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After months of work..

Rocky Mountain House bans conversion therapy

Feb 19, 2020 | 4:38 PM

Rocky Mountain House town council has passed third and final reading on a bylaw banning conversion therapy within town limits.

The motion was first moved forward by Councillor Merrin Fraser on August 20, 2019 to amend the Business License Bylaw to ban conversion therapy.

First reading was given on September 10 and then a draft of the new Business License Bylaw was presented to council on December 17 after Edmonton and St. Albert had passed their own bylaws banning the controversial practice.

Using Edmonton’s bylaw as a starting point and with the assistance from Dr. Kristopher Wells at Grant MacEwan University, legislation for Rocky was written.

The changes to Rocky’s bylaw define conversion therapy as “the offering or provision of counselling or behaviour modification techniques, administration or prescription of medication, or any other purported treatment, service, or tactic used for the objective of changing, repressing, or discouraging a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or gender preference, or eliminating or reducing sexual attraction or sexual behaviour between persons of the same sex.”

This includes services that provide non-judgmental acceptance, support, or understanding of a person or that facilitate a person’s coping, social support, identity exploration or development.

It does not include any gender-affirming surgery or any service or assessment related to gender-affirming surgery, social, or medical transition.

The Town received letters from people concerned that the bylaw could harm either a parent or a group’s right to counsel or help those in need.

“Our desire as ministry leaders is to walk alongside people, to listen to them, to pray with them and help them live godly lives no matter what they struggle with,” read one letter opposing the conversion therapy ban.

“We cannot assume (as this bylaw seems to) that a homosexual person cannot convert back to heterosexual or that a heterosexual person having gay thoughts is a homosexual. People can change and do change regardless of that mode of thinking,” another letter to the town read.

In all, however, letters received by the Town of Rocky Mountain House supporting a ban outnumbered those opposing it by nearly double.

“Please pass this bylaw, acknowledging that gender identity/sexual orientation is not a “disorder” that needs to be “cured”. People are not more or less valuable based on their identity or orientation. This town needs to be a place where ALL people feel safe and accepted,” one person wrote.

Another person in support of the ban told the town she was afraid to admit she was a part of the LGBTQ+ community due to harmful teaching and wanted that way of thinking to stop.

“I was never fundamentally flawed, diseased, a sinner or led astray. Just queer. As a mother myself, I’m working to help create a world in which my children are safe and free to be themselves, exactly as they are, without fear of discrimination, loss of community or the threat of violence against their bodies and spirits.”

After much consideration, town administration felt that by using Edmonton’s definition and Dr. Wells’ assistance they carefully created a bylaw amendment that would allow individuals to seek counselling for their own well-being while putting a stop to groups or individuals from trying to forcibly change a person’s sexual orientation.

Town council voted unanimously in favour of the bylaw amendment banning conversion therapy.