Early this month Justin Trudeau, prime minister of Canada urged the country to ban conversion therapy, stating in a letter to the Minister of of Justice, David Lametti, that he will “work with the Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth to amend the Criminal Code to ban the practice of conversion therapy and take other steps required with the provinces and territories to end conversion therapy in Canada.”
According to New Now Next, There are only eighteen states within the U.S. that ban conversion therapy for all, with only two that have a ban for minors. This is not enough. While Jared Polis, the openly gay governor of Colorado, signed the conversion therapy bill this past May, making it the 18th state, conversion therapy reform is still moving far too slowly. LGBTQ+ young people are vulnerable, and this is a long-overdue action in Canada that will hopefully influence other countries as well as the remaining U.S. states.
The American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, and the American Psychological Association agree that conversion therapy is harmful and ineffective. This year only brought on bans from Colorado, Maine, Massachusettes, and New York, leaving a whopping thirty two states still supporting attempts to “cure” identify and orientation.
The Trevor Project reports that two out of three youth have had someone try to convince them to change their sexual orientation or gender identify, and that youth who undergo conversion therapy are twice as likely to attempt suicide as those who do not.
Like in many other areas, including legal cannabis, Canada appears to be taking bold steps forward while other countries, including the U.S. hesitate. If this major protection of queer youth in Canada takes place, it will be a model for the U.S.S to follow and a great step in the right direction.
