You are reading

Gianaris renews call to end ‘conversion therapy’

gianaris-250x250April 9, 2015 By Michael Florio

In the wake of President Barack Obama’s recent comments condemning “conversion therapy,” State Sen. Mike Gianaris has renewed his call to ban the practice in New York.

Gianaris, who co-sponsored a bill in 2013 that would ban conversion therapy for minors, is calling on his fellow legislators again to pass it.

Conversion therapy, which has been debunked by scientists for decades, involves a range of psychological treatments that aim to change an individual’s sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual.

The bill Gianaris is championing [S4917B] would prohibit mental health care professionals from trying to change a person’s sexual orientation who is under 18 years of age.

“President Obama joined the chorus of voices calling for the end of this abhorrent practice, and it is up to us to respond quickly and firmly,” Gianaris said.

The New York senate bill reads, in part:

“Being lesbian, gay, or bisexual is not a disease, disorder, illness, deficiency, or shortcoming,” it states. The bill also notes that the therapy does not put forward the case that the individual may experience “happiness and satisfying interpersonal relationships as a gay man or lesbian.”

Gianaris said that the conversion therapy is based on intolerance and not psychology.

“For New York to live up to its role as a leader in the fight for LGBT rights, we need to protect children from this intolerant pseudo-science,” Gianaris added.

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Resorts World officially submits bid to expand Queens casino into $5.5B full-scale resort

Resorts World New York City put all its chips on the table when it officially submitted its bid to the New York State Gaming Commission hours ahead of the Friday deadline, the latest step toward unlocking an eye-popping $5.5 billion vision to build a world-class integrated resort in Southeast Queens.

Building on fifteen years of community partnerships, the 5.6 million-square-foot proposal to expand the city’s only casino would create thousands of union jobs, generate billions of dollars for education and transit, and deliver a new era of inclusive growth for Southeast Queens and expansive public amenities.