LGBTQ2+ advocates, councillors ask for conversion therapy ban

It’s a practice that one Lethbridge man described as dangerous and harmful. Now he’s asking the city to put a stop to conversion therapy once and for all.

Conversion therapy aims to change a person’s sexual orientation through counselling, behaviour modification and religious teachings.

It’s been a controversial topic at the forefront of cities across Alberta, with both Edmonton and Calgary making moves to ban the practice in recent months.

Now, Devon Hargreaves, an LGBTQ advocate, is hoping his city will follow suit.

“This is not an LGBTQ2+ issue. It’s a human rights issue,” Hargreaves said.

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“Let’s show that Lethbridge is an open and accepting community for the LGBTQ2+ population of Alberta and Canada.”

Hargreaves is part of the YQueerL Society for Change, and said banning conversion therapy is a cause he’s been fighting for years.

Councillor Jeff Carlson plans to present a motion at Monday’s council meeting to put a stop to the practice.

Carlson said he and other council members have spent a lot of time perfecting the proposal.

“After some consultation with leaders in our community that have really been working on this issue for some time, several of us on council thought it was time for Lethbridge to move forward,” Carlson said.

“We know the province sometimes needs some input from their municipalities to move forward.”

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YQueerL Society for Change member Jen Takahashi said it’s not always obvious that conversion therapy is happening, and in Lethbridge, the practice often happens very subtly.

“A lot of it right now is talk therapy and ‘praying away the gay.’ It’s the kinder, gentler form of conversion therapy,” she said.

“We don’t really see the extreme end of things on a local level as frequently.”

Conversion therapy is done across the country and while changing local bylaws won’t affect federal laws, Hargreaves said this is still a step in the right direction.

“Recent research from the University of British Columbia has indicated that at least over 30,000 Canadians have gone through conversion therapy. That’s a huge number,” he said.

“I think we need to step up to protect everyone in Canada.”

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