Let’s just get into this. Conversion therapy is wrong and Iowa Republicans want statewide control in how communities approach it. In case you’ve been sleeping, conversion therapy is at best a pseudoscience intended to change an individual’s sexual orientation. At worst it harms people. It is not even a legitimate form of therapy, wrote Douglas C. Haldeman in The Case Against Conversion “Therapy.” Here are the basics:

Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. Methods that have been used to this end include forms of brain surgery, surgical or hormonal castration, aversive treatments such as electric shocks, nausea-inducing drugs, hypnosis, counseling, spiritual interventions, visualization, psychoanalysis, and arousal reconditioning.

There is a scientific consensus that conversion therapy is ineffective at changing a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity and that it frequently causes significant long-term psychological harm. The position of current evidence-based medicine and clinical guidance is that homosexuality, bisexuality and gender variance are natural and healthy aspects of human sexuality. Historically, conversion therapy was the treatment of choice for individuals who disclosed same-sex attractions or exhibited gender nonconformity, which were formerly assumed to be pathologies by the medical establishment. When performed today, conversion therapy may constitute fraud and when performed on minors, a form of child abuse; it has been described by experts as torture, cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, and contrary to human rights.

An increasing number of jurisdictions around the world have passed laws against conversion therapy.

Wikipedia

Allow me to repeat, “When performed today, conversion therapy may constitute fraud and when performed on minors, a form of child abuse; it has been described by experts as torture, cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, and contrary to human rights.” Why wouldn’t the State of Iowa ban this harmful practice? We should. The scientific consensus is it doesn’t work as intended.

“Iowa Republicans want to ban LGBTQ+ conversion therapy bans,” House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst wrote in an email. “Yes, you read that right. While Iowa is one of the few states without a statewide ban on conversion therapy (not a great start), individual cities and towns have implemented their own bans on conversion therapy. The Iowa GOP would like to take away that local control.”

“Linn County passed its ban on conversion therapy in mid-2022, prohibiting conversion or reparative therapies for people under the age of 18,” wrote Valeree Dunn of Iowa News Now. “The City of Davenport has had its own ban on conversion therapy since 2020.”

“Far-right extremist Sen. Salmon introduced SF 2037 which would prevent cities and counties in Iowa from banning conversion therapy,” Senator Liz Bennett wrote. “As the only out LGBTQ+ senator in Iowa, this feels like not only a personal attack on me, but also an attack on our entire community and state.”

This bill is an assault, not only on one LGBTQ+ individual, it is an assault on everything that should be important to Iowans, including local control of our communities, recognition of the validity of the scientific methods used in research, and plain common sense.

The bill passed subcommittee on Wednesday, Jan. 17, and seems likely to clear the full committee should it meet on the bill.

Contact your state legislature to oppose this ill-advised and regressive legislation. Better than that, work to add Democratic State Senators to their caucus in the November election to regain a majority. If you can spare some dollars, here is the link to support the Iowa Senate Democrats.