MADISON – The ACLU of Wisconsin issued the following statement regarding the 6-4 vote by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules to reverse Wisconsin’s ban on conversion therapy.
Dr. Melinda Brennan, executive director of the ACLU of Wisconsin, said the following:
“The Joint Committee on Administrative Rules' vote to reverse Wisconsin's ban on conversion therapy underscores, yet again, just how willing some of our elected officials are to put LGBTQ+ youth in harm's way for political gain.
Conversion therapy is widely discredited as a counterproductive and cruel practice that subjects people to immense physical, emotional, and psychological harm. It is outlawed for minors in states throughout the country and 14 cities in Wisconsin. The politicians working to allow conversion therapy are only endangering the lives of LGBTQ+ youth. Conversion therapy has no place anywhere in our state.
It is shameful that not even two weeks into the new legislative session, the attacks on young LGBTQ+ people are already well underway. We send people to Madison to solve actual problems happening in our state, not to find ways to attack LGBTQ+ people.”
The move underscores the urgent importance of electing officials committed to protecting LGBTQ+ people. This spring, crucial races such as the Wisconsin Supreme Court will determine the future of civil rights and liberties in our state. Register to vote at MyVote.WI.Gov and encourage your social networks to turn out for the February 21st primary and April 4th general elections.
