Conversion therapy is a practice aimed to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, specifically those who belong to the LGBTQIA community, to that of the heterosexual, cisgender, or their sex assigned at birth. Techniques include talk and behavioural therapy as well as medicinal therapy. It has been proven that these practices have negative psychosocial health outcomes such as loneliness, regular illicit drug use, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempt.
According to the results of the 2019-2020 Community-Based Research Centre Sex Now Survey, 10% of sexual minority men in the survey stated that they had been subjected to conversion therapy practices. These practices have been deemed harmful by associations such as the Canadian Psychological Association, the Canadian Psychiatric Association, and the Canadian Paediatric Society.