Conversion therapy in Singapore — Sources

Watch the original video on Instagram / TikTok

1. A 2020 UN report (page 4) classified "conversion therapy" as attempts to change or suppress gender identity. 
2. In the 1980s, "conversion therapy" practitioners in the US frequently claimed that they can turn queer people straight. 
3. In 1990, the World Health Organisation delisted homosexuality as a disease. 
4. In 2007, the American Psychological Association concluded that conversion therapy practices don’t work and may cause harm, including depression and suicide (page 3). 
5. In 2025, the British Psychological Society declared conversion therapy “unethical” and confirmed that past studies that endorsed such practices fail to meet current scientific standards. 
   
6. Today, over 70 professional healthcare associations (page 115) across the world, including the Singapore Psychological Society, reject “conversion therapy”, saying that it lacks medical basis and threatens the health of participants. 
   
7. Many organisations accused of conducting "conversion therapy" practices claim that they can help to suppress “unwanted queerness” (CHOICES, FOTF, TLI). 
8. A blog article published in 1999 by Yawning Bread recounts the harrowing story of a "conversion therapy" survivor who had electro-convulsive therapy done on him. 
   
9. In 2020, Heckin’ Unicorn interviewed and published the stories of "conversion therapy" survivors:
   1. Sam's story 
   2. Iani's story 
   3. Tom's story 
10. Organisations such as The CHOICES ministry by Church of Our Saviour (here and here) and True Love Is by 3:16 Church (here, here, here) have been accused of running "conversion therapy" programmes. 
11. “True Love Is” denies that what they do is "conversion therapy", but specifically in the sense that they don’t think suppression is a form of conversion therapy. They are wrong. They also claim that sexual orientation change efforts “significantly help people”, but they are wrong again, because the study they cited has been retracted by its publication because of its horrible academic integrity. 
12. 30 countries have already banned "conversion therapy" practices: 
    1. 13 countries have banned conversion therapy for everyone: 
       1. Belgium
       2. Canada
       3. Cyprus
       4. Ecuador
       5. France
       6. Germany
       7. Iceland
       8. Malta
       9. Mexico
       10. New Zealand
       11. Norway
       12. Portugal
       13. Spain 
           
    2. 17 countries have banned conversion therapy for medical professionals:
       1. Albania
       2. Argentina
       3. Bolivia
       4. Brazil
       5. Chile
       6. Fiji  
       7. Greece
       8. India
       9. Nauru
       10. Netherlands
       11. Paraguay
       12. Peru
       13. Samoa
       14. Switzerland
       15. Taiwan
       16. Uruguay
       17. Vietnam 
           
    3. 9 countries have either a partial ban, or have proposed a ban:
       1. Australia: Partial
       2. Austria: Proposed
       3. Columbia: Proposed
       4. Ireland: Proposed
       5. Philippines: Partial, only in Quezon City
       6. Sri Lanka: Proposed
       7. United Kingdom: Proposed
       8. United States: Partial 
          
    4. (Note: the video was written and recorded in April / May, and by the time of publication, the Netherlands has just passed laws that will make "conversion therapy" practices illegal)