First, let us be abundantly clear. This is not a religious freedom or parenting rights issue. Banning Conversion Therapy is about protecting minors and vulnerable members of our society and even saving lives. Conversion therapy is based on the dangerous and false claim that being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) is a mental illness that needs to be cured—a view with no legitimate scientific basis.

Suicide is already the 2nd leading cause of death in the 10-24-year-old age range (a tragic number that continues to grow) but according to the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, gay/bisexual youth are three times more likely to consider suicide, and five times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers. According to the Report of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, 40% of transgender adults report having made a suicide attempt before age 25.  In a 2009 article in the medical journal Pediatrics, gay/bisexual youth who come from highly rejecting families were reported to be 8.4 times more likely to have attempted suicide than gay/bisexual youth who report no or low levels of family rejection. Multiple medical and scientific studies confirm that Conversion Therapy increases the risk of suicide, particularly in children.

Supporting this ban protects young people from state-licensed therapists in Virginia who falsely claim to parents and youth that being LGBTQ is a mental illness, and therefore taking advantage of parents and harming vulnerable youth.

As a youth minister with the Bridgewater Chuch of the Brethren, I firmly believe that no young person should ever be demeaned by a mental health professional into thinking that who they are is wrong. Mental health professionals should provide care that is ethical and affirming for all young people no matter how they identify. Navigating adolescence is already tough enough without allowing what amounts to State-sanctioned shaming. Our children deserve better from us.