The Kerala chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has strongly opposed conversion therapy, saying that practices aimed at changing or suppressing a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression have no scientific or medical basis.
In a statement issued on Monday, September 14, the IMA Kerala said sexual orientation and gender diversity are not illnesses that need to be treated or cured. It said its position is based on evidence-based medicine, medical ethics, human dignity, patient autonomy and the medical principle of “do no harm”.
The IMA Kerala also said that conversion therapy can pose serious risks to the physical and mental health and human rights of LGBTQIA+ persons. “Conversion is not treatment; safe, ethical and evidence-based care is true healthcare,” the IMA Kerala said.
The association said the World Medical Association (WMA) has strongly condemned conversion therapy and reparative practices, noting that there is no evidence-based scientific foundation or evidence of medical benefit for such practices.
It also cited the World Health Organization (WHO), saying that treatments claiming to change sexual orientation have no medical justification, are not based on scientific evidence, and are unethical. According to the IMA Kerala, such practices can adversely affect a person’s mental and physical health.
The IMA Kerala further said that the American Psychiatric Association (APA) does not consider different sexual orientations or gender identities to be mental illnesses and has pointed to the lack of scientific evidence supporting conversion therapy and the potential for harm to individuals.
The association also referred to the National Medical Commission (NMC), saying its Competency-Based Medical Education curriculum requires medical graduates to be aware that conversion therapy practices involving people based on their sexual orientation, gender identity or intersex variations are unethical.
The IMA Kerala said it “strongly condemns all practices of conversion therapy” that seek to change or suppress sexual orientation or gender identity.
“LGBTQIA+ identities are not illnesses, and therefore they do not need treatment or ‘cure’,” the association said. It added that such practices should not be recommended, provided or facilitated by healthcare professionals.
The association called for LGBTQIA+ people to have access to non-judgmental, confidential and evidence-based healthcare. It said healthcare professionals should respect the dignity and autonomy of every individual.
It also said people experiencing anxiety, depression, trauma, discrimination or family conflict should receive appropriate mental healthcare, but attempts to change their sexual orientation or gender identity should never form part of that treatment.
The IMA Kerala called for scientific and humane approaches towards LGBTQIA+ people to be incorporated into medical education and training. It also said discriminatory and scientifically unsupported treatment practices should be avoided and healthcare professionals should receive adequate awareness and training on sexual and gender diversity.
The association urged families and society to approach sexual and gender diversity with understanding, acceptance, and professional support rather than attempting to change people through coercion or pressure.
The IMA Kerala’s statement comes against the backdrop of ongoing efforts in India to curb conversion therapy. In December 2021, the Kerala High Court directed the state government to formulate guidelines to prevent forced conversion therapy of LGBTQIA+ persons. The court said the guidelines should be prepared in consultation with LGBTQIA+ group Queerala and other stakeholders.
The court had observed that if forced conversion therapy was taking place, “stringent action should be taken” and said that guidelines were necessary in relation to conversion therapy. The state government was directed to submit the guidelines within five months.
The Kerala government had also told the High Court that conversion therapy for transgender and homosexual persons was “unscientific, unethical and harmful to the subjects,” while noting that no therapy had been approved or proven effective for changing sexual preferences or gender identity.
In 2022, the National Medical Commission also declared conversion therapy to constitute professional misconduct. The NMC had directed that conversion therapy would constitute professional misconduct under the Indian Medical Council (Professional Misconduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002.
In September 2025, the Tamil Nadu Medical Council (TNMC) had warned that doctors engaging in conversion therapy could face severe disciplinary action, including suspension of their registration to practise. The council had also directed medical educators to include sensitisation training on transgender healthcare, LGBTQIA+ rights, and the ethical and legal responsibilities of providing non-discriminatory healthcare in their academic and training programmes.