A Lecture with Klemens Ketelhut.

Conversion treatments refer to attempts to change the sexual orientation and/or gender identity of queer people so that they adapt to a cis-heterosexual image of society or live a cis-heterosexual life. Conversion treatments were and are also a reality in Germany and can be understood as particularly extreme forms of heteronormative violence. In 2023, the first nationwide study on conversion treatments was conducted, which I take as the starting point for my two reflections.
Initial evaluation results indicate, among other things, that conversion treatments are initiated and/or carried out in religious as well as medical, psychotherapeutic and family contexts. The study also suggests that the idea that something like a planned and intentional change of one’s own sexuality and/or gender identity is possible is also widespread among queer people and becomes particularly important in the coming-out phase.

The lecture will be held in German spoken language. Please send us an e-mail if you would like to attend. We will then inform you of the location of the event.

There will be an awareness team on site at this event, which can also be contacted after the event. If you do not feel comfortable during the event, you are welcome to contact the awareness team. The awareness team will act in solidarity with the person or persons affected. It is also important for us to emphasize once again that everyone should feel comfortable at our events and that we will also enforce the house rules if necessary.

This lecture is possible thanks to the Autonome Referat für Behinderte und chronisch Kranke.

Short biography of the speaker:
Klemens Ketelhut is a state-approved curative education nurse and studied economics, sociology and rehabilitation education. He completed his doctorate in 2014 with a thesis on German reform pedagogy. He is currently leading the first German research project on conversion measures at Mosaik Deutschland e.V. and is a lecturer at the universities of Halle-Wittenberg, Heidelberg and DHBW Baden-Württemberg. He also leads workshops and events throughout Germany in the areas of queer education and diversity-sensitive (higher) education didactics. He researches queer-hostile discourses and narratives and the pedagogization of social movements.