Kentucky Governor Beshear Signs Ban on Conversion Therapy for LGBTQ Youth

Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear signed an executive order on Wednesday that bans the practice of conversion therapy for minors in the state.

So-called conversion therapy — which is often promoted by far right religious groups — is a form of pseudo-psychology that its proponents wrongly claim can change the sexuality or gender identity of LGBTQ people, supposedly forcing them to become straight or cisgender. Multiple studies have demonstrated that such therapy causes long-term physiological damage and dramatically increases rates of suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among people who are subjected to it.

Conversion therapy is so harmful that the United Nations (UN) Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has called for a global ban on the practice, with UN Independent Expert on sexual orientation and gender identity Victor Madrigal-Borloz saying in 2020 that its methods are “inherently discriminatory…cruel, inhuman and degrading.”

For youth especially, “the decision to subject a child to conversion practices can never truly be in conformity with a child’s best interests,” Madrigal-Borloz said, adding that the “pain and suffering inflicted to the victim…may amount to torture.”

Twenty-eight states and Washington D.C. currently have a full or partial ban on conversion therapy for minors. Beshear said his decision to join those states and to protect LGBTQ children in Kentucky was motivated, in part, by his religious beliefs.

“My faith teaches me that all children are children of God. And where practices are endangering and even harming those children, we must act. The practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy’ hurts our children,” Beshear said in a signing statement.

Beshear added:

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.

Right-wing groups and Republican lawmakers in the state have said that they plan to sue the governor over the order, claiming that the ban on the harmful and life-endangering practice violates the religious rights of parents seeking to “convert” their LGBTQ kids.

The Trevor Project, a nonprofit focused on suicide prevention for LGBTQ youth, celebrated Beshear’s decision to protect children in the Bluegrass State.

“As a proud queer person who grew up in Kentucky, I am thrilled to see the governor take action to protect LGBTQ+ young people from conversion therapy — an abusive practice that has harmed too many of us, for too long across the Commonwealth,” said Tanner Mobley, Manager of State Advocacy and Conversion Therapy Campaigns at The Trevor Project.

“As we continue to witness a historic wave of anti-LGBTQ+ bills being introduced in states across the U.S., this executive order serves as a powerful reminder that LGBTQ+ youth have allies and leaders who support them in every corner of our country,” said Jaymes Black, Chief Executive Officer of the organization. “We are grateful to see this monumental step forward for protecting the health and safety of Kentucky’s LGBTQ+ young people.”