Mayor calls gay conversion therapy ‘an abomination’ as Ann Arbor OKs ban – MLive.com
ANN ARBOR, MI — Using gay conversion therapy on minors to try to change their sexual orientation or gender identity is now officially banned in Ann Arbor.
“So-called conversion therapy is, of course, an abomination,” Mayor Christopher Taylor said. “It seeks to teach people that they aren’t who they are, and it does great and grievous harm, and I’m glad that we here at the city at least have the opportunity and will to do something about it to the extent that we can.”
City Council voted 10-0 to give final approval to the new ordinance aimed at protecting LGBTQ youth Monday night, Aug. 16. It prohibits professional counseling providers from engaging in or attempting to engage in conversion therapy on a child.
“It is the intent of the city to protect the physical and psychological well-being of minors, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth, and to protect them from exposure to serious harms caused by efforts to change their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression through practices commonly known as conversion therapy, reparative therapy, or sexual orientation or gender identity change efforts,” the ordinance states.
Violations can be reported directly to the Ann Arbor Police Department and will be treated as civil infractions punishable by fines up to $500 each day a violation occurs.
“I just wanted to take another opportunity to call on Republican leaders in Lansing to find the compassion and conscience necessary to stop standing in the way of outlawing this practice statewide,” said Council Member Travis Radina, D-3rd Ward, one of the ordinance sponsors. “It’s time for Michigan to join the 20 other states that have already banned this practice.”
The idea of adopting such an ordinance has been under discussion by city officials for over two years.
“This is a good opportunity to remember how Ann Arbor really functions as a safe haven for a lot of folks in the community,” said Council Member Linh Song, D-2nd Ward. “And when we make this statement of values and try to confer some sense of safety and love and care, knowing that we’re a community that supports our LGBTQ community members, I think this is great.”
Taylor and Council Member Elizabeth Nelson, D-4th Ward, co-sponsored the ban with Radina. It also had support from the city’s Human Rights Commission.
Taylor credited students in his law school class for pointing out Ann Arbor’s lack of a ban a couple years ago.
Senior Assistant City Attorney Margaret Radabaugh, who worked on the ordinance, said earlier this month the city isn’t aware of gay conversion therapy being practiced in Ann Arbor, but it’s a practice not often openly advertised.
Mentioning separation of church and state, she said the thinking was to have the ban apply generally to “providers” without specifically targeting religious providers.
The ordinance defines “provider” as “a person who is licensed by the state of Michigan to provide professional counseling, or who performs counseling as part of their professional training, under the Public Health Code of the State of Michigan, including but not limited to marriage and family therapists, medical practitioners, counselors, psychologists, psychotherapists, applied behavior analysts, and social workers.”
The vote was unanimous with Council Member Erica Briggs, D-5th Ward, absent.
MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS:
‘This is yesterday’s business.’ Fur sales ban gets Ann Arbor’s 10-0 final OK
Mixed-use redevelopment proposed across from Ann Arbor’s Amtrak station
Washtenaw, Livingston among fastest growing Michigan counties in census update
These are the mask plans for Washtenaw County schools
In-person learning, child care on minds of Ann Arbor parents in district survey