Colorado Conversion Therapy Bill Passes Out of Senate
Addison Herron-Wheeler is OUT FRONT's co-publisher and editor-in-chief and friend…
It’s official; the Colorado Senate has passed HB19-1129 to prohibit conversion therapy for minors.
This is a bill that One Colorado and other advocacy groups having been trying to pass for years, but it always stalled out in the senate. There was already celebration when it passed out of committee, and now, it has officially cleared the house that was stalling it.
The dangerous and discredited practice of attempting to change one’s sexual orientation or gender identity has finally passed out of the Colorado Senate! Thank you @dafna_m @Dlesgar & @SteveFenberg!#HB1129 #banconversiontherapy #coleg #copolitics #LGBTHealthWeek #cohealth pic.twitter.com/dtEILb2JnZ
— One Colorado (@One_Colorado) March 25, 2019
“For the last four years, Colorado senate republican leadership has blocked legislation that would ban the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy,” said Daniel Ramos, executive director of One Colorado. “I applaud the house and the senate for their bipartisan support of this measure. Protecting our LGBTQ youth is not a partisan issue. It is my sincere hope that, with this being the fifth time this measure has been introduced in the Colorado legislature, this will be the year Colorado says ‘no more’ and bans a practice on minors that is based on the false claim that being LGBTQ is a mental illness that needs to be cured. This is a critical step that affirms that Colorado continues to be a state for all.”
The next step is the governor’s desk, and most are confident Jared Polis will sign the bill because of his LGBTQ allegiance and support.
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Addison Herron-Wheeler is OUT FRONT's co-publisher and editor-in-chief and friend to dogs everywhere. She enjoys long walks in the darkness away from any sources of sunlight, rainy days, and painfully dry comedy. She also covers cannabis and heavy metal, and is author of Wicked Woman: Women in Metal from the 1960s to Now and Respirator, a short story collection.