LANSING — State Rep. Yousef Rabhi (D-Ann Arbor) introduced legislation this week to make Michigan the seventeenth state to ban the use of conversion therapy by health professionals. House Bill 4515 protects the rights of LGBTQ youth by prohibiting treatments that seek to force changes to sexual orientation or gender identity in individuals under the age of 18. As a co-sponsor of the legislation, state Rep. Matt Koleszar (D-Plymouth) issued the following statement:
“Not only is conversion therapy abusive and psychologically damaging, but it has been completely discredited by the American Psychiatric Association. For too long, we have allowed this archaic practice to take place in our state, and I’m proud to join the fight to ensure not another Michigan child is subjected to this cruelty because some refuse to accept them for who they are.”
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