New Delhi: The Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) has issued a notice to the National Medical Commission (NMC) seeking action against illegal training on conversion therapy for the LGBTQIA+ community being advertised under the banner of 'World Congress of Psychologists', said an official release.
DCW has taken suo moto cognizance of an advertisement circulating on social media that claims that an organisation called the 'World Congress of Psychologists' with its Head Office at Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh is conducting a three-month Training Program on Psychosomatic Disorders which started on the 10th of March.
The organisation appears to have offered training on tackling 47 different disorders and has included homosexuality, lesbianism and transvestism in the same, the DCW release said.
It is an established fact that homosexuality, lesbianism and transvestism are not 'psychosomatic disorders. Over 50 years ago, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) issued a resolution stating that homosexuality is not a mental illness or sickness, it said.
DCW Chairperson Swati Maliwal stated, "It is unfortunate that even in this age, there appears to be organizations in the country who seem to claim that homosexuality, lesbianism and transvestism are 'psychosomatic disorders' and need to be "cured" through conversion therapy."
"This is illegal and perpetuates myths, biases and discrimination in society against the LGBTQIA+ community. Every individual has a right to express their self-identified gender and choose their sexual orientation. The Supreme Court has guaranteed these rights. Stringent action should be taken against organisations who indulge in such criminal acts," she added.
Conversion therapies are a set of pseudo-scientific practices, targeting LGBTQIA+ people into changing their sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, read the release. (with ANI inputs)
