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Pennsylvania Governor Signs Executive Order to Protect LGBTQIA+ Pennsylvanians from Conversion Therapy
Governor Tom Wolf signed an executive order that provides some protections from conversion therapy.
“Conversion therapy is a traumatic practice based on junk science that actively harms the people it supposedly seeks to treat,” said Gov. Wolf. “This discriminatory practice is widely rejected by medical and scientific professionals and has been proven to lead to worse mental health outcomes for LGBTQIA+ youth subjected to it. This is about keeping our children safe from bullying and extreme practices that harm them.”
This is an interesting quote because the Governor equates conversation therapy (and ministry?) to bullying. Since we have this idea that parents own their children’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity, this is an important step forward to deconstruct the harmful notion that religious beliefs overrides the rights of the individual just because they are a minor.
We are fools for thinking marriage equality is the banner issue with faith communities. People have options to get married in many spaces. Children or vulnerable adults tormented by conversion ministries or Christian counseling face truly dire consequences.
