The Kansas City Council on November 14 will vote on a proposed ban on so-called gay conversion therapy after a committee passed it unanimously.
“The hearing on Ordinance 190902 was heard in the Finance, Governance and Public Safety Committee on November 6,” said Bev Ehlen, director of Concerned Woman of America Missouri. “A substitute bill was presented and almost two hours of testimony was taken – for and against the ban.
READ THE ORDINANCE HERE
“I was pleased with the spirit of those of us on our side, beginning with the prayer time on the steps of the City Hall to the end of our time at City Hall on Wednesday. Christ and the Word were represented well.”
Proponents of the ban included many local pastors, ministry leaders and individuals who testified that they had received conversion therapy but are now quite happy in their lifestyle, she said.
“There were no local pastors who testified against the proposed ban,” Ehlen said. “Desert Stream-Living Waters Ministry did an excellent job of securing individuals to testify against the ban – therapists who counsel biblically, individuals whose lives have been changed positively by such therapy, others who testified regarding the abuse of one’s First Amendment rights.”
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Andrew Comiskey, director of Desert Stream Ministries, told the committee that he had identified as a gay teen and embraced his sexuality for years, according to Fox 4 News. Comiskey eventually entered into conversion therapy.
“My heart breaks for them, and I think, ‘Why was any parent allowing their children to go through such dehumanizing treatment?’” he said. “I had a forward vision for my life and so that began on a quest for me that included a relationship with Jesus, a supportive community and getting good clinical help to resolve some of the underlying issues of my same-sex attraction.”
Now happily married with children and grandchildren, Comiskey believes a ban would take away the ability for people like him to receive responsible and effective therapy.
“Their view is carrying the day, and we are now the underdog minority and we are the ones who are being penalized, “ he said. “This ordinance is not getting the help we need.”
If the proposed ordinance passes the full council, Kansas City would be the second city in Missouri after Columbia to enact a conversion therapy ban. St. Louis is scheduled to hold a hearing on its proposed ban on November 14.
–Alan Goforth | Metro Voice