The case to end sexual orientation change efforts in Lebanon

ENAR

Homosexuality is part of the natural spectrum of human identity and is not a disease, a disorder, or an illness to be treated or “fixed.” However, there is a plethora of evidence documenting the challenges that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people experience daily as a result of discrimination, rejection, and stigma. Sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) are increasingly regarded as harmful. These practices attempt to change a person’s sexual orientation through counseling, psychotherapy, or other means. Historically, SOCE have included some extreme measures, such as forced institutionalization, forced medication, and electroconvulsive shock therapy. These efforts are the product of a lack of respect for normal human differences and have been proven ineffective. Most importantly, these practices have harmful effects on the mental and physical health of the individuals being pressured into them. In the United States, it was estimated in a 2010 study that approximately 20,000 youths between