Senate Bill 224, introduced by Senator Martha Fuller Clark, is currently under consideration in the legislature. Like similar measures in other states, it would prevent any minor from being subjected to conversion therapy, a medically and scientifically worthless practice that can lead to significant trauma.
If you live in New Hampshire, you should contact your state legislators and urge their support for the bill. If you know anyone who lives in New Hampshire, encourage them to do the same.
The American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Counseling Association, The National Association of Social Workers, The American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy have all discredited this practice.
Currently, California, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington, D.C. prohibit anyone from practicing so-called conversion therapy on any minor under eighteen years of age.
Unfortunately, no federal law prohibits the conversion therapy scam. Last summer, the Republican Party approved a platform that condemned laws like the one proposed in New Hampshire.
Some anti-LGBT individuals in Donald Trump's inner circle are urging the administration to endorse conversion therapy and for the GOP to introduce legislation that would block states from outlawing the practice.
Vice-President Pence has been a strong advocate for conversion therapy and, in the past, tried to divert funds from HIV/AIDS prevention programs to groups that practiced conversion therapy. Pence wrote at the time: "Resources should be directed towards those institutions which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior."
I would not be surprised, as time passes and Trump's support continues to erode, that he might attempt to appease hardcore conservatives and religious fundamentalist by adopting policies that pander to them, including those more aggressively promotion bogus conversion therapies.
Other countries, other society behaviors.
ReplyDeleteHere in Montreal and in all over Canada, we have some groups that are supportive toward those young men and women that are struggling to accept their homosexuality.
In Montreal and Province of Québec we have that group called «GRIS» with gay guys that are going in high schools to talk about «being gay» and acceptance of other guys being different.
As a retired teacher, I witnessed many good thinks (some bad too but not much) where some of my students did actions to accept a friend and protect them against bullying.
Must tell you that my first BF was one of my ex-student that was in love with me when he was 13yo. Then I was 27yo but I wasn't aware of his fantasy.
We've met 22 years after, in a sauna in Montreal, and he came to me to tell me that he was always in love with me.
He was my first lover after that.
Trying to convert those young guys against their REAL nature is so anti human.
Unbelievable up here in Canada.