04/03/2026
We at Horizons envision a world where all LGBTQ people live freely and fully. This week’s Supreme Court ruling in Chiles v. Salazar will not deter our work towards making that vision a reality. The ruling is, however, a severe setback that we fear will result in profound harm to young LGBTQ people across the U.S. and make it much more difficult for many to live as their authentic selves. Conversion therapy and other efforts to “cure” LGBTQ people inflict “severe pain and suffering” and are “cruel, inhuman, and degrading,” according to the United Nation’s Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity. Just this year, research by The Trevor Project found that tragically high rates of LGBTQ youth who were recently exposed to conversion therapy reported considering su***de in the past year, with 35 percent having attempted it. Horizons-funded research in partnership with the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism in 2023 found that there was already a significant lack of authoritative resources to combat messaging about conversion therapy on online platforms, resulting in the spread of harmful misinformation. As LGBTQ people, especially our trans and nonbinary communities, are increasingly scapegoated and targeted in today’s political environment, our LGBTQ youth deserve better protections against disregarded and unsafe so-called “healthcare” practices.
Roger Doughty,
President
