Dear Mayor Pownell and Council Members - First, I applaud the Human Rights Commission for bringing this issue forward, and all of you for considering this ban; I urge all of you to vote to prohibit this awful and abusive practice. I previously worked in mental health and with teens, and I know someone personally who was subjected to conversion therapy during their youth. The horrid effects of this practice increase the risks for depression and suicide - and in the case of my friend, the abuse is still taking a toll decades later. But you already have all the data in front of you. Now it's about YOUR decision. Your decision has a ripple effect in this community and in the larger world - as such, this is not a time to pass the buck and say "it's none of our business" or "it's not our place." This is a time when you get to stand up with courage and say, "we will NOT tolerate the mistreatment and mental torture of our fellow human beings." I have faith you have that courage. Thank you.