Trump’s “Exploratory Therapy” Is Still Just Conversion Therapy — and It’s Dangerous

Author: Matt R. Salmon

Summary:
In an op-ed for Teen Vogue, psychiatrist and conversion therapy survivor Dr. Matt R. Salmon responds to a new 409-page report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which promotes a practice called “exploratory therapy” as a treatment for gender dysphoria in youth. Dr. Salmon argues that this is simply conversion therapy rebranded, warning that it pathologizes trans identities under the guise of caution. Drawing from his personal experience with so-called “reparative therapy,” he describes how these practices cause deep psychological harm by framing queer and trans identities as conditions to be fixed. He criticizes the report for relying on discredited sources and rejecting the medical consensus in favor of ideologically driven narratives. Dr. Salmon emphasizes that what trans youth need is affirmation and access to care—not coercive delay tactics that shame them into conformity.