SUN PRAIRIE (WKOW) — Sun Prairie city councilors banned so-called gay conversion therapy Tuesday, becoming the 13th municipality in Wisconsin to do so.
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According to a news release from Sun Prairie spokesperson Jake King, this ban sprung from a 2017 nondiscrimination ordinance. Mayor Paul Esser said the ban is designed to help all Sun Prairie citizens feel welcome.
“The conversion ban ordinance is another step in making this community a place where all are welcome and protected,” Esser said in the release.
Conversion therapy comes in several forms, whether it be “counseling” from a therapist or electroshock treatment, it all aims to change a person’s sexuality to be in line with traditional views of cisgender heterosexuality.
According to The Trevor Project, a charity that aims to prevent suicide among LGBT youth, conversion therapy does not have any kind of scientific basis. The American Psychiatric Association has not classified homosexuality as a mental illness since 1973.
“10% of LGBTQ youth reported undergoing conversion therapy, with 78% reporting it occurred when they were under age 18. Youth who reported undergoing conversion therapy reported more than twice the rate of attempting suicide in the past year compared to those who did not,” The Trevor Project said on its website.
The new ordinance also bans conversion therapy for transgender children, especially relevant in light of a growing legislative movement against transgender kids. As of March 13, according to the Human Rights Campaign, there are at least 82 anti-trans bills in state legislatures across the company.
“These bills are not addressing any real problem, and they’re not being requested by constituents. Rather, this effort is being driven by national far-right organizations attempting to score political points by sowing fear and hate,” HRC spokesperson Wyatt Ronan said.
