Democrats introduce bills to ban LGBTQ+ 'conversion therapy' for state-licensed providers

by Rachel Louise Just | Sinclair Broadcast Group I Thu, May 18th 2023, 9:40 PM EDT

Four bills introduced in Michigan's Legislature on Thursday aim to end so-called 'conversion therapy' in Michigan, a practice many scientists refer to as pseudoscientific that aims to force a non-heterosexual person to become heterosexual.

The legislation would specifically ban state-licensed providers from engaging in conversion therapy, a practice that advocates in the LGBTQ+ community have been looking to ban for years.

"In my own circle, there have been several people who have been harmed, and for them, the people that I know, the people that I love that have had to go through this, this happened when they were younger," said Tracy Hall, executive director for OutFront Kalamazoo.

OutFront Kalamazoo is part of a group of LGBTQ+-focused organizations that have encouraged lawmakers to put the ban into place.

According to a study by the Williams Institute, a UCLA think tank, nearly 700,000 adults in the U.S. have received conversion therapy.

"The data is very clear, these so-called 'reparative therapy,' 'conversion therapy,' they don't work," said Hall. "And they're incredibly harmful for members of our community, especially young people."

Hall said 17% of queer youth have been threatened with conversion therapy, but finding supportive adults have vastly increased their mental health.

"One supportive adult in a LGBTQIA youth's life lowers suicidal risk 40%," she said. "That's a staggeringly high number. And we're just talking about one supportive adult... I'm not being hyperbolic that something like this, this law, this piece of legislation, will be lifesaving."

The bills come with limitations, however. Hall added the legislation would not apply to religious institutions due to concerns over the infringement of the First Amendment, despite Hall saying religion is often a motivator for the practice.

The current legislature, which is led by Democrats for the first time in nearly four decades, has already approved landmark legislation earlier this year that writes protections for the LGBTQ+ community into the state civil rights act.

Some Republican members of the legislature supported the expansion to the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act.

A Republican spokesperson in the legislature said lawmakers were not yet able to comment on the legislation because it was only introduced on Thursday.

Original link to the article: https://upnorthlive.com/news/local/democrats-introduce-bills-to-ban-lgbtq-conversion-therapy-for-state-licensed-providers