A bill that would designate conversion therapy a “fraudulent practice” is moving through the California state legislature, clearing the first of several hurdles earlier this week.
Assembly Bill 2943, sponsored by Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Cupertino), passed the Assembly Committee On Privacy and Consumer Protection on a bipartisan vote of 8-2.
If conversion therapy is considered a form of consumer fraud, then anyone who practices it is promising a product (change in sexual orientation or gender identity) that they cannot deliver.
That means that state regulatory bodies can then step in to effectively shut down the therapy by lodging complaints, fines, or taking other actions to prevent licensed therapists or counselors from carrying out the practices utilized in conversion therapy.
California already outlaws the practice of conversion therapy on minors, as do several other states and jurisdictions. But no state currently bans the practice on adults who are old enough to consent to which practices or therapies they subject themselves.
But proponents of the bill cite a 2009 report from the American Psychological Association, which found that conversion therapy “poses critical health risks” and contributes to anti-LGBTQ stigma by characterizing homosexuality as a mental illness.
The practices involved in conversion therapy have also been discredited by several major medical and mental health organizations. The American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Counseling Association, the National Association of Social Workers, and the American Medical Association all oppose the practice, saying it is not based on scientific evidence and can be detrimental to mental health.
Read the full story at Metro Weekly
