A report has revealed the faith-based practice still exists and is causing trauma for those subject to it.
Benson Andrews was just hitting puberty when he started to realise he was attracted to men.
Because he strictly followed the Christian faith, the Melbourne man felt he needed to do something about it.
“I reached out to a youth pastor at the church and I believe the language that I used at the time was, 'I'm struggling with my homosexuality',” he told SBS News.
Mr Andrews, now 29, put himself through so-called 'gay conversion therapy' in the hope it would make him attracted to women.
Mr Andrews first undertook informal therapy, where he was mentored by those within the church community.
After some time, he and the church officials realised it wasn't working. That was when he started more formal therapy.
Mr Andrews described going through “hypnosis and exorcism.”
His therapist even started making him believe it was the fault of his parents, claiming his mother influenced too much of his life and that made him “more of a feminine boy”.
The therapist also told him he was attracted to men because he did not get the love he needed from his father.
Today, Mr Andrews maintains a good relationship with his family, but he said the experience left him feeling traumatised and he still experiences night terrors.
Mr Andrews' case is just one of many featured in a new report revealing conversion therapy and related practices still exist in Australia's churches. The Human Rights Law Centre authored the report, 'Preventing Harm, Promoting Justice', along with La Trobe University and Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria.
The first report of its kind in Australia, it estimates up to 10 per cent of LGBTIQ+ Australians are still exposed to conversion therapy.
Anna Brown, the law centre's director of legal advocacy, said it happens away from the attention of many Australians.
The report comes amid a discussion about religious freedoms in Australia and how far they should go.
