The Wheat Ridge City Council jointed west metro’s Edgewater and Westminster in support of statewide ban on conversion therapy for LGBTQ minors.

A bill, killed annually by the Republican majority in the Senate, would accomplish that. House Bill 1245 is scheduled for its first hearing in the House on March 20.

The Wheat Ridge City Council adopted a resolution Monday night that states, in part:

WHEREAS, the City of Wheat Ridge acknowledges that conversion therapy to change one’s sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression is a harmful practice and form of emotional and physical abuse ; and

WHEREAS, the City of Wheat Ridge knows that being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer is not a disease, disorder, deficiency or shortcoming. In fact, being part of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community is a diversity to be celebrated and one of the many cultural groups within our community …

Nine states have banned conversion therapy: California, Connecticut, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island and Vermont.

Senate Republicans make the case each year that the legislature should not interfere with the relationship between a parent and child, but Democrats and LGBTQ advocates say the practice anounts to torture.

Two of the prime supporters of the Wheat Ridge resolution, Councilwoman Monica Duran and local activist Brianna Titone, are running for the state House in different districts this year.

“When three years of the same strategy of putting the bill before the state Senate has failed, I knew there was a need to do something different,”Titone said in a statement. “I proposed the idea to the Jefferson County Democrats LGBTQ-plus Caucus to pursue obtaining municipal bans on this practice to prove to the senate committee that the will of the people shows the desire to ban this practice. Wheat Ridge not only enacted a Resolution opposing conversion therapy, but also stated public support on the state bill to pass. It is important that the people of Colorado know that this dangerous practice is happening in our state and follow the lead of 10 states and Washington, DC that have similar bans in addition to dozens of cities across America. We are very proud of the three cities, so far, that are standing up to protect our youth.”

Rep. Paul Rosenthal, D-Denver, who has sponsored the conversion therapy ban legislation annually, also was happy for the support

“I’m grateful that the City Council of Wheat Ridge has joined other towns in passing this resolution,” he said.”They are standing up for LGBTQ children so they can grow into the person who they want to be rather than be told to be someone they’re not.”

Other sponsors of the proposed ban are all Democrats: Rep. Dafna Michaelson Jenet of Commerce City and Sens. Stephen Fenberg of Boulder and Minority Leader Lucia Guzman of Denver.

According to their meeting documents, Wheat Ridge council members were advised, “Staff recommends approval of the resolution to raise awareness of this issue in effort to prevent future abuses and to encourage the state to approve a statewide ban of conversion therapy.”