BUFFALO — Erie County Legislator Pat Burke has introduced a ban on the controversial “conversion therapy,” a purported method of changing the sexual orientation of a minor from homosexual to heterosexual, which has reportedly been supported by Vice President Elect Mike Pence.
On Facebook, Burke called the practice “abusive” and said it should be against the law.
Burke’s has named his bill “the Prevention of Emotional Neglect and Childhood Endangerment,” which may quickly be referred to by its acronym, P.E.N.C.E.
Whether the vice president-elect actually supports “conversion therapy” is up for some debate. He has advocated for “changing sexual behavior,” but a review by SNOPES found the claim that he supports “conversion therapy,” which sometimes uses electric shock to be of “mixed truth.” A similar review by Politifact, using the same data, concluded that Pence does, in fact, support the method.
Burke posted an announcement of his proposed bill on Facebook:
Photo of Pat Burke courtesy of Pat Burke/Facebook.
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