We at the Collegian are happy a fellow K-State student would stand up against reparative and conversion therapy by allowing us to tell his story.

Considering the brutal reaction of the student's father and the accompanying physical abuse from the therapy, this approach to changing a child's sexual orientation should be illegal.

Reparative and conversion therapy operates under the premise that sexual orientation is chosen and, according to the article, there is no scientific evidence this is true.

Parents and guardians have a legal and ethical responsibility to protect minors in their care. Instead of spending time trying to change children, those caring for a homosexual child should invest more time in educating themselves and others. Children deserve to be encouraged and appreciated for who they are, not forced to change themselves to what their guardians want them to be.

We hope this story, continued tomorrow, shows readers there are real faces behind these types of drastic approaches to change sexual preference.

As the next generation of potential parents, it is our hope your children are loved and the walls of hate are torn down.