Those kids who are feeling they might be gay but who want be heterosexual instead will have nowhere to turn to for help in Alaska, under a statute proposed by House Bill 43. The bill would ban a practice known by some as “conversion therapy,” in which therapists try to help people with gay proclivities pick a different direction for their lives.
Some forms of conversion therapy have appeared to be cruel and degrading, according to those who have undergone the therapy. It was described as generally unsuccessful by one man who sobbed as he testified by phone from New York City.
Rep. Sara Hannan of Juneau is the sponsor of HB 43; she presented it to the House Health and Social Services Committee last week.
Anchorage Assembly passed a similar “Don’t Say Straight” law, prohibiting licensed mental health practitioners and others from subjecting LGBTQ minors to what LGBTQ advocates say are harmful conversion “therapy” practices.
HB 43 specifically excludes therapies for those who want to change their gender outward appearance and take chemical hormones to grow attributes of the opposite gender, such as female breast tissue or male body hair.
“This subsection does not apply to counseling that provides support and assistance to an individual undergoing gender transition or counseling that provides acceptance, support, and understanding of an individual or facilitates an individual’s coping, social support, and identity exploration and development, including sexual orientation-neutral interventions to prevent or address unlawful conduct or unsafe sexual practices, or counseling that does not seek to change sexual orientation or gender identity,” the bill reads.
Further, it describes gender identity as an individual’s actual or perceived gender-related identity, appearance, mannerisms, or other gender-related characteristics without regard to the person’s designated sex at birth.”
HB 43 would prohibit physicians, physician assistants, psychiatrists, psychologists, psychological associates, and other “practitioners of the healing arts” licensed by the state from treating a person under the age of 18 or a vulnerable adult with a therapy or regimen that seeks to change their sexual orientation or gender identity.
From the description, this would have to include hormone therapy that is being given to children to block puberty, so they can have a “sex change” operation when they are of age, which is a variable standard across the country. But it does not include gender transition in the ban. It only bans therapy that is not entirely supportive of gay behaviors.
What would the difference between gender transition counseling and conversion therapy be?” asked Rep. Jesse Sumner of Rep. Hannan, whose aide, Hunter Meachum, answered the question:
“So the bill details what conversion therapy is and it also states what therapies are going to be acceptable … Conversion therapy is defined as a therapy or regimen that seeks to change the individuals’ sexual orientation or gender identity, including efforts to change behavior or gender expression, or reduce or eliminated sexual or romantic attraction or feelings towards a person of the same gender. This subsection does not apply to counseling that provides support and assistance to an individual undergoing gender transition or counseling that provides acceptance, support and understanding of an individual, or facilitates an individual’s coping, social support, and identity exploration and development.”
In other words, it’s only ok to counsel someone to undergo gender transition, not to counsel them against it.
Rep. Jesse Sumner then raised a sticky question of Hannan: “So if you’re not to have counseling that is supposed to affect somebody’s attraction or feelings towards a person of the same gender, but then in the second section you say you can change their gender, you’d have to also change the gender they’re attracted to, because they wouldn’t, your gender…you’re transitioned and you’re a new gender, right? And so you would no longer be attracted to somebody of the same gender if you were before? I mean, I guess I’m a little confused.”
He continued, “Is it the intent of the patient or…because I could also see issues with that because a child might be convinced to go along with a conversion therapy….I mean maybe I need to read this a few more times.”
Hannan answered as carefully as she could: The ban would be on attempting to say ‘you’re not,’….the vernacular of conversion therapy has been traditionally used primarily around kids coming out as gay versus kids transitioning….trans kids. This is not a bill, nor an attempt to restrict therapists who are supporting trans kids in, [stammer] who are supportive of trans kids. It’s only if it’s attempting to convert someone …yeah.”
The bottom line, it appears, is that only gender transitioning therapy is good for kids, while counseling them to not act on certain sexual impulses will be against the law if HB 43 passes.
A federal court in Florida recently ruled that a similar ordinance in Tampa is illegal because it is an abridgment of the First Amendment.
