Many young people, when they discover that they are attracted to their own sex or that there is a discrepancy between their gender identity and their biological sex, become anxious: What will they say about me? What will I do from now on? Sometimes even the immediate environment is not supportive, or worse, acts deliberately to 'get the child back on track'. All of this naturally arouses a desire to know if it is possible to change, if it is possible to 'get out of it' and how.

A search on the Internet reveals that there are organizations that are indeed trying to do this. This is of course suitable for those people who are looking for the same way out. On their websites, one can read about a multitude of treatments whose function is the same: to change a person's sexual orientation. The goal is similar, but the methods are varied: some offer male workshops, others treat sexual traumas, and others generally focus on the 'addiction' that is inherent in the orientation. Of course, many of the 'therapists' are not licensed to treat, and do so in violation of the law and accepted ethics.

Usually, on those sites, you can only read about the 'successes' of the treatment, and the risks involved in the treatment are ignored. The risks are varied. First, the very attempt to change one's sexual orientation deepens the alienation between the person and himself. In addition, due to the charlatanism of some therapists, the methods they use can endanger the patient. Finally, it is now known that this 'discreet' framework invites many harms to patients from the therapists, harms that exploit the patients' weakness.
So, what exactly is conversion therapy? How do I know if I am undergoing one of these? What do Halacha and Judaism say about these treatments? If you would like to read more, a wealth of content, blogs, and articles on the subject are available to you.