A proposal to ban gay conversion therapy advanced out of a Seattle City Council committee hearing on Tuesday and is expected to pass the full council next week. Seattle would become the third city to ban the controversial practice of trying to turn LGBT people straight or cisgender.
Currently California, Oregon, Illinois, and New Jersey ban the practice statewide. Washington, DC and Cincinnati also have bans in place. Washington’s state legislature refused to take up legislation to ban the practice statewide in 2015, prompting the city to act.
“It’s absolutely offensive to me, that instead of providing these children, who are going through perhaps a moment of confusion… instead of providing them the support that they need, there are people out there who believe it’s appropriate to convince these children that their same-sex orientation is somehow a disease, or an illness, or something that can be cured. And I think that that does a disservice,” said Seattle Councilmember Lorena Gonzalez, who sponsored the ordinance, according to KIRO-TV7.
The full council is expected to vote on the measure at 2pm local time on Monday.
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