Detroit Catholic leaders now officially support conversion therapy. The Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit, Michigan, has banned two LGBTQ Catholic groups from church premises and ceremonies. They also directed LGBTQ Catholics to submit to a form of conversion therapy, according to Metro Weekly.
That harmful therapy would be provided by Courage, a conservative Catholic organization that once promoted gay celibacy. The group now offers a form of conversion therapy that consists of a fraudulent 12-step program and denial of one’s orientation or gender identity.
Both banned groups responded. Rev. Victor Clore of Fortunate Families said that his group offered support to LGBTQ families and does not “promote anything sinful.” Concurrently, Frank D’Amore, president of Dignity Detroit, said, “Courage is like a 12-step program, which is kind of insulting. [We] don’t need a 12-step program. It’s ludicrous.”
Local and national LGBTQ faith groups will continue to publicly oppose both Courage and official Roman Catholic support for conversion therapy.
Born Perfect is a survivor-led program created by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) in 2014 to end conversion therapy by passing laws across the country that protect LGBTQ children and young people, fighting in courtrooms to ensure their safety, and raising awareness about the serious harms caused by these dangerous practices. https://bornperfect.org