}

Sunday, April 12, 2015

White House: Ban ‘conversion therapy’


The video above, “Supporting a Ban on Conversion Therapy”, was posted yesterday to the official White House YouTube Channel. It follows the news that the Obama Administration is calling for an end to “conversion therapy” for LGBT people.

They say in the YouTube description:
The overwhelming scientific evidence demonstrates that conversion therapy, especially when it is practiced on young people, is neither medically nor ethically appropriate and can cause substantial harm.

As part of our dedication to protecting America’s youth, the Obama administration supports efforts to ban the use of conversion therapy for minors.
All of which is objectively true, no matter how much the far right denies it. However, the far right anti-LGBT crowd calls the shots in the Republican Party right now, so there’s no hope of passing a nationwide ban in Congress. Pushing bans at the state level, however, is possible, and is succeeding, though slowly.

The state-by-state approach is a good opportunity to create both demand and momentum for an eventual nationwide ban, even as we wait for a more rational majority in the US Congress. It also ensures that at least some young people will be protected, and that’s a start.

It’s good to see such high-level support for such an important cause. I just hope that this continues after the 2016 US elections: Elections have consequences.

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