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Madison, Wisconsin (AP) — Republicans in Wisconsin were scheduled to vote Thursday to again allow therapists, social workers and counselors to attempt to change the gender identity and sexual orientation of their LGBTQ clients.
What you need to know
- Republicans in Wisconsin were scheduled to vote Thursday to again allow therapists, social workers and counselors to attempt to change the gender identity and sexual orientation of their LGBTQ clients.
- In 2020, a ban on conversion therapy was passed by state committees within the Democratic governor’s administration, but the Republican-controlled Congress blocked it.
- LGBTQ rights advocates condemn the scientifically discredited practice of trying to “convert” LGBTQ people to heterosexuality and traditional gender expectations.
- At least 20 states and the District of Columbia have banned conversion therapy for minors.
A ban on conversion therapy was passed in 2020 by a state commission within a Democratic governor’s administration that oversees the licensing of mental health professionals. I blocked it and was ready to block it again on Thursday.
LGBTQ rights advocates have denounced the scientifically discredited practice of trying to “convert” LGBTQ people to heterosexual or traditional gender expectations as harmful, arguing that the practice has been linked to suicide and suicide. It cites research that suggests it may increase the risk of depression.
At least 20 states and the District of Columbia have banned conversion therapy for minors, according to the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ rights think tank. Wisconsin is one of them. not.
A review board for the Department of Safety and Public Security developed a rule banning conversion therapy, drawing objections from Republican lawmakers who introduced the bill in January 2021. Lawmakers then circumvented a veto from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, temporarily suspending the ban and taking the bill to the commission for the rest of the 2021-22 session.
Evers, who signed an executive order barring the use of taxpayer money to fund youth conversion therapy in 2021, would almost certainly have rejected the bill if it passed.
The ban was reinstated after lawmakers failed to block it permanently by the end of the last legislative session.It has been in effect since December 1 after Evers won reelection.
Mike Mikalsen, chief of staff to Senator Steve Nass, co-chair of the Rules Committee, reiterated why the committee suspended the ban in 2021, in an interview with the Associated Press on Wednesday, telling the Licensing Committee has no reinstatement authority under state law.
“It’s not about policy per se,” Mikalsen said.
Democrats disagree. State Senator Kelda Royce, who serves on the rules committee, said the Republican decision to intervene “would go far beyond the norm” for setting professional standards.
“I am disappointed that the first move the Republican Party will make in this legislative session is to give the green light to child abuse,” Lloyds said.
LGBTQ rights have been a hot topic in state capitols across the country since the year began. Republican legislators in at least 11 states have already introduced laws restricting transgender access to health care. Conservatives are also working to limit conversations about sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools.
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