As a private citizen, a policy student, and an LGBTQ ally, I would like to voice my approval for the proposed rule change to ban conversion therapy by accredited/licensed counseling professionals. In my anecdotal experience, I have heard from many LGBTQ persons who were forced to endure conversion therapy and it caused emotional harm to their sense of well-being and acceptance of identity. Not only is conversion therapy harmful to the wellbeing of its clients, but it has also been discredited by almost all of the scientific community ("Conversion Therapy," 2020). I am pleased that policymakers and public administrators are working to create an equitable Commonwealth and ensure that we support the LGBTQ members of our community and not cause further harm through this discredited and harmful form of "therapy."

Conversion Therapy (2020). Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved: https://www.splcenter.org/issues/lgbt-rights/conversion-therapy