'We’re told we’re broken. We’re not. We’re good exactly as we are': Local survivors group promotes International Day to End Conversion Therapy

An international survivor-led movement, which began locally, is calling attention to the ongoing harms of conversion therapy and urging communities to take action on January 7, International Day to End Conversion Therapy (IDECT).

IDECT was founded in by C.T. Survivors Connect, in partnership with the Conversion Therapy Survivors Network in the United States. January 7 was chosen as the date to mark Canada’s 2022 federal ban on conversion therapy (Bill C-4), symbolizing both progress and a global call to action. The day honours survivors of SOGIECE (Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Change Efforts), raises awareness of its harms, promotes survivor-led healing, urges worldwide bans, and unites allies in pursuit of justice and equality.

For those unfamiliar with the term, "conversion therapy" refers to all practices that attempt to change or suppress a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

Medical and psychological organizations have widely discredited the practice, concluding that there is no credible evidence that sexual orientation can be changed through therapeutic intervention. There is also robust evidence that trying to change a person’s sexual orientation can be extremely harmful.

The overwhelming consensus among psychologists and psychiatrists who have studied conversion therapy or treated patients who are struggling with their sexual orientation is that therapeutic intervention cannot change sexual orientation, a position echoed by all major professional organizations in the field, including the American Psychological Association (APA).

But further than that, these practices exist because of the false belief that being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBTQ+) is a mental illness, a moral failing, or a developmental disorder that needs to be cured.

“These aren’t just outdated practices,” says Ben Rodgers. “Conversion therapy is torture, and it is still happening.”

Rodgers is the Executive Director of C.T. Survivors Connect (CTSC), a Canadian support group and service development program for survivors of conversion therapy trauma.

Rodgers founded CTSC because he is a survivor himself.

Now living in Belleville, he formed the group in 2020 to support survivors by sharing his own harrowing accounts of what he experienced at 19 under the direction of the church he attended at the time, Third Day Worship Centre in Kingston.

CTSC offers a safe, respectful space to connect, share, and build community, Rodgers explained. While the organization is based in Kingston/Belleville, ON, support is available to anyone in Canada who needs help connecting to local resources. The group values privacy, respect, and meeting people where they are in their healing, and it aims to expand its services over time.

This small Canadian non-profit organization spearheaded the day of recognition to serve as both a memorial and a movement, honouring those lost or harmed and building momentum to end these human rights abuses worldwide.

The origins of IDECT

On Friday, January 7, 2022, Conversion Therapy was declared an illegal act in Canada, under Bill C-4: An Act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy). It had been hotly debated in the House of Commons for months, with Kingston and the Islands Member of Parliament (MPP) Mark Gerretsen passionately sharing Ben Rodgers's story on June 4, 2021, at the bill's third reading.

Bill C-6 was the government's initial attempt to ban conversion therapy, but it was replaced by more comprehensive legislation (later passed as C-4 again with expanded scope in 2021), which built on previous failed attempts to create broader Criminal Code offences targeting forced conversion therapy, advertising it, profiting from it, and removing children from Canada for such practices, ensuring better Charter protection and full inclusion of LGBTQ2S+ individuals. This led to the unanimous parliamentary vote to pass the final bill.

Rodgers said that while Bill C-4 made conversion therapy illegal, the practice has not disappeared, and survivors continue to come forward. This reality has prompted ongoing advocacy focused on community support, municipal recognition, and survivor-led action, rather than relying solely on federal legislation.

“International Day to End Conversion Therapy was created out of a conversation between another survivor from Atlantic Canada, Veronica Merryfield, and me,” Rogers said. They shared frustration that despite years of advocacy, conversion therapy continues to exist despite growing awareness and legal bans.“ We kept asking ourselves: if this harm still exists, why isn’t it being recognized?”

Rodgers said early efforts to have the day formally recognized focused on government channels, including outreach to federal MPs and local municipalities.

MP Gerretsen once again heard Rodgers's call and introduced a private member’s bill seeking national recognition in the House of Commons, which had its first reading on June 13, 2024, but it stalled due to the 2025 election.

Rather than waiting for formal government recognition, Rodgers said survivors decided to act.

“At some point we asked, ‘Do we really need permission to create a day?’” he said. “Every international day started because someone stood up and said, ‘This matters.’ That’s what we did.”

The initiative has grown beyond Canada and is now recognized in the United States and Australia, with organizers hoping it will continue to expand through community-led efforts and word of mouth.

Rogers said the day is intentionally broad in scope and encourages participation in many forms. He provided a who, what, when, why and how list of ways to recognize IDECT.

“The ‘who’ is survivors, allies, organizations and communities,” he said. “The ‘what’ is awareness, remembrance, education, solidarity and action.”

Local efforts

At the municipal level, Rodgers said he has recently contacted several councils, including those of the cities of Kingston and Belleville and the Town of Greater Napanee, seeking proclamations to recognize the day, but was told that requests must be submitted well in advance and approved by the council.

While some municipalities have not yet responded, Rodgers said the goal remains to encourage local governments to publicly acknowledge the day as a sign of support for survivors and the LGBTQ community.

Rodgers expressed hope that, after reading about IDECT, volunteers in other municipalities will take up the effort in their local municipalities. While January 7 is the focal point, Rogers emphasized that recognition is not limited to a single day.

“If you’re having conversations, sharing information, creating art, advocating, or showing support, you’re participating,” he said.

In honour of IDECT, C.T. Connect is also hosting a live Kahoot! match involving topics like queer history, current pop culture, and C.T., "to honour amazing Queers past, present, and future."

More information about International Day to End Conversion Therapy, including resources for survivors and supporters, is available online at C. T. Survivors Connect. Rodgers extends a warm welcome to all members of the community.

At the heart of the day, he said, is a message to those who have experienced conversion therapy or who may currently be at risk from the practice: they are not alone. "There are people and communities out there who will stand with you."

“We’re told we’re broken," Rodgers said. "We’re not. We’re good exactly as we are.”