The Colorado House on Thursday approved
a bill that seeks to ban therapies that attempt to alter the sexual
orientation or gender identity of lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender youth.
Such therapies go by names such as
“conversion therapy,” “reparative therapy” or “ex-gay
therapy.”
According to NBC affiliate 9News,
the HB18-1245 cleared the House with a 36-26 vote. Only one
Republican joined all Democrats in voting for the measure. Similar
bills have died in the Senate.
The bill was sponsored by Democratic
Representatives Paul Rosenthal and Dafna Michaelson Jenet.
“This is the fourth time I'm
proposing this bill – I'm hopeful the Senate will act this year to
protect our LGBTQ youth from this harmful practice,” Rosenthal said
in a statement.
“We should be loving our children for
who they are, not trying to turn them into something they aren't”
Jenet said.
In a press release, Colorado House
Democrats called such therapies “dangerous and discredited.”
“The practice has been shown to increase the risk of drug and
alcohol abuse, depression and suicide and has been rejected by every
mainstream mental health professional association,” House Democrats
said.
(Related: Maryland
legislature approves “ex-gay” therapy ban.)