St. John’s Pride is supporting actions to amend the Criminal Code of Canada to prohibit conversion therapy.
Today is the first day of Pride Week in the capital city.
There are calls for Ottawa to ban the controversial practice. Similar bans are in place in Edmonton, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia and Vancouver.
Conversion therapy seeks to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity and is not based in science. The Canadian Psychological Association is against conversion therapy as “based on the assumption that LGBTQ identities indicate a mental disorder” and can result in negative outcomes, such as distress, anxiety, depression and many more.
Community Liaison with St. John’s Pride, Amnesty Cornelius says conversion therapy has been proven harmful and they want to see it banned across Canada. She says Canada decriminalized homosexuality 50 years ago, yet some people cannot accept the natural fact that some people are queer and that’s okay.
PCs Support Conversion Therapy Ban
The Leader of the PC Party is adding his voice in support of amending the Criminal Code to prohibit conversion therapy.
Ches Crosbie wrote a letter to the federal Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada calling for an amendment to ban conversion therapy.
Crosbie says the PCs took the position over a year ago that conversion therapy should be banned in the province.
He says they are unaware of this currently happening in the province, but have heard of individuals being sent to other provinces for that purpose.