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A Senate Committee Hears Testimony On Banning Conversion Therapy for Minors

SALEM, OR -- The State Senate committee held a public hearing Tuesday on a bill that will ban conversion therapy for people under the age of 18. The bill has already passed the State House.

 

Paul Southwick of Portland was the first person to testify before the Senate committee on Human Services. He underwent conversion therapy three times to fight his same sex attractions.  He says it didn't work.

 

"It takes some time to forgive the therapists.  I'm in a better place, but I've not forgotten the pain and I support House Bill 2307 because I don't want other LGBT people feeling they have a sickness without a cure." Conversion therapy attempts to provide professional services to change a person's sexual orientation.

 

A sex addiction therapist from Colorado Springs testified before the committee saying he's seen conversion therapy work.  Jayson Graves told them it worked for him. 

"When it comes to research based studies on same sex attractions -- there are no studies.  There's no evidence that these therapies are harmful.  If there were, you'd hear about them today.  You're not.  You can say that something has been discredited, but based on what?" 

 

The commitee heard from several people who testified that conversion therapy did not help them and only lead to depression and confusion when it came to their sexual orientation.

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