This story was first published at Colorado Newsline.
DENVER | Coloradans who have been harmed by the discredited psychological treatment known as “conversion therapy” can sue for damages through the state’s medical malpractice law under a bill signed by Gov. Jared Polis on Monday.
Polis also signed an executive order prohibiting state funds from being used to pay for the practice.
“People shouldn’t be ripped off by those falsely claiming that they can change who you are attracted to or who you are,” Polis said in a statement. “In our Colorado for all, everyone can live authentically, and should not be subject to hateful and simply ineffective conversion therapy. Conversion therapy is harmful, can traumatize kids, and is a scam to waste people’s hard-earned money.”
He signed the bill on the first day of Pride Month at The Center on Colfax, an LGBTQ community center and nonprofit in Denver.
Under the new law, people subjected to conversion therapy can bring a civil cause of action against a mental health professional who tried to change their sexual orientation or gender identity during treatment. Conversion therapy stems from the belief that being LGBTQ+ is a mental illness and can be cured with psychological intervention. It has been discredited by most medical organizations, including the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Medical Association.
Experts say conversion therapy increases risk of depression, anxiety and suicide.
The law removes a two-year time restriction to bring claims, and it allows someone to file a claim on behalf of a deceased person within five years.
“This law is for all of the LGBTQ Coloradans who were told something about them that was wrong because of who they were or who they loved,” bill sponsor Rep. Alex Valdez, a Denver Democrat, said in a statement. “With the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling against Colorado’s conversion therapy ban, we are committed to offering survivors of this harmful practice the protections they deserve.”
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned a Colorado law banning conversion therapy in March. The 8-1 decision sided with a Christian counselor from Colorado Springs who argued that the law infringed on her right to free speech. Sponsors said the new law is a response to that ruling and allows people harmed by conversion therapy to seek justice. It passed along party-lines in the Legislature, with Democrats in favor of it.
The bill was also sponsored by Rep. Karen McCormick and Sens. Lisa Cutter and Kyle Mullica, all Democrats.
The executive order Polis signed directs state agencies to “take appropriate steps to ensure no state funds are allocated or spent by their respective agencies for sexual orientation and gender identity change efforts.”
“Governor Polis’s action today ensures that no state funding ever goes to the scam of conversion therapy,” spokesperson Eric Maruyama wrote in an email. “Following the SCOTUS ruling to overturn Colorado’s law banning conversion therapy, Governor Polis is taking action to ensure that Coloradans can be entirely confident that no state funding will go to this harmful and inhumane treatment.”
My gay friend went through a conversion therapy program of the Mormon Church in which he was born and raised.
He sincerely tried to change his sexual oriengaytion. But it did not work.
How could it?
To my friends struggling with homosexuality, I have said, “If you’re gay, be that way.”
How can Jared Polis be so right on the issue of conversion therapy and be so wrong on idiots like Tina Peters or the truck driver who killed 5 people on I70 or workers having to vote twice to form a union. I’ve reached a conclusion that if it doesn’t affect him or isn’t personal to him, he ignores other’s plight. Clearly, he caved to Trump on Peters. His stance on conversion therapy is clearly a personal issue, but where is his compassion for workers who face company efforts to intimidate them to vote against unionization in the interim between first and second votes. And where is compassion for the victim’s families of those killed by the truck driver’s negligence. Finally, what happened to Tina Peter’s condition of contrition and of accepting guilt? Less than 24 hoirs after she was freed, she went on barfly Steve Bannon’s show to spread more BS conspiracy theories. That was the danger of turning her loose. Now, a supposed Democrat decided to allow her to be free to openly lie. It is not protected speech to lie about serious issues, like voting or yelling fire in a crowded theater. His decision legitimizes a ridiculous notion that her out and out lies are “her opinions”. No, she knows that she is lying for her “benefit” to be seen in a positive light by her cult leader – Trump!