In the wake of Donald Trump’s election and the spate of hate crimes that followed, marginalized groups across the country reported feeling unsafe and afraid in areas in which they previously felt accepted.

With city councilmen Dan Gilman and Bruce Kraus’s introduction of a bill that would ban conversion therapy for minors in Pittsburgh, those in the local LGBT community, at least, can feel a little safer.

Conversion therapy, which attempts to change a queer person’s sexual orientation, is a terrifying prospect for LGBT people. Its existence signals that a core part of their identities is viewed by some as both incorrect and fixable. Its effects have been well-documented to increase suicides in LGBT youth. It is a heinous, outdated practice that actively harms people.

Pittsburgh’s city council is being proactive in addressing the issue, which has recently emerged in the national conversation because of our future vice-president’s endorsement of the practice.

That’s a scary conversation, especially for many Point Park students. A lot of our students are still figuring out how they identify or realize their queerness over the course of their Point Park careers. We are proud of our diversity, and the thought that that pride might soon be at odds with national policy is unsettling to say the least.

Ensuring that, locally, our government remains on the side of the marginalized has never been more important. The city council is right to act preemptively in solidarity with the LGBT community, and it deserves to be applauded for it. Hopefully this trend continues through the next four years, with our local representatives fighting to keep Pittsburgh safe for everyone.

The councilmen expect the bill to pass. Let’s hope for the sake of people who might be feeling fearful, especially at Point Park, that it does.