Please prohibit conversion therapy for minors.

I lived in the State of Virginia from 1992 to 2012.  I am transsexual (male to female) and still married to my wife ... we celebrated 44 years in July 2019.

We fled the legal persecution by the State of Virginia in 2012, and moved to Maryland. 

After all, I had been advised by Social Security that the State of Virginia would essentially 'disallow' my many years of marriage as man and wife, should I predecease my wife... and thus my wife would never receive Social Security (death) benefits.  Given I was the major wage earner, this news, plus news that the State legislature was trying to pass more 'deny marriage rights/property rights to same sex couple' legislation,  drove us to leave the State of Virginia.

What I am asking, as a former voter in your state, is that you prohibit State Licensed therapists in your State from trying to convert gay to straight; or for that matter, straight people to gay - when the client is under the age of 18.

If the underage client demands such therapy, then the State Licensed therapist can refer the underage client to religious groups that offer such services.

Allow me to digress for a moment: You are probably aware that the Bible-based religious groups are divided on the issue of honoring LGBT orientations and/or marriages.  Just as those religious groups debated the arguments of Slave Ownership over 100 years ago (which the Bible allows in specifics but prohibits in principle), the Bible-based groups will continue to be divided for another 100 years.  Thus, the Bible is not a basis for this 'conversion therapy' decision one way or the other.

In my opinion, by outlawing State-licensed therapists from performing 'conversion therapy' on minors, the State can (1) ensure that the State does not contribute to self-hatred for minors; and (2) begin to openly advertise that the State is safe for all families and all religions.

Sincerely; Caryn LeMur