February 17, 2023
 

To the Members of Minnesota House Representatives,

As organizations representing a broad range of constituents we share a commitment to supporting healthy and thriving communities and to building a state where all Minnesotans can live full and productive lives. Today, we write to urge your support for HF16, which would prohibit the practice of conversion therapy on minors and vulnerable adults in the State of Minnesota.

It is critical that when Minnesotans seek support from counselors, therapists, and practitioners we can be assured we will receive competent, effective, evidence-based care. Protecting vulnerable Minnesotans from the harms of the widely discredited practice of conversion therapy will bring our state in line with the clear consensus of the medical community. And it will send a message to LGBTQ+ Minnesotans that they are cared for and celebrated for who they are.

The medical and psychological community here in Minnesota and across the country have rejected conversion therapy as ineffective, unethical, and harmful - this include leading organizations like the American Psychiatric Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Peer-reviewed research has illustrated the harms and dangers of conversion therapy, youth who have experienced conversion therapy have higher rates of depression and suicide.

Widespread recognition of the harms of conversion therapy has already prompted numerous organizations and institutions to support this year’s proposed legislation, including Allina Health, Children’s Minnesota, Hennepin Healthcare, the Mental Health Legislative Network, the MN Academy of Family Physicians, the MN Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the MN Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers and the Minnesota Medical Association. Over the past couple of years cities around the state have enacted municipal bans that seek to end this practice; and Governor Walz issued an executive order in 2021. Minnesotans are ready to move this forward.

As the Minnesota Department of Health noted in its review of these practices under Executive Order 21-25 - “it is the state’s obligation not only to ‘do no harm,’ but to take action to secure the health and well-being of those within its bounds.”

As organizations committed to the health and well-being of this state and its residents, we affirm our support for LGBTQ+ Minnesotans and call for the passage of HF16 to protect our communities from the harmful and ineffective practice of conversion therapy.

 

Sincerely,
OutFront Minnesota
The Aliveness Project
Transforming Families Minnesota Minnesota
AFL-CIO
Gender Justice
Rainbow Health
Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys
Clare Housing
Family Tree Clinic
National Council of Jewish Women Minnesota
Children of the Collective Arts Academy, LLC
Women's Foundation of Minnesota
Human Rights Campaign
University of Minnesota Youth and AIDS Projects
TIGERRS (Transgender, Intersex, Gender-Expansive Revolutionary Resources & Services)
Twin Cities Pride
Jewish Community Action
QUEERSPACE Collective
Equality Federation
Pro-Choice Minnesota
MUUSJA, MN Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Alliance
Planned Parenthood MN, ND, SD Action Fund
Quorum
RECLAIM
League of Women Voters Minnesota
Minnesota Voice
PFund Foundation
TakeAction Minnesota
PFLAG - Door County
PFLAG - Marshall Buffalo Ridge
Education Minnesota