Banning Conversion Therapy: Wisconsin’s Failure to Act
Photo from Wisconsin State Legislature Home Page.
Peyton Impola
In 2023, Wisconsin’s Republican controlled State Legislature took the final step needed to stop Governor Tony Evers’ administration from banning the practice of conversion therapy. A procedural move was utilized by Republicans to freeze any attempts to enact this ban through 2024. Julianne Appling, president of the conservative group Wisconsin Family Action, stated that banning conversion therapy would be infringing upon the rights of counselors and social worker’s rights to free speech, and that the state government should not be allowed to do so. Republicans argued that it was an overreach of government power for the ban to be enacted, and that their action against the ban had nothing to do with the policy’s actual content.
However, when the content of a policy is conversion therapy, lawmakers should absolutely not be ignoring its contents. Republicans are failing to protect LGBTQ+ individuals by striking down this ban, and empowering bigotry and hatred to stand. Not only that, they are condoning the abuse of children by refusing to allow bans on conversion therapy.
For those unfamiliar with this topic, conversion therapy is a practice by which attempts are made to change a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Because the term “conversion therapy” is so widely known, many groups use different terminology to mask their practices, as to avoid public scrutiny. There is a wide range of methods used within conversion therapy, from counseling, to intense sessions of prayer, and even as far as corrective rape–in which a person is forced into sexual contact with a person of the opposite sex without their consent. Conversion therapy has an extremely negative impact upon the LGBTQ+ community. LGBTQ+ adolescents already find themselves at higher risk for depression and suicide, but, according to GLAAD, those who live in environments in which they experience “high rejection levels” are 8.4 times more likely to attempt suicide, and 5.9 times more likely to report high levels of depression.
Stonewall, an LGBTQ+ rights organization based in Europe, worked with real life survivors of conversion therapy to raise awareness about the long lasting negative impact conversion therapy has on a person. One account in particular stands out–that of a 70 year old transgender woman named Carolyn. She stated that she would “still have flashbacks from sessions even 40 years later.” Carolyn’s story is just one of thousands of people who have been left mentally scarred by the practice of conversion therapy, and only serves to highlight the danger it holds.
Conversion therapy is abuse, plain and simple. With such blatantly harmful effects, one would think that our lawmakers would do their best to protect Wisconsinites, and work towards banning the practice of conversion therapy. Sadly, that is not the case. The State Legislature’s failure to take action is just one ripple in a nationwide attack on LGBTQ+ rights. Across the country, states have begun to pass measures limiting access to gender affirming healthcare, preventing schools from supporting LGBTQ+ students, and outright banning any mention of the LGBTQ+ community at school. We are living in a time in which the rights of our citizens are being infringed upon, and it is time to take action.
This is not an issue regarding the role of government, nor is it a debate about the rights of parents. This is an issue of human rights, and the right to exist in your chosen identity. Queer people deserve to exist in peace, without fear of being attacked for who they are. What is happening in Wisconsin is just one piece of a very scary pattern. Contact your state legislators today and demand that they stand up to those who refuse to protect the LGBTQ+ community. Use your voice, and your rights as a citizen to protect those who are being attacked by our government. Nobody deserves to be oppressed for simply existing.
Resources
Sources
Seven survivors of conversion therapy describe its lasting, damaging impact
Everything you need to know about conversion therapy
Wisconsin Republicans block ban on ‘conversion therapy’
Wisconsin Legislature allows conversion therapy for patients
