Indianapolis City-County Council chambers. (Photo by IndyMayorsOffice, from Wiki Commons)
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) | The Indianapolis City-County Council has passed a resolution supporting a ban on conversion therapy, the practice of trying to turn LGBTQ individuals toward heterosexuality.
The council’s special resolution, which does not carry any actual authority, passed the majority-Democrat council, The Indianapolis Star reported.
“I know that I am so very blessed to have been born into a loving family that supports me just as I am, but not every LGBTQ Hoosier is able to share that same feeling of support,” said council member Keith Potts, one of four LGBTQ council members. “Too often, they feel quite the opposite.”
At the state level. Sen. J.D. Ford, D-Indianapolis, has introduced a bill to ban conversion therapy after a failed attempt by Democrats last year.
Ford, Indiana’s first openly gay lawmaker, said conversion therapy “leads to anxiety, depression and/or suicide. That’s why this bill is so important.”
At least 20 states have banned conversion therapy, according to the American Psychological Association, one of several professional groups that have opposed the practice.
“No credible evidence exists that any mental health intervention can reliably and safely change sexual orientation,” the American Psychiatric Association said in one 2018 statement. “Nor from a mental health perspective does sexual orientation need to be changed.”
