PHILADELPHIA — Chelsea Clinton told Democratic delegates at a gay rights group’s luncheon that she feared the Republican Party’s inclusion of “conversion therapy” in their platform would legalize “child abuse.”
“I do believe this is the most important connection of my lifetime,” the Democratic nominee’s daughter said at the Human Rights Campaign lunch on Wednesday.
“I thought about what I found most offensive last week, its hard to pick just one part,” Clinton added. “The Republican rhetoric, which was divisive, degrading, demeaning. Or the Republican Party platform, which was the antithesis of what we have here.”
She then condemned “the open embrace of conversion therapy in the Republican Party platform,” which she described as being equal to “child abuse,” and stated that this is “the clarion call” for Democrats to do everything they can to elect Hillary Clinton and the party’s full ticket.
While the Republican platform does not explicitly mention gay conversion therapy, it does include a passage that allows parents to determine the proper medical treatment and therapy for their children. Some critics believe this passage is aimed specifically at conversion therapy.
Chelsea Clinton further encouraged delegates to vote for her mother so she “can finally pass the equality act, so my mom can finally ban conversion therapy, so my mom can restore the military records of everyone that has served our country honorably and ensure that our most vulnerable youth get the services and support they need even if they’re not getting it at home.”
Chelsea Clinton will introduce her mother on Thursday night, as Hillary Clinton formally accepts the Democratic Party nomination and speaks to delegates.
