Politics Springfield

Bill banning 'cure' therapies for gays advances

By Sun-Times staff

The Conversion Therapy Prohibition Act has been approved by the House Human Services Committee by a 9 to 6 vote, and Equality Illinois is pushing the Illinois House of Representatives to pass it in the spring, Capitol Fax reports.

Bernard Cherkasov, CEO of Equality Illinois, the state’s oldest and largest advocacy organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Illinoisans, said so-called conversion therapies for youths pretend to supposedly cure people of being gay, but have actually proven to be very harmful and are actively opposed by leading mental health and medical professional groups. This bill would ensure that the most vulnerable individuals, those already struggling in the face of homophobia and transphobia, are not targeted and subjected to a practice that medical practitioners deem harmful and inappropriate, Cherkasov said.

The act would prevent any mental health providers from trying to change the sexual orientation of anyone younger than 18.

The Sun-Times supports the Conversion Therapy Prohibition Act because it’s awful in three ways:

It does not work.
It can do considerable harm.
It is unnecessary.

Via Capitol Fax

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