Madeleine Behr

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

MENASHA - Wisconsin could be the next state to penalize therapists and mental health practitioners for doing conversion therapy on LGBT youth, under a bill proposed by state Rep. Amanda Stuck (D-Appleton).

Conversion therapy seeks to alter sexual orientation. It is often tied to religious values, and treatment can range from counseling and intense prayer to more extreme tactics like physical aversion conditioning.

Under Stuck's bill, licensed mental health practitioners would be disciplined by professional boards that govern licensing if they participate in conversion therapy on LGBT youth.

Advocates for the bill, including Appleton Alderman Vered Meltzer and Kathy Flores, the statewide LGBT anti-violence coordinator for Diverse & Resilient, say conversion therapy tells LGBT people that they're living bad or sinful lives. Those messages lead to feelings of depression or anxiety and increase the risks of self-harm among LGBT people, they said.

Meltzer encouraged Stuck to introduce the bill after he looked to find a solution to the problem at the local level and determined that a state law would be a better mechanism to help end the practice.

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"We believe that reparative or conversion therapy is a very damaging protocol that still exists and it adds to the stress of LGBTQ people from allowing them to live wholly and fully realized lives," Flores told reporters at a press conference Thursday at the Goodwill Menasha campus. "Our goal is to promote love, acceptance and resiliency, and we believe that this bill has the spirit of that."

A similar bill was introduced in 2014, but did not make it out of committee.

California, Illinois, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Vermont have passed a ban on conversion therapy. The law in California has been challenged by religious organizations as a First Amendment religious freedom issue, but the law has been held up by a federal appeals court. The U.S. Supreme Court has had the opportunity to consider the case, but turned it down, leaving the appeals decision in place.

Leaders in medicine and psychology have largely come out against conversion therapy, including the American Psychological Association, the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and the American College of Physicians.

The groups say sexual orientation and gender identity do not need "fixing," and can contribute to poor mental health if conversion is encouraged.

In contrast, many conservative Christian organizations such as Focus on the Family or the Family Research Council promote marriage as only between a man and a woman, and believe that those who identify as LGBT should change to be more in line with conservative Christian values.

"While we do not believe an individual typically 'chooses' his or her same-sex attractions, we do believe that those who struggle with unwanted same-sex sexual temptation can choose to steward their lives in a way that aligns with God’s intentions for human sexuality," Focus on the Family states on its website. "This is a reasonable goal for individuals working with a mental health professional."

The organization's focus on the issue is not just as one of religious values, but also the ability for parents to determine the best course of action for their children.

Madeleine Behr: 920-996-7226, or mbehr@postcrescent.com; on Twitter @madeleinebehr