Chicago – Attorney General Kwame Raoul today, as part of a coalition of 20 attorneys general, filed an amicus brief defending a Michigan law that prohibits licensed health professionals from practicing conversion “therapy” on minors. Conversion “therapy,” also called sexual orientation or gender identity change efforts, are harmful and ineffective practices that attempt to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
Michigan’s law, which prohibits licensed health professionals from practicing conversion therapy on children, is being challenged in a lawsuit now on appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit. Raoul and the coalition support Michigan’s ban on conversion therapy, explaining in the brief that it is not a safe or effective treatment for any condition, puts youth at risk of serious harms, including increased risks of suicide and depression, and falls below the standard of care for mental health practitioners.
“LGBTQ+ youth deserve love and support and should not be subjected to a practice that medical experts agree is harmful and dangerous,” Raoul said. “During Pride Month and throughout the year, I will continue to partner with attorneys general from across the country to protect LGBTQ+ youth who have a right to be their authentic selves and stand against bigotry and hate directed at the LGBTQ+ community.”
Illinois is one of more than 25 states that ban or restrict conversion therapy for minors. The practice is repudiated by all leading medical and mental professional organizations, including the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Psychiatric Association.
Raoul and the coalition explain in the brief that the First Amendment does not prevent states from regulating dangerous and ineffective mental health practices or ensuring that licensed providers do not operate below a certain standard of care. Indeed, the ban is consistent with the states’ long history of establishing and regulating professional standards of care. In addition to harming LGBTQ+ youth, striking down the ban would likely create profound unintended consequences for states’ authority to regulate professional practices within their borders as they have throughout most of the nation’s history.
Joining Attorney General Raoul in filing the brief are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.
