Post by Ayla on Jan 1, 2016 18:47:42 GMT 8
Regardless of the lack of a budget in Illinois, those elected to represent the people of the State have not been sitting on their hands. With bipartisan majorities, including support from Republican leaders in both the Illinois House and Senate, January 1st, 2016 will bring three new laws to the State that mark a significant move forward in protections for the Transgender community.
The first law, HB 0217/PA 99-0411 titled the Youth Mental Health Protection Act, prohibits gay conversation therapy and referring to homosexuality as an illness when advertising conversion therapy services. Illinois states in the act that it “has a compelling interest in protecting the physical and psychological well-being of minors, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth.”
By all appearances, both the House and Senate of Illinois did their research and noted in the Act several studies done by organizations like The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, The Pan American Health Organization, and the American Psychological Association. The Act notes as it's first finding that “Being lesbian, gay or bisexual is not a disease, disorder, illness deficiency or shortcoming. The major professional associations of mental health practitioners and researchers in the United States have recognized this fact for nearly 40 years.”
www.chicagonow.com/trans-girl-cross/2015/12/illinois-transgender-new-laws-2016/
The first law, HB 0217/PA 99-0411 titled the Youth Mental Health Protection Act, prohibits gay conversation therapy and referring to homosexuality as an illness when advertising conversion therapy services. Illinois states in the act that it “has a compelling interest in protecting the physical and psychological well-being of minors, including lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth.”
By all appearances, both the House and Senate of Illinois did their research and noted in the Act several studies done by organizations like The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, The Pan American Health Organization, and the American Psychological Association. The Act notes as it's first finding that “Being lesbian, gay or bisexual is not a disease, disorder, illness deficiency or shortcoming. The major professional associations of mental health practitioners and researchers in the United States have recognized this fact for nearly 40 years.”
www.chicagonow.com/trans-girl-cross/2015/12/illinois-transgender-new-laws-2016/
