Joe.My.God. LGBT News
Just in from Equality Florida:
Today, a federal trial court departed from numerous Florida and national rulings by striking down Tampa’s protections against conversion therapy for minors. Plaintiffs and the extremist, far-right Liberty Counsel brought the Vazzo v. City of Tampa lawsuit seeking to subject minors to the widely discredited and dangerous practice of conversion therapy.
“This is a harmful decision that puts some of our most vulnerable young people at risk,” said Jon Harris Maurer, Equality Florida’s Director of Public Policy. “The decision for Tampa stands completely alone in its reasoning.
Regardless of this decision, experts agree that conversion therapy is a dangerous and sometimes deadly practice, and we know it is still routinely practiced on children and teens in Florida. We support the City of Tampa’s leadership in protecting minors, and the Florida Legislature can and should also act immediately to protect children from this fraudulent practice.”
Tampa has an openly lesbian mayor.
20,000 LGBTQ youth will undergo “conversion therapy” before they’re 18. Protecting them is about saving lives, not politics. Today’s ruling by the court on Tampa’s ban puts vulnerable youth in harm’s way.
“Conversion therapy” needs to end forever. https://t.co/ETEw4XdWA7 #sayfie
— Equality Florida (@equalityfl) October 4, 2019
Today, my hometown of Tampa had their conversion therapy ban struck down by a fed judge on the grounds that on the state, not cities, can regulate mental health licenses. This decision is a total outlier. It does not affect other cities in FL that protect LGBT youth from torture.
— Eric Lesh (@EDLesh) October 4, 2019
Thank you, Tampa City Council, and @equalityfl for your leadership and commitment to protecting LGBTQ youth and their families from conversion therapy. The Florida Legislature must enact statewide protections immediately!
— Eric Lesh (@EDLesh) October 4, 2019
We can never stop fighting to protect LGBTQ youth from the dangerous practice of conversion therapy. 63% of LGBT kids sent by their parents to this torturous practice attempt suicide.
— Eric Lesh (@EDLesh) October 4, 2019