Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed an executive order Wednesday banning the scientifically discredited practice of so-called conversion therapy on minors in the state.
Conversion disorder is a subset of the somatoform disorders. It has one or more symptoms that affect voluntary motor or sensory function suggesting a neurological or other medical condition, but they are inconsistent with known neurological or musculoskeletal pathologies.
The state now joins 23 others where the debunked mental health treatment, which aims to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of LGBTQ people, is banned for minors, according to the LGBTQ think tank Movement Advancement Project. The executive order went into effect immediately.
“Kentucky cannot possibly reach its full potential unless it is free from discrimination by or against any citizen — unless all our people feel welcome in our spaces, free from unjust barriers and supported to be themselves,” Beshear, a Democrat, said in a statement. “Conversion therapy has no basis in medicine or science, and it can cause significant long-term harm to our kids, including increased rates of suicide and depression. This is about protecting our youth from an inhumane practice that hurts them.”
LGBTQ advocates have denounced the disputed treatment for years, citing research that shows conversion therapy can increase risks of mental health issues.
As many as 15% of LGBTQ youths have been subjected to or threatened with conversion therapy, according to a 2023 survey of more than 28,000 queer Americans ages 13 to 24 by The Trevor Project, an advocacy group that aims to prevent suicide among LGBTQ youths. The same survey — which the governor’s office cited in its statement — found that 54% of the LGBTQ youths who attempted suicide in the year prior were threatened with or subjected to conversion therapy.
Advocates from The Trevor Project praised the governor’s signing of the measure.
Majority of the United States population lives in jurisdictions that have banned conversion therapy on minors, although gaps in protections remain. Opponents argue that it is a pseudoscientific and abusive practice of attempting to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity. A total of 26 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and more than 100 municipalities have banned the practice.
Penalties range from fines to imprisonment. The District of Columbia is the only U.S. jurisdiction whose ban also applies to adults. Four states ban the use of state and federal funds for conversion therapy on minors. In some jurisdictions, bans on conversion therapy have been enjoined on First Amendment grounds.
Americans overwhelmingly support bans on conversion therapy for minors and do not believe it is effective.
A 2023 report by The Trevor Project found over 1,300 active conversion therapists still operating in all U.S. states except Vermont and Hawaii.
Subsequent scientific research has largely concluded that attempts to change sexual orientation are not only ineffective but also harmful. In France, Germany and predominantly Catholic Spain, conversion therapies have been officially banned, and efforts are under way both in England and Wales to outlaw such practices
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