Killing the "Sinner" Within: Spiritual Violence Against LGBTQIA+ People in "Conversion Therapy"

Throughout history, colonial projects worldwide have strategically exploited religion in their conquests, weaving Spiritual Violence into the cultural and political structures of society and making it challenging to address directly. Social sciences play a crucial role in exposing this and supporting organizing efforts against it.

One example of this phenomenon is found in practices known as ‘sexual orientation and gender identity and expression change efforts’ (SOGIECE), a wide set of interventions commonly and inaccurately referred to as “conversion therapy”, which has been studied and denounced by researchers from various disciplines all over the world.

This literature review, the first of its kind, analyzes 60 studies from 2012 to 2023 focusing on LGBTQIA+ communities across continents, shedding light on how weaponized religion, driven by white Christian Supremacy, contributes to fear and hostility, using the guise of "Christian morality" to justify harm against LGBTQIA+ individuals.

With this resource, we aim to empower organizers, survivors, and philanthropists to better understand the structural nature of religion-based oppression and adapt their organizing strategies accordingly, ensuring that our resistance is interdisciplinary and systemic.

Download this free resource by registering via the form. Published by Soulforce, Inc. Copyright © 2023 All Rights Reserved