversion therapy pressures them toward a predetermined outcome. The first supports wellbeing. The second, the evidence shows, undermines it.
Despite this consensus, the practice persists. The Williams Institute at UCLA estimates that roughly 698,000 LGBT adults in the U.S. have undergone conversion therapy, about half of them as adolescents.
The four harms families should understand
The research clusters around four overlapping consequences. None of them is what a loving parent intends, which is exactly why they're worth naming plainly.
1. A measurably higher risk of suicide
This is the most urgent finding. People who experienced conversion therapy face 88% higher odds of attempting suicide than peers who did not, according to the Williams Institute. Among transgender people specifically, lifetime suicide attempts were far more common among those exposed to these practices (63%) than those who weren't (40%).
A landmark 2020 study in JAMA Psychiatry—drawing on more than 27,000 transgender adults—found that exposure to gender identity conversion efforts roughly doubled the odds of attempting suicide, with the steepest harm among those subjected to it before age 10.
The pattern holds for young people, too. The Trevor Project's research finds LGBTQ+ youth who experienced conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide—and more than 2.5 times as likely to report multiple attempts in the past year.
2. Damage to the family bond
Conversion therapy is often pursued by families hoping to protect a child. The tragedy is that it tends to fracture the very relationship it's meant to preserve.
Researchers have drawn a clear line between family rejection and harm: a foundational study in Pediatrics by Caitlin Ryan and colleagues established that rejecting reactions to a young person's identity predict higher rates of depression, substance use, and suicidal behavior in early adulthood. Because conversion therapy sends an unmistakable message, who you are is unacceptable, it functions as a form of rejection, even when the family's love is real.
The encouraging flip side comes from the same body of work. The Family Acceptance Project found that even small shifts toward acceptance measurably lower a young person's risk. Acceptance, not "correction," is the protective factor.
3. Alienation from church and community
For many families, faith is central, and that's precisely where so many of these practices begin. An estimated 81% of people who received conversion therapy got it from a religious leader rather than a health provider.
When a congregation or community treats a young person's identity as a problem to be fixed, the result is often the opposite of belonging. The Williams Institute identifies rejection from families and religious communities, including exposure to conversion therapy, as a salient risk factor for suicide among LGBTQ+ youth. Losing one's spiritual home on top of everything else can deepen isolation at the worst possible moment.
4. Lasting mental-health consequences
Beyond suicide risk, survivors report a long tail of effects: depression, anxiety, substance use, shame, and post-traumatic responses. The timing matters, too. Youth whose most recent exposure occurred within the past year reported the highest rates of suicidal ideation (61%) and attempts (35%). The harm, in other words, is not abstract or distant. It is immediate.
Why these practices are so harmful: the minority stress lens
If conversion therapy is meant to help, why does the data point the other way? Researchers point to minority stress. As Williams Institute scholar Ilan Meyer has explained, so-called conversion therapy reinforces societal stigma and signals to a young person that being who they are is shameful and should be rejected. That chronic, internalized stress, not the identity itself, is what drives poor outcomes.
This reframes the entire conversation. LGBTQ+ young people are not inherently prone to crisis; they are placed at higher risk by how they are treated. The lever families can pull, then, is not changing the child; it's changing the environment around the child.
The shifting legal landscape
Families are making these decisions amid genuine legal uncertainty. In March 2026, the Supreme Court ruled in Chiles v. Salazar that Colorado's ban on conversion therapy for minors implicated the free-speech rights of counselors, sending the case back to lower courts. More than 20 states still have protections on the books, but the patchwork is real, and a court ruling does not alter the underlying medical evidence. As the data and the New York privacy ruling both underscore, the science on harm has not changed, even as the politics have.
What families can do instead
The most effective path is also the most affirming one. Practical steps grounded in the research:
Lead with acceptance. Family support is one of the strongest protective factors known to science. Learn more about supporting an LGBTQ+ child.
Seek affirming, licensed care. A qualified therapist explores identity without an agenda. Our guide to finding affirming support can help you start.
Know the warning signs. If a program promises to "change" or "cure" your child, that's a red flag. See what conversion therapy really is.
Build community. Connection counters isolation. Browse resources for parents and youth.
Frequently asked questions
Does conversion therapy work?
No. Every leading U.S. medical and mental-health organization has found it ineffective and harmful. There is no credible evidence that it changes orientation or gender identity.
Is conversion therapy still legal?
It depends on the state. More than 20 states limit the practice for minors, though the Supreme Court's 2026 Chiles decision reopened questions about how those laws are enforced.
What's the difference between conversion therapy and affirming care?
Affirming care helps a person understand and accept themselves; conversion therapy pressures them toward a fixed outcome. The research consistently links the latter to worse mental-health outcomes.
My family is religious. Are we forced to choose between faith and our child?
No. Many families of faith reconcile deeply held beliefs with full acceptance of their child. As the Family Acceptance Project's work shows, even modest moves toward acceptance meaningfully reduce a young person's risk.
The bottom line
The New York court's decision to shield transgender patients' records was about privacy. But it also pointed to a larger truth families deserve to hear clearly: the science on conversion therapy is settled, and it is sobering. The practice does not change who a young person is—it only raises the odds of depression, estrangement, and suicide. Acceptance does the opposite. For any family weighing how to respond to a child's identity, that is the most important finding of all.
Publicaciones recientes
After a New York Court Win for Transgender Families, the Truth About Conversion Therapy's Harms
In June 2026, a federal judge in Manhattan temporarily blocked prosecutors from obtaining the private medical records of transgender patients treated at New York hospitals
Conversion therapy (any attempt to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity) is rejected by every major U.S. medical association and is linked in peer-reviewed research to depression, family breakdown, and a sharply higher risk of suicide. For families trying to do right by an LGBTQ+ child, understanding why the practice fails and what it costs matters more than ever.
A recent court fight in New York shows just how high the stakes have become for transgender families, and why the question of how we respond to a child's identity deserves clear, evidence-based answers.
A New York ruling that put transgender families in the spotlight
In June 2026, a federal judge in Manhattan temporarily blocked prosecutors from obtaining the private medical records of transgender patients treated at New York hospitals, STAT News reported. Judge Katherine Polk Failla described the effort to gather six years of records on a "uniquely vulnerable group" as unconstitutional, warning that it appeared designed to "demonize and eradicate an entire population of transgender" people.
The ruling was, at its heart, about privacy and dignity. But it also pulled back the curtain on something families navigate quietly every day: a climate of fear and stigma around transgender youth. When affirming, mainstream care is restricted or treated with suspicion, and families under pressure are often steered toward "alternatives." Too often, those alternatives are some form of conversion therapy, a practice that decades of research show does not work and can cause lasting harm.
For parents who genuinely want to help, the distinction is everything.
What conversion therapy actually is (and isn't)
Conversion therapy, sometimes marketed as "reparative therapy," "reintegrative therapy," or framed as spiritual counseling, refers to practices that try to change, suppress, or "cure" a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. It is not a recognized or accredited form of care.
This is not a fringe opinion. The American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics have all concluded the practice is ineffective and harmful. The distinction worth holding onto: a good therapist helps a young person understand themselves; conversion therapy pressures them toward a predetermined outcome. The first supports wellbeing. The second, the evidence shows, undermines it.
Despite this consensus, the practice persists. The Williams Institute at UCLA estimates that roughly 698,000 LGBT adults in the U.S. have undergone conversion therapy, about half of them as adolescents.
The four harms families should understand
The research clusters around four overlapping consequences. None of them is what a loving parent intends, which is exactly why they're worth naming plainly.
1. A measurably higher risk of suicide
This is the most urgent finding. People who experienced conversion therapy face 88% higher odds of attempting suicide than peers who did not, according to the Williams Institute. Among transgender people specifically, lifetime suicide attempts were far more common among those exposed to these practices (63%) than those who weren't (40%).
A landmark 2020 study in JAMA Psychiatry—drawing on more than 27,000 transgender adults—found that exposure to gender identity conversion efforts roughly doubled the odds of attempting suicide, with the steepest harm among those subjected to it before age 10.
The pattern holds for young people, too. The Trevor Project's research finds LGBTQ+ youth who experienced conversion therapy are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide—and more than 2.5 times as likely to report multiple attempts in the past year.
2. Damage to the family bond
Conversion therapy is often pursued by families hoping to protect a child. The tragedy is that it tends to fracture the very relationship it's meant to preserve.
Researchers have drawn a clear line between family rejection and harm: a foundational study in Pediatrics by Caitlin Ryan and colleagues established that rejecting reactions to a young person's identity predict higher rates of depression, substance use, and suicidal behavior in early adulthood. Because conversion therapy sends an unmistakable message, who you are is unacceptable, it functions as a form of rejection, even when the family's love is real.
The encouraging flip side comes from the same body of work. The Family Acceptance Project found that even small shifts toward acceptance measurably lower a young person's risk. Acceptance, not "correction," is the protective factor.
3. Alienation from church and community
For many families, faith is central, and that's precisely where so many of these practices begin. An estimated 81% of people who received conversion therapy got it from a religious leader rather than a health provider.
When a congregation or community treats a young person's identity as a problem to be fixed, the result is often the opposite of belonging. The Williams Institute identifies rejection from families and religious communities, including exposure to conversion therapy, as a salient risk factor for suicide among LGBTQ+ youth. Losing one's spiritual home on top of everything else can deepen isolation at the worst possible moment.
4. Lasting mental-health consequences
Beyond suicide risk, survivors report a long tail of effects: depression, anxiety, substance use, shame, and post-traumatic responses. The timing matters, too. Youth whose most recent exposure occurred within the past year reported the highest rates of suicidal ideation (61%) and attempts (35%). The harm, in other words, is not abstract or distant. It is immediate.
Why these practices are so harmful: the minority stress lens
If conversion therapy is meant to help, why does the data point the other way? Researchers point to minority stress. As Williams Institute scholar Ilan Meyer has explained, so-called conversion therapy reinforces societal stigma and signals to a young person that being who they are is shameful and should be rejected. That chronic, internalized stress, not the identity itself, is what drives poor outcomes.
This reframes the entire conversation. LGBTQ+ young people are not inherently prone to crisis; they are placed at higher risk by how they are treated. The lever families can pull, then, is not changing the child; it's changing the environment around the child.
The shifting legal landscape
Families are making these decisions amid genuine legal uncertainty. In March 2026, the Supreme Court ruled in Chiles v. Salazar that Colorado's ban on conversion therapy for minors implicated the free-speech rights of counselors, sending the case back to lower courts. More than 20 states still have protections on the books, but the patchwork is real, and a court ruling does not alter the underlying medical evidence. As the data and the New York privacy ruling both underscore, the science on harm has not changed, even as the politics have.
What families can do instead
The most effective path is also the most affirming one. Practical steps grounded in the research:
Lead with acceptance. Family support is one of the strongest protective factors known to science. Learn more about supporting an LGBTQ+ child.
Seek affirming, licensed care. A qualified therapist explores identity without an agenda. Our guide to finding affirming support can help you start.
Know the warning signs. If a program promises to "change" or "cure" your child, that's a red flag. See what conversion therapy really is.
Build community. Connection counters isolation. Browse resources for parents and youth.
Frequently asked questions
Does conversion therapy work?
No. Every leading U.S. medical and mental-health organization has found it ineffective and harmful. There is no credible evidence that it changes orientation or gender identity.
Is conversion therapy still legal?
It depends on the state. More than 20 states limit the practice for minors, though the Supreme Court's 2026 Chiles decision reopened questions about how those laws are enforced.
What's the difference between conversion therapy and affirming care?
Affirming care helps a person understand and accept themselves; conversion therapy pressures them toward a fixed outcome. The research consistently links the latter to worse mental-health outcomes.
My family is religious. Are we forced to choose between faith and our child?
No. Many families of faith reconcile deeply held beliefs with full acceptance of their child. As the Family Acceptance Project's work shows, even modest moves toward acceptance meaningfully reduce a young person's risk.
The bottom line
The New York court's decision to shield transgender patients' records was about privacy. But it also pointed to a larger truth families deserve to hear clearly: the science on conversion therapy is settled, and it is sobering. The practice does not change who a young person is—it only raises the odds of depression, estrangement, and suicide. Acceptance does the opposite. For any family weighing how to respond to a child's identity, that is the most important finding of all.