Michigan Senate Holding Hearings On Bills to Ban Conversion Therapy
By MUUSJN on Friday, June 9th, 2023
On June 6th the Michigan Senate heard testimony on SB 38 and SB 39, bills to ban the practice of Conversion Therapy. Senator Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak) sponsored these bills.
Advocates testified that Michigan should end this cruel practices of trying to persuade a young person to change their sexual orientation or gender identity. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, there is no evidence that this practice is effective but there is evidence that it is harmful. The American Journal of Public Health in 2020 found that youth subjected to Conversion Therapy were more than twice a likely to report having attempted suicide in the last year. The Trevor Project, an advocacy group seeking to prevent suicide among LGBTQ+ youth, reported that 14% of Michigan of LGBTQ+ youth in Michigan had been subjected to or threatened with Conversion Therapy.
Rep. Jason Hoskins (D-Southfield), Michigan’s first African American elected to the Michigan legislature, introduced identical bills in the Michigan House. Hoskins said that Conversion Therapy allows “discrimination to flourish” and send a message that “you need to be fixed”.
ACTIONS:
Call your Michigan State Senator. Click HERE to get the phone for your state Senator.
TALKING POINTS:
- All people deserve to be treated with respect;
- Young people should not be counseled with Conversion Therapy to change their sexual orientation. The results could be cruel and lead even to suicide.
- I urge you to vote for YES on SB’s 348 and 349 to Ban Conversion Therapy.
Category: News |