Email Share 454 Shares

The Richmond City Council on Sept. 9, 2019, unanimously passed a resolution that urges Virginia lawmakers to ban so-called conversion therapy for minors in the state. (Photo by Jim via Flickr)

The Richmond City Council on Monday unanimously approved a resolution that urges Virginia lawmakers to ban so-called conversion therapy to minors.

“A city that values diversity, equity and inclusivity can’t stay silent about a barbaric and abusive practice that targets LGBTQ+ youth,” said Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney on Twitter.

“I am proud that members of Richmond’s City Council joined me in opposing the inhumane and regressive practice of conversion therapy and affirming the sexual orientation and identities of all Richmonders,” he added.

The Virginia Board of Counseling in February voted in favor of banning licensed counselors from practicing the widely discredited practice. The Virginia General Assembly in recent years has killed several bills that would have banned conversion therapy for minors in the state.

Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan in 2018 signed a bill that banned conversion therapy for minors in his state. D.C. is among the other U.S. jurisdictions that have banned the practice.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, last month signed an executive order that bans the use of public funds for conversion therapy for minors. North Carolina, which borders Virginia, is the first Southern state to make such a move.