Mail&Guardian Publishes Op-ed Outright’s Africa Team Importance Ending SOGI Change Practices

On March 14, 2022, Outright’s Africa Team, Yvonne Wamari and Khanyo Farisé, published an op-ed in the Mail&Guardian–a South African weekly newspaper with a wide reach in Africa–highlighting research on the impact of SOGI conversion practices in Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya. The piece calls on African governments to take measures to eradicate SOGI change efforts in Africa, explaining that when LGBTIQ people are subjected to these practices, “not only [do they] fail, but [they] can also cause lasting harm.” More than half of African countries criminalize same-sex conduct, and unfortunately, so-called “conversion therapy” is common. Outright’s Africa team supplemented its 2019 global report on SOGI change efforts by partnering with LGBTIQ organizations in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, conducting research on “the prevalence and effects of conversion practices in three countries that hold significant weight in continental geopolitics.” Initial qualitative findings from the study found that survivors of so-called “conversion therapy” “indicated that they experienced physical and mental health problems, including anxiety, depression, self-hatred, substance abuse, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts.” At the conclusion of their research, Wamari and Farisé underscore that African governments have an obligation under international law to end the systemic harm caused by conversion practices.

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