Denver Bans Conversion Therapy For LGBT Youth
The city of Denver has decided that conversion therapy for LGBT youth will no longer be allowed. Last week, the city’s council voted unanimously, 13-0, to ban the treatment, according to a report by Fox News.
It was the Safety, Housing, Education and Homeless Committee that decided to advance the proposal, with Mayor Michael Hancock making an elated statement about the landmark vote.
“This is a very proud moment for my administration, for members of City Council, and for everyone in Denver who values inclusion and acceptance. Tonight’s vote to ban conversion therapy our city coming together and saying with one voice that we will never allow our LGBTQ+ youth to be the targets of these dubious practices, and that we are here to support them,” Hancock said.
“Who they are is something to be celebrated, not maligned, and Denver will always be there to lift up our youth and ensure that they have the opportunity to grow up safe, happy and healthy.”
This new proposal will prevent mental health professionals who continue to treat children who identify as transgender or homosexual as if they have a mental illness from being legally able to do so.
Denver City Council unanimously votes to ban state-licensed therapists from practicing #LGBTQ #ConversionTherapy on minors https://t.co/h0HZYew3xK #LGBT
— Mondokoosh (@mondokoosh) January 13, 2019
Despite the fact that there are plenty of psychology governing bodies who have denied that being transgender or homosexual is in any way related to any kind of mental disorder, many professionals in the industry, and of course many individuals with no knowledge of biology or psychology, continue to treat it as such.
Some professionals have warned that conversion therapy for minors is so detrimental to their mental health that “it can increase the risk of suicide, drug abuse, and depression.”
Shockingly, with all these warnings and the modern understanding of biology and mental faculties, there are still only nine states who have actually banned the practice of conversion therapy. Even worse, it was the fifth time Colorado lawmakers had attempted to bring in legislation to ban it.
This landmark victory for the state comes just as Colorado’s, and America’s, first openly gay governor was sworn into office in the state in the form of Jared Polis.
During his inauguration speech, he hailed the progress that is being made in his state on all fronts.
“Here, we have come so far, we have climbed so high, we have done so much, not just to say but to show that we reject the negative and divisive brand of politics.”
