Since then, research continues to prove that attempting to change someone’s sexual orientation can cause great psychological harm.
Yet in Italy, conversion therapy is still employed today, creating unsafe and traumatizing experiences for many LGBTQ+ individuals.
The BBC shared heart-wrenching interviews with people, including a former seminarian, who experienced these discredited methods.
Unlike other European countries, conversion therapy remains legal in Italy and takes place in both public and private forums. BBC explained:
“Gay conversion therapy is not limited to one specific region of Italy – group meetings and individual therapy sessions run across the country, some even run by licensed psychotherapists. In some cases, these gatherings and therapy sessions are unofficial and covert, often promoted through discreet conversations and secret referrals.”
“Other courses are publicly advertised, with known figures within Italy’s conservative circles actively seeking followers online and on social media platforms to promote their ability to change sexual orientations.”
Catholic seminaries are using conversion tactics to try to control the sexuality of aspiring priests.
When Rosario Lonegro was 20 years old, he entered the seminary and fell in love with a man. He was forced by his superiors to “take part in spiritual gatherings outside the seminary, some over several days, where he was subjected to a series of distressing activities intended to change his sexual orientation.”
During these outings, he was locked in a closet, stripped naked in front of others, and even had to enact his own funeral.
Lonegro describes this time as the “darkest period of [his] life.”
Despite the church’s attempts, Lonegro “could not change no matter how hard [he] tried,” and he eventually left the seminary. He now lives with his boyfriend and attends school. Yet, he “will never forget” the way that the seminary made him feel about his sexuality.
“I thought I was evil,” he states.
Massimiliano Felicetti recently came out as gay to his family, but before that he spent 15 years trying to change his sexual identity. Felicetti sought help from psychologists and clergy members. One friar told him to try dating a woman, but Felicetti realized how “unnatural” it was after the first kiss. He recalled:
“‘I started to be uncomfortable with myself from a very early age, I felt I would never be accepted by my family, society, Church circles. I thought I was wrong, I just wanted to be loved, and these people offered me hope.'”
Unfortunately, Italy’s conservative laws fail to protect LGBTQ+ folks like Felicetti and Lonegro. Current lawmakers have vowed to challenge “gender ideology” and LGBTQ+ rights, making the LGBTQ+ community vulnerable to conversion therapy tactics. Researcher Michele Di Bari stated:
“‘This is a very elusive phenomenon, given that it is a practice prohibited by Italy’s order of psychologists itself. Yet, in the Italian legal system, it is not deemed illegal. People carrying out such practices can’t be punished.'”
Catholic influence is probably one reason why conversion therapy is still legal in Italy, explained sociologist Valentina Gentile: “This may be one of the elements that, along with a strongly patriarchal and male chauvinist culture, makes the broader understanding of homosexuality and LGBT rights more difficult.”
Conversion therapy has no place in the Catholic Church.
If the church truly wants to follow Pope Francis’ wish that it be “open to everyone,” a first step is to truly accept that queerness exists and is vital to individual identity.
Instead of trying to change someone’s sexual orientation, the church must work with researchers, doctors, psychologists, and the LGBTQ+ community to truly understand the diversity of sexual orientation and the effects that anti-LGBTQ+ practices have on the health and wellbeing of individuals.
The church has a duty to do better, and it starts with the complete removal of all forms of conversion therapy.