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Pittsburgh city council members were expected to introduce legislation on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2016, that would ban conversion therapy for LGBTQIA+ youth in the city. This as the victory of President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence continues to sow concern among members of the city's LGBTQ community. Photo via Pixabay.
Amid questions about what the next presidential administration might mean for LGBTQ rights in America, Pittsburgh's city council is moving to ban the controversial and discredited practice of conversion therapy for minors, the same sort of practice supported by Vice President-elect Mike Pence while running for Congress in Indiana some 16 years ago, his critics say.
Pittsburgh Councilman Dan Gilman and Council President Bruce A. Kraus were expected to introduce legislation on Tuesday that would ban conversion therapy for LGBTQIA+ youth in the city. The acronym refers to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual peoples, while the plus sign refers to other sexualities, sexes and genders not included in that list.
"The city of Pittsburgh bears responsibility to protect all of its residents and this legislation defends LGBTQIA+ youth against the destructive psychological and physical impact of forced conversion therapy," Gilman said in a written statement.
"Protecting LGBTQIA+ minors from those who would seek to rob the very essence of one's being is foundational to this legislation," Kraus added.
The Southern Poverty Law Center defines conversion therapy as a "dangerous practice that purports to change a person's sexual orientation, literally 'converting' them from gay to straight."
Meanwhile, movements looking to eradicate the practice are gaining steam nationwide in response to the election of Donald Trump and, more specifically, his vice presidential pick, Mike Pence.
Pence's stance on LGBTQ issues -- he said gay couples signaled a "societal collapse" and also opposed a law prohibiting anti-LGBTQ discrimination in the workplace while a congressman from Indiana -- has raised fears among members of those communities. Pence also supported using taxpayer dollars to fund therapy for those seeking to "change their sexual behavior" -- a reference to conversion therapy, according to his critics -- while seeking the congressional seat in 2000. He would go on to serve as governor of Indiana beginning in 2012.
In a Politifact post from July of this year, the fact-checking organization rated as "true" claims that Pence once supported conversion therapy. An update published by Politifact after this article, however, changed that rating to "half-true," arguing that Pence's words about using tax dollars for sexual behavior therapy remain open to interpretation. A spokesperson for Pence has also denied his support for conversion therapy.
In response to his past positions, or at least perceptions of his past positions, and to his election as vice president earlier this month, New York State lawmakers this week introduced legislation that would ban conversion therapy there. They dubbed it the Prevention of Emotional Neglect and Childhood Endangerment Act -- or PENCE for short.
In places like Pittsburgh, the election of Trump and Pence also reignited
and prompted at least one lawyer to extend offers of
If Pittsburgh were to succeed in banning conversion therapy for minors, as councilmen Kraus and Gilman hope, it would apply to all mental health professionals within city limits. Theincline.com reports that while the councilmen have heard of conversion therapy occurring in Pittsburgh, "the bill is largely a pre-emptive measure -- one that signals that the practice is not acceptable in the city."
Pittsburgh would also join a growing list of municipalities to have banned the practice in recent years. This includes Cincinnati, Seattle, Miami and several other locations in Florida.
States, even New Jersey under Republican Governor Chris Christie, have also adopted conversion therapy bans.
According to the Human Rights Commission: California, Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont and the District of Columbia have all passed laws to prevent licensed mental health providers from offering conversion therapy to minors, and more than 20 states have introduced similar legislation.
Some have cited opposition to the practice from the American Medical Association and similar organizations, which say they "oppose the use of 'reparative' or 'conversion' therapy that is based upon the assumption that homosexuality per se is a mental disorder or based upon the a priori assumption that the patient should change his/her homosexual orientation."
The practice of conversion therapy has been widely discredited and assailed by President Barack Obama's administration, but a nationwide ban has so far remained elusive.
Meanwhile, local level resistance to aspects of the Trump-Pence agenda has also prompted a handful of U.S. cities to pledge they won't comply with any directives concerning the widespread deportation of illegal immigrants under the upcoming administration. This is in addition to renewed efforts to protect LGBTQ rights over the next 4 years.
CORRECTION: This article has been updated to correct the timing of Pence's support for using federal dollars to fund therapy for those looking to "change their sexual behavior." He expressed his support while running for Congress in Indiana in 2000, not while serving as Governor of Indiana, which he did beginning 12 years later. The article has also been updated to include mention of Politifact's updated post on the subject and revised judgment on "Mike Pence supported conversion therapy" claims.