Broken Promises: SOGIE change efforts as a hindrance to the realization of SDG 3 .:. Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform

Broken Promises: SOGIE change efforts as a hindrance to the realization of SDG 3

Wednesday, 7 July 2021

7:30 AM - 9:00 AM

Virtual (NY Time)

Side Event

OutRight Action International

The SGDs promise ‘a world with equitable and universal access to health care and social protection, where physical, mental and social well-being are assured’. They rest on a respect for inalienable and universal human rights and vow to leave no one behind, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons.

LGBTI persons are frequently denied their right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health due to an inaccessibility or absence of essential services which meet their specific needs related to their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or sex characteristics (SOGIESC). In addition, there are many ‘treatments’ and ‘therapies’ forced upon LGBTI persons, such as genital ‘normalizing’ surgeries or SOGIE change efforts also known as “conversion therapy”, which amount to cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment and even torture.

OutRight released the first ever report on the global prevalence of SOGIE change efforts. It showed that, while they range in their levels of physical and psychological abuse, these practices take place everywhere.

This session will focus on: 1. Demystifying SOGIE change efforts and highlighting the negative impact on LGBTI lives. 2. Exploring how the denial of the highest attainable standard of health has serious negative impacts on quality of life and perpetuates a vicious cycle of discrimination, exclusion, poverty and stigma. 3. Recommending strategies for recourse and advocacy towards a complete ban of SOGIE change efforts in all its forms as well as strategies for change to truly leave no one behind and achieve the world envisaged by the SDGs.