D.C. council votes to protect youth from conversion therapy (Photo: Qualia Folk)
Yesterday marked an irrefutable victory for LGBT youth across the District, as the District of Columbia Council unanimously approved a bill that will protect LGBT youth from the dangers of sexual orientation conversion therapy. Largely driven by religious beliefs, this type of counseling and psychotherapy attempts to eliminate a person’s sexual desires for members of their own sex. The psychological and physiological dangers of such therapy are innumerable; protecting our youth from these practices is imperative.
Once this bill is signed into law, the District will become the third state in the United States to take this important life saving stand toward protecting LGBT youth, many of whom are already more at risk for suicide, bullying, and violence. According to the study Just the Facts about Sexual Orientation and Youth, published by the American Psychological Association, “The promotion of efforts to change sexual orientation by therapy or through religious ministries seems likely to exacerbate the risk of harassment, harm, and fear for these youth.” This piece of legislation, once passed, will protect LGBT youth from these ineffective and harmful practices designed to change sexual orientation or gender identity.
Despite the vast amount of scientific evidence regarding the malicious effects of conversion therapy, California and New Jersey are the only other states implementing similar bills.
