President Barack Obama is calling for an end to psychiatric therapy treatments aimed at turning gays into heterosexuals . The move comes in response to an online petition posted on the White House website following the death of 17-year-old Leelah Alcorn . In a letter sent out last week, Obama said he was "appalled" by reports that some patients were being treated with drugs and other therapies designed "to change their sexual orientation or gender identity."
President Barack Obama is calling for an end to psychiatric therapy treatments aimed at turning gays into heterosexuals . The move comes in response to an online petition posted on the White House website following the death of 17-year-old Leelah Alcorn . The American Psychiatric Association has long opposed conversion therapy and says being gay is not a mental disorder .