Here’s How Progressives are Making MN a Safe Place for LGBTQ+ folks
In a massive win for LGBTQ+ advocates, Governor Walz just signed a bill that bans conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ youth and vulnerable adults.
Similar proposals had passed in the Minnesota House several times before but were blocked by conservatives in the Senate.
Physicians widely discredit conversion therapy, and studies show these types of anti-LGBTQ treatments cause more harm than good for young Minnesotans and vulnerable people.
A UCLA report found gay, lesbian, and bisexual people who experienced conversion therapy are almost twice as likely to attempt suicide as their peers and even more so for transgender people.
In fact, twenty states, along with the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have outlawed conversion therapy. Governor Walz even issued an executive order in 2021 deeming the treatment dangerous and directing state agencies to prevent the practice.
In addition to passing the conversion therapy ban, progressives in the Minnesota House of Representatives and Senate passed a bill that would make Minnesota a Trans Refuge State. Governor Walz signed the bill into law solidifying Minnesota as a haven for LGBTQ+ people across the country.
Authored by Minnesota’s first openly transgender legislator, Leigh Finke, the bill protects transgender people, their families, and medical practitioners from legal repercussions for traveling to Minnesota to receive gender-affirming care.
A better, safer Minnesota
We can’t wait to see how Governor Walz and the progressive leadership at the Capitol will continue to work together to invest in our communities to build a safer, more equitable home for LGBTQ+ Minnesotans.
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