The Colorado Senate’s State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee killed House Bill 1175 on a 3-2 vote last Wednesday. (Thinkstock)
Re: “Colorado Senate kills bill to ban conversion therapy for minors,” April 9 news story.
State Sens. Owen Hill, Ray Scott and Jerry Sonnenberg should be ashamed of themselves for postponing indefinitely House Bill 1175, which would have banned licensed mental health providers from trying to convert minors from being gay to straight. Homosexuality is not a mental disorder and gay conversion therapy has been denounced by nearly all mental health institutions in America for being ineffective and harmful.
A peer-reviewed study from San Francisco State University found that youth whose sexual orientation is rejected by their parents are eight times more likely to attempt suicide and nearly six times more likely to report high levels of depression. Licensed therapists should not be able to affirm this rejection at the expense of a minor’s mental health.
Last Wednesday, hope and love lost to shame and fear at the Colorado legislature.
John Putnam,Denver
This letter was published in the April 13 edition.
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