Conversion Therapy Practices Against Transgender Persons in India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Sri Lanka

Abstract

This evidence generating project aimed to explore how, through the documentation of their personal narratives and lived experiences, trans and gender diverse people in these countries have been subjected to conversion therapy practices. Further, it sought to investigate how the existing national legal, policy, and programmatic frameworks create an enabling environment for these harmful practices to thrive. The study also aimed to explore how religion and socio-cultural values fuel or promote interventions aimed at changing an individual’s gender identity and expression, or sexual orientation, and how these interventions manifest in familial or communal spaces. The evidence presented in this research initiative is informed by data and insights collected through key informant interviews with members of trans communities, health professionals, legal and policy experts, academic and religious scholars, and LGBTIQ human rights defenders.