A new YouGov/Economist poll reveals that most Americans, including a majority of MAGA Republicans, oppose gay conversion therapy, even as the U.S. Supreme Court considers a case that could strike down state bans on the practice.
According to the poll, conducted October 10–13, 59% of U.S. adults support bans on conversion therapy, while only 20% oppose them and 22% remain unsure. Sixty percent of Republicans, 59% of Democrats, and 57% of independents back such bans. The survey focused on attempts “to change a person’s sexual orientation from gay to straight.” Though not addressed in this poll, conversion therapy also targets gender identity, aiming to make trans people cisgender, a practice widely discredited by medical experts.
The poll also revealed that only 11% of respondents said they thought conversion therapy works, but 27% still believe “someone who is homosexual can change their sexual orientation if they choose to do so.” Just 17% said gay people should try to change. The poll coincides with Chiles v. Salazar, a Supreme Court case involving Colorado therapist Kaley Chiles, who claims her state’s ban violates her free speech and religious rights.
She says she wants to help minors live a life consistent with the Bible. Shannon Minter of the National Center for Lesbian Rights warned, “It would be so hypocritical for the Court to say states can ban health care for transgender youth, but they can’t restrict conversion therapy for young people.” Currently, 22 states and Washington, D.C. prohibit conversion therapy, protections that may now hang in the balance.
