Chihuahua.- I had just turned 18 when my parents found out that I was in a relationship with another woman. That day was very violent, they beat me and scolded me for hours. Days later they took me to an annex, a rehabilitation clinic, where they raped me,” said Mirna (fictitious name due to guarantee of rights), who was subjected to a series of abuses.
In recent days, various groups that work for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community managed to get an initiative that seeks to eradicate pseudo conversion therapies “out of the freezer” and that it go to the technical tables; being the first time that an initiative of this magnitude does not remain only on paper.
When that happened, Karla Arvizo, president of the Sexual Diversity Committee, pointed out that as collectives they were very happy since they had 491 days waiting for this initiative to come out of the freezer and just today, it will start with the first work tables that they seek to eliminate these bad practices.
“We will be showing the legislators why it is necessary to eradicate these pseudotherapies that have hurt people for so many years,” said Arvizo.
In this same sense, the founder of this organization said that although the bench issued this initiative, this work has been mostly carried out by organizations because they have been the ones that have managed to get it out of where it was and that not only that but also Also start working on it.
“We have lobbied from the votes to getting him out of there, so now the work of the collectives remains to bring experts on the subject, to bring victims of these therapies that have not worked and that have generated trauma in these people; Right now we are happy, to make the technical tables and that these go to the plenary session and be voted on”, said Karla.
Regarding this, the activist pointed out that there are several cases of minors who have been sexually violated with the authorization of their father so that they become heterosexual and that there have even been others where electroshocks are practiced.
“Many people can also fall into suicide because they are made to believe that it is bad for the community, for this reason, the testimonies of some victims will be presented in Congress, of course they will not be forced, that will only be if they want to. ; otherwise, here we are to get the caste for them “.
“I think that the most important thing is that this type of practice violates human rights but also against many principles of psychology in the area of humanist law.
OTHER TESTIMONIALS
According to what Mirna remembers, in the place where she was, they made her pray all the time, they told her that she had to find God to get out of her situation, so that she would no longer be a lesbian.
“The local people talked to me all the time about god and that only he could help me get ahead, and they told me that being a lesbian was bad, all day. The first few times I reacted very badly, I felt very angry because I knew that nothing they told me was true, being a lesbian was not bad. But when I expressed it they hit me. Little by little they got me to stop expressing my anger. She found me isolated, alone and discouraged, but the worst came the day they abused me. One of the local men came to my room at night, and he told me that I didn’t like men because I had never had sex with one. I got scared, but I couldn’t do anything.”
“He started to touch me, and I tried to push him away, but he told me not to resist, that my father knew about it and had authorized that they do that to me, as long as “the lesbian thing was removed from me”. She didn’t hit me, but she held me in such a way that she couldn’t move me, and she raped me. They raped me with my father’s permission because they told him it was part of the supposed therapy. Still after that horrible experience, the guy dared to tell me that from then on I was going to like men, now that he had already had sex with one. When I finally got out of that hell I was traumatized. He prayed a lot, something he didn’t do before, and he mistrusted everyone”.
According to what Mirna remembers, for a long time, she did not let anyone touch her, not even for a hug.
“A friend helped me realize that what had happened to me was terrible and that I needed professional help. On my own, I started to go to psychological therapy, and little by little I managed to get ahead, but it took me years to do it “, Mirna concluded.
REBECA
This is not the only case; Well, there is also that of Rebeca, who was told by her parents to accompany them to a place and who was taken to a place where they treated drug and alcohol problems.
“They admitted me, although I did not take drugs or drink alcohol. In there they told me that in that place they were going to take away my lesbianism. There every day we received blows on the back and legs, and all kinds of ill-treatment. At dawn, with the clothes you were wearing, which is what they give you right there, they took you out to the patio and hosed you down with cold water. It was horrible. In addition to beating us, every day they told us that what we were doing was wrong, that I was a lesbian because I was a rebel, and to make my family angry.”
This young woman lived through an ordeal since, day and night, they were told the same thing, and they were beaten; they were talking and hitting all the time.
“I was isolated for three months, without being able to speak to anyone from abroad. By the time I received the first visit, I was already trained on how to speak and what to say. My mom went to see me, and I told her that she was fine, that she shouldn’t worry. I knew if she didn’t say that it would be worse for me when my mom left. I was there for almost six months, but the damage they did to me took much longer to heal. When I finally got out, I spent a long time not wanting to see anyone, not going out, not drinking, not doing anything. I isolated myself and became another person. Until my mom realized that she was not well, she began to notice me very badly ”.
Subsequently, Rebeca’s mother sought help elsewhere and there they both received family therapy.
“They let my mom know that taking me to that annex was a big mistake, and after years of therapy together we were fine again.”
LAURA
Just like these, there are many others… Laura also had to endure all the psychological and even physical pressure when she was taken to a therapy that specialized in “converting” gays.
“This happened in the state of Chihuahua, I was still a minor. When my family found out that I am a lesbian they screamed to heaven. They were convinced that being a lesbian was wrong, that she needed help. By some recommendation they arrived with a girl who claimed to be a therapist, and who specialized in “converting” gays and lesbians into heterosexuals. It all started with talks, long sessions where she told me that being a lesbian was wrong, that it was not what I was destined to be.
She says that she always went home very confused, but she thought that this was going to take effect at some point.
“The talks began to escalate, and each time I felt worse. My mom was also present at the supposed therapies. In one of the sessions she took a machine out of her drawer. It was like the ones they use in bars to play music, with their metal things that if you hold them you feel the electric shock. I got scared, but I thought it was normal. When my mom asked what that was for, she told her that it would help modify my brain and change my behavior.
The supposed therapist put the machine on her head and Laura felt slight discharges which were rising with intensity.
“It wasn’t unbearable, but it was very uncomfortable, and I felt like I was going to hurt myself at any moment, but I thought it was normal. Days later I told a friend what had happened to me, and she became very serious. She told me that this was wrong, that it wouldn’t help, and she also talked to my mom, and we stopped going there.
These cases are not the last and it is expected that soon the victims (as long as they so decide) can count them with their own voice in order to make this stop.
When asking Karla Arvizo what she would say to people who are going through a situation of this magnitude; She stated that the Committee for Sexual Diversity works for the LGBT community and that they are the voice of those who are afraid.
“Here we are for you, there are the pages of the committee, we have psychological therapies in all matters of sexual orientation and gender and we fight for people to live with dignity,” the activist concluded.
SO THEY SAID IT
“Many people can also fall into suicide because they are made to believe that it is wrong to be from the community, that is why the testimonies of some victims are going to be presented in Congress, of course they are not going to be forced, that will only be if they want to ; otherwise, here we are to get the caste for them ”
“We have lobbied from the votes to getting him out of there, so now the work of the collectives remains to bring experts on the subject, to bring victims of these therapies that have not worked and that have generated trauma in these people; right now we are happy, to make the technical tables and that these go to the plenary session and vote”
