Breaking: DC Passes Bill Banning Conversion ‘Therapy’ For Children

The nation’s capital is poised to become the third jurisdiction where it will be illegal to use so-called reparative or conversion “therapy” on children.

Washington, D.C. is about to follow in the footsteps of California and New Jersey in protecting children from the dangers of dangerous reparative, “ex-gay,” or conversion “therapy.” These practices, often embraced by the religious right, employ tactics deemed both ineffective and harmful by nearly every major medical association in the U.S., and many round the world.

The D.C. City Council just voted protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender children and teens by banning the practice. 

“Today, the DC Council sent a powerful message to LGBT youth and their families that they are accepted, supported, and loved,” Samantha Ames, a staff attorney with the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) and coordinator of the #BornPerfect campaign said in a statement. “The Council has used its authority to protect our most vulnerable youth from dangerous and discredited pseudoscience that tells them who they are is wrong, and reaffirmed the consensus of every major medical and mental health organization that all children are born perfect, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Earlier this year, NCLR launched the #BornPerfect campaign to protecting LGBT youth across the country from conversion therapy over the next five years by passing laws, fighting in courtrooms to ensure their safety, and raising awareness about the serious harms caused by these dangerous practices.

NCLR says it is working to end conversion therapy in the next five years.

LOOK: Nine Leaders Of Ex-Gay Movement: ‘Conversion Therapy Harms People’

Recently, several leaders of groups that advocated for the use of these so-called sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE) have denounced the practice and apologized. One, John Smid, recently married his same-sex partner.

 

Image via Instagram

 

Related At The New Civil Rights Movement:

Maggie Gallagher: Moral Gays Deserve The Right To ‘Ex-Gay’ Therapy

Admitting Evangelicals Don’t Understand Gay People, Baptist Leader Denounces ‘Ex-Gay’ Therapy

Texas GOP Platform Embraces ‘Reparative Therapy’ to ‘Escape Homosexual Lifestyle’