Recommendation to support AB 2943 (Low), which would declare conversion therapy a fraudulent and unlawful business practice in California, and request City Manager to communicate the City's support to the bill's author and our state legislative delegation.
We had a request to move up item 20, which is from Councilman Al Austin. Madam Clerk. Communication from Councilman Alston. Councilwoman Gonzalez. Councilman Price. Recommendation to request city manager to communicate to the city support of AB 2943, which would declare conversion therapy a fraudulent and unlawful business practice in California. Councilman Huston. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. And during this week of that, we celebrate Pride in Long Beach. And as we recognize this evening, local LGBTQ heroes, it is only right that the City Council go on record in support and strong support of AB 2943 Assembly Bill 2943 by Assemblymember Evan Lowe would declare conversion therapy a fraudulent and unlawful business practice in California. Convergence therapy, also known as a sexual orientation change effort, is defined by state law as practices by mental health providers that seek to change an individual's sexual orientation, including efforts to eliminate or reduce attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same sex. This practice is opposed by practically every reputable mental health professional organization in the country because it is not evidence based and is potentially harmful to a patient's mental health. In 2012, California became the first state in the nation to prohibit conversion therapy for any patients under age 18, a law that has been upheld in the courts. HB 2943 would extend the provision to all persons, regardless of age, and would make it unlawful business practice under the state's Consumer Legal Remedies Act by supporting this legislation. Long Beach is sending a strong message that this city and the state upholds the values of respect and protecting the dignity of all of our residents. I'd like to thank my colleagues, our council members, Pryce and Gonzales, for joining me in signing on to this item. And I would like to thank the LGBTQ center of Long Beach for providing a letter of support for this item. But also, I ask my colleagues for their support and for our city's lobbyists to work on this bill. Its passage. I move for unanimous support. Thank you. Thank you, Councilmember. Councilwoman Pryce. I strongly support this agenda item and thank my colleague, Councilman Austin for bringing it forward and I ask my colleagues to support it as well. Thank you. Thank you, Councilwoman Councilwoman Gonzalez. Yes. Thanks to Councilmember Austin for bringing this forward as well. I think it absolutely it's unfortunate that we are even talking about this, but so many other states have have banned this and we absolutely should do this as well. And so I am full and deep support of this. Thank you very much. And thank you to the center for for being here as well. Thank you, Councilmember Pearce. I echo the same, it seems when I saw this item come up, I was like, wait, this, we have to do this. So just thank you to the center for your efforts and thank you to the council for bringing this forward. Thank you. And I just want to add, I want to thank Councilman Austin also. This is a barbaric and backwards practice that unfortunately people still talk about like it's some sort of medical wonder for folks. And I think it's unfortunate that this still happens in our country today, and I'm really glad that this is moving forward with that. Any public comment on this item? Good evening, everyone. My name is Porter Goldberg on the executive director of the LGBTQ Center of Long Beach. You council members, you should have in front of you the letter of support that the center has provided on this agenda item. Thank you to Councilmember Austin and Council Councilwoman Gonzalez and price for bringing this forth. The City Council as an organization that provides mental health services, we work with people at our organization who have been subject to conversion therapy. We know how psychologically harmful and damaging it is. We know that this is an extension of an earlier area era when LGBTQ people were forced to undergo involuntary institutionalization, lobotomies and other mental health treatments that serve no other purpose than to mistreat people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. So on behalf of everyone at the center, thank you so much for your leadership on this effort. And thank you for for bringing this agenda item forward during Pride Week. It means a lot to me. Thank you very much. Thank you so much, Mr. Bouchard. Thank you. I too agree. That the practice of undue persuasion of an individual, male or female regarding their sexual preference and decision. It's something that is no longer needed. When God who has created men and women, decides by his spirit to start to re influence his people. What we will see across the nation, which includes this city. Is that men and women will buy under the influence of their Creator. God will begin some looking in the mirror. And they're going to say, I no longer want this lifestyle and they're going to do it of their own volition without any physical coercion or mistreatment. Some are going to be in the act. And then God himself is going to speak to them and he's going to say. Is this what you want? Is this who you are? Guys doing it. No one will have to drag anyone out of bed eating wine or pounding one on my head. Their creator is coming after them from the beginning of time until now, when God let us make men in our image. And then he said, That man needs a helpmate. So let's give him a woman. The enemy of our souls. Satan has come after. And he wanted to make a mockery of everything. That God created the institution of marriage. Who would marry? How they would marry. How they engage in sex? Which God instituted. But the procreation of the species. He wanted to make a mockery. And if you like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings and all the trilogies, if you can appreciate that, understand what's happening in between men and women. Is Star Wars in living color? The fight that is going on between God and his created beings. And God's going to turn this thing on its head. And the reason this law needs to be put in place is that when you start seeing and hearing men and women saying, I no longer choose the lifestyle of a lesbian or a homosexual and calling ourselves gay, you will know that no one forced them into it. God himself. We'll revisit them and bring them back to the original intention when he said, Let us make man after our image and let us let them be male and female. He himself would do it. I applaud you when supporting this law so that when you hear of it, you'll know that it was God himself. Thank you. Well, I have a lot to say, but in the Spirit of Pride Week, I will just say happy pride to everyone. With that, we will conclude that item. And Members, please cast your votes.