Minnesota Lawmaker Attends 'Freedom March' for Conversion Therapy

Dan Hall, a Republican state senator in Minnesota, doesn't just want to allow conversion therapy -- he's actively promoting it.

Hall was spotted Sunday at the so-called Freedom March, an event "celebrating freedom from homosexual/transgender lifestyles by the grace and power of Jesus," as touted in a Facebook post. It came just a few weeks after he helped to defeat a bill that would have banned the use of the discredited, harmful practice on minors in the state. The Freedom March took place near the Capitol Building in St. Paul the same day Twin Cities Pride was holding its parade in Minneapolis.

Hall, who represents a district in the suburbs of Minneapolis-St. Paul, received a shout-out from an event organizer, according to Twin Cities alternative weekly City Pages. "He was instrumental in helping to shut this down," the organizer, who was not identified, told the crowd regarding the proposed conversion therapy ban. The bill passed in the state House but was defeated 34-30 in the Senate in May, with all Republicans voting against it, even though some said doing so "sickened" them.

Hall, first elected in 2010, has a long history of anti-LGBTQ stances. In 2012, as Minnesota was considering a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, he sent out a tweet implying that those who didn't support the amendment were unpatriotic, City Pages reports. "Why is it you never see an American flag where you see a Vote No for the Mn #Marriage Amendment sign?" he wrote. Voters rejected the amendment, and state legislators legalized same-sex marriage the following year.

The following year also saw Hall tweet an anti-LGBTQ quote from Mel Gibson's virulently homophobic father, Hutton Gibson. "Tolerance is the last virtue of a depraved society," the quote read. "When an immoral society has blatantly and proudly violated all the commandments."

Hall has continued to promote homophobic and transphobic views on social media. In April, he posted a story on Facebook about the defeat of an LGBTQ-inclusive sex education bill in Washington State, City Pages reports. He added the comment, "This is where things are going if you don't voice your opinion. Your children and grandchildren will be taught the proper way of having homosexual sex. The Minnesota House Democrats have a bill that would stop any kind of youth counseling against homosexuality."

Then in June, he shared a story from right-wing site PJ Media about a study claiming that there is no evidence people are born gay or transgender. On Facebook, he cited this quote from the article: "One environmental factor that appears to be correlated with non-heterosexuality is child sexual abuse victimization, which may also contribute to the higher rates."

The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, as the state's Democratic Party is called, released a statement denouncing Hall's presence at the Freedom March. "It's appalling that Senator Dan Hall attended an event supporting the bigoted and discredited practice of trying to pressure people into changing their sexual orientation," Chairman Ken Martin said. "It's no wonder Hall and his fellow Senate Republicans voted down an attempt to ban conversion therapy in Minnesota. While Minnesotans overwhelmingly support their LGBTQ peers, it's clear that Republicans remain mired in the prejudice and hate of the past."

Indeed, during the debate over the conversion therapy ban, it was revealed that Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka had sent one of his children, Genna, to the counseling practice of Marcus Bachmann, husband of former U.S. House member and one-time presidential candidate Michele Bachmann.

Gazelka said the counseling was for "healing," not conversion therapy, and Marcus Bachmann "said his practice has never used the techniques commonly associated with gay conversion," the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. But Genna Gazelka, who once identified as lesbian and now identifies as bi-gender, told the paper the counseling, which occurred several years ago, caused feelings of shame.

Genna Gazelka, who uses they/them pronouns, also said they decided to talk to the media because of their father's opposition to the conversion therapy ban. "My question is, how can you say you love me and still do this, and do it at the governmental level, exercise your governmental authority, because you can't stop me in my individual life," they told the Star Tribune.

As for Hall, he may be vulnerable in the 2020 election. His Senate district encompasses two House districts, and both of them flipped from Republican to Democratic in 2018, Minnesota DFL spokesman Brian Evans told The Advocate. No Democrat has entered the Senate race yet, but his district is one the party will pay close attention to, Evans said.