Switzerland is on the road to possibly banning conversion therapy nationwide

Read more at LGBTQ Nation.

The Swiss government says it supports a uniform, national ban on so-called conversion therapy, and it’s moving ahead to consider federal legislation to outlaw the discredited practice.

A report from the government published last week details a number of current national regulations addressing the practice, as well as a patchwork of laws or procedures in various cantons (independent member states) across the country, which include their own administrative or criminal measures and corresponding legislative proposals that have been initiated, the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation reports.

Zurich is the latest canton to initiate government action banning the practice. Anyone practicing the so-called therapy in that canton would face a fine, according to the government council’s proposal.

The patchwork of Swiss laws makes a national ban on the practice worth considering at the federal level, the government said.

It’s unclear how widespread conversion therapy is in Switzerland, but several individuals offering it have earned the public’s attention over the last several years, including a homeopathic doctor in Geneva and Vaud who, in 2018, offered to “cure homosexuality,” and also a psychiatrist in Schwyz who, in 2020, recommended himself for the reparative “therapies.”

Conversion therapy, which seeks to change the sexual orientation of those subjected to it, is well known to cause psychological distress, anxiety and depression, and impair self-esteem and social relationships.

So far, 22 U.S. states ban the practice outright, but a decision by the US Supreme Court in the case of Chiles v. Salazar earlier this year could help nullify those bans.

Michigan agreed in August to abandon its ban on anti-LGBTQ+ conversion therapy following a federal judge’s decision against it, making it the first state to say it will stop enforcing its ban in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Cantonal parliaments in Switzerland that have already spoken in favor of a ban include Schaffhausen, St. Gallen, Valais, Vaud, and Bern. Others expressing support for a national ban include Aargau, Basel-City, and Lucerne among them.

Switzerland is made up of 26 full and half cantons. Neuchâtel became the first Swiss canton to ban conversion therapy in 2023.

The European Commission recommended earlier this year that all EU countries ban conversion therapy.

While Switzerland is not an EU member, neighboring Germany outlawed conversion therapy for minors and nonconsenting adults in 2020.

Several other EU countries, including Belgium, Cyprus, France, Malta, Norway, Portugal and Spain, have banned the practice outright. Greece banned it for minors in 2022.

The latest EU nation to address the practice is the Netherlands, where the Dutch Senate in June approved a bill to ban it, following the parliament’s lower house approving the measure in September 2025.

Netherlands to ban conversion therapy for both kids & vulnerable adults

Read more at LGBTQ Nation.

The Netherlands will ban conversion therapy after the Senate voted 75 to 57 in favor of legislation to eradicate the harmful practice. The Dutch House of Representatives has already approved the bill, which will reportedly punish anyone who practices conversion therapy on children or vulnerable adults with up to two years in prison and a fine of up to 27,500 euros (about $31,500). Therapists could also lose their licenses.

The country already bans some of the more extreme methods of conversion therapy, like medication and shock therapy, according to the NL Times, but the authors of the bill did not feel existing law was comprehensive enough.

During parliamentary debate about the bill, Senator Peter Nicolaï, a member of the left-wing Partij voor de Dieren, reportedly emphasized the need to also cover the dangers of exorcism, prayer-based therapy, psychological pressure, and pseudo-therapy sessions.

The D66 and VVD parties, who spearheaded the bill, celebrated the victory and declared that “years of commitment to freedom, equality, and human dignity have been rewarded.”

The Dutch LGBTQ+ Rights Group COC Netherlands celebrated the bill’s passage. “We have been fighting for the ban with victims and colleague organizations for almost 15 years and are very happy with this result. We see it as a victory for the victims,” the group said on social media, according to Facebook’s translation tool.

Numerous scientific studies on conversion therapy show that the abusive practices substantially increase the suicidality of its victims.

A 2013 survey, for example, showed that 84% of former patients who tried ex-gay therapy said it inflicted lasting shame and emotional harm, and in 2022, a report found that LGBTQ+ people who participated in sexual orientation or gender identity change efforts were more likely to experience negative impacts than those who did not, including serious psychological distress (47% vs 34%), depression (65% vs 27%), substance abuse (67% vs 50%), and attempted suicide (58% vs 39%).

Over a million people petitioned Europe to ban conversion therapy. It just rejected the call.

Read more at LGBTQ Nation.

The European Union rejected a call to ban conversion therapy on Wednesday, even after over a million people petitioned for the ban in its 27 member states.

Last month, the European Parliament voted in favor of a ban on conversion therapy. The vote came after the European Citizens’ Initiative petitioned the European Parliament to take up the matter after 1.2 million people signed a petition.

The matter was then sent to the European Commission, the only body that can introduce binding legislation in the EU. But the European Commission has rejected the call, saying that the EU does not have the authority to force member states to ban the harmful practice.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that conversion therapy has “no place in our union” and that the EU will push each individual member state to ban the practice in a recommendation to be published next year. That recommendation will be non-binding.

The European Commission flew the rainbow flag outside its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, yesterday, Le Monde reports.

The EU’s Agency for Fundamental Rights said in 2024 that one in four LGBTQ+ European citizens is the victim of conversion therapy practices, which have been linked to depression, low self-esteem, substance abuse issues, anxiety, suicidality, and other mental health issues. Ten of the 27 EU member states already ban the practice.

The group Against Conversion Therapy, which launched the original petition, called the decision a “missed opportunity” in a statement.

“In an international political context where the rise of reactionary ideas is affecting the entire world, it is urgent the European Union acts,” the group said.

European Commissioner for Equality Hadja Lahbib hailed the decision to encourage member states to ban the practice as “historic,” the LA Times reports.

“Conversion practices are built on a lie, the lie that LGBTQ+ people need to be fixed, that there is something wrong with who they are,” Lahbib said after listening to victim testimony. “And there is, of course, nothing to fix, there is nothing to cure, and there is no one to change.”

“You cannot torture away a person’s identity, and you cannot legislate it away. And yet these practices continue, unfortunately.”

Last month, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a debate on conversion therapy before it voted to recommend that Europe ban the practice.

“These so-called conversion practices or therapies are not only harmful, they are a profound violation of human dignity and fundamental rights,” said EESC President Séamus Boland during the debate, according to an EESC release. “Let us be absolutely clear: there is nothing to fix or cure. What needs to change is not people, but the systems, attitudes, and structures that deny them their dignity.”

Graeme Reid, the United Nations independent expert on sexual orientation and gender identity, also spoke during the debate, saying that banning conversion therapy is key to the EU meeting its human rights obligations and that “every person has the right to live free from coercion, fear and shame.”

The United Nations has called for conversion therapy to be banned worldwide. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that conversion therapy practices are protected by the First Amendment and can only be banned if states can meet the high legal requirements involved in curtailing religious free exercise.

Brussels is set to celebrate Pride this weekend.

Colorado passes new conversion therapy bill just after Supreme Court ruled against its ban

Read more at LGBTQ Nation.

Colorado’s legislature has just passed a bill to curtail conversion therapy in the state. It now goes to Gov. Jared Polis‘ (D) desk. Polis is gay, has been supportive of LGBTQ+ rights in the past, and is expected to sign it.

The bill, H.B. 26-1322, or the Civil Actions for Conversion Therapy Survivors Act, would allow conversion therapy survivors to sue therapists for damages if they tried to change their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The bill defines conversion therapy as treatment provided by a licensed mental health professional with the “predetermined outcome” of changing someone’s gender identity or sexual orientation. This effectively keeps the bill from applying to members of the clergy or lay ministries – most conversion therapy in the U.S. is performed by religious organizations, not licensed therapists – and creates an exemption for discussions of LGBTQ+ identities that come up in therapy, a matter of contention in a recent Supreme Court case.

The legislation passed the state senate last week in a party-line vote after already passing the Colorado House of Representatives. The state senate amended the bill so it had to pass the state house again, which happened late last week, the Colorado Daily Camera reports.

The bill was introduced as the Supreme Court considered a challenge to Colorado’s previous ban on conversion therapy, passed in 2019. That ban on conversion therapy has never been enforced in the state, but a Christian therapist sued, saying that it violated her freedom of speech. She argued that it would ban her from even discussing LGBTQ+ identities with her clients, even though the state said repeatedly that it would not.

The Court ultimately ruled against the ban in Chiles v. Salazar, saying that it violated therapists’ First Amendment rights, and sent the case back to a lower court to reevaluate the law under a higher legal standard. Experts believe this means that Colorado’s 2019 conversion therapy ban – and bans like it passed in 26 other states and hundreds of municipalities – will likely eventually be overturned by courts.

The new bill is an attempt to circumvent the Court’s decision by treating it as a civil matter. The bill was introduced by state Reps. Alex Valdez (D) and Karen McCormick (D), and in the Colorado Senate by state Sens. Lisa Cutter (D) and Kyle Mullica (D).

LGBTQ+ rights advocates supported the bill, including trans National Center for LGBTQ Rights Legal Director Shannon Minter, who referred to the Supreme Court’s decision in Chiles as “specific guidance about how to amend conversion therapy laws to be viewpoint-neutral.”

“Given the urgency of this issue and the danger that conversion therapy poses to youth, Colorado moved swiftly,” he said. “Today this legislation is moving to the desk of Governor Polis and will protect Colorado’s youth and families from this discredited practice.”

“Colorado’s story is still being written, and today we took another step toward becoming a state where LGBTQIA+ people can live openly, safely, and fully as themselves,” said One Colorado executive director Nadine Bridges in a statement. “This victory belongs to the survivors, advocates, and community members who refused to let this issue be forgotten.”

Conversion therapy is a harmful practice based on the idea that LGBTQ+ identities are the result of trauma and that LGBTQ+ people need to fundamentally change who they are in order to be a good person. The practice has been linked to several harmful results, including anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and suicidality.

European Parliament adopts measure to ban conversion therapy

Read more at LGBTQ Nation.

The European Parliament voted in favor of a ban on conversion therapy this Wednesday. The demand is now being sent to the European Commission for a response.

The move comes after the European Citizens’ Initiative successfully petitioned the European Parliament to take up the issue. Starting in 2024, the ECI gathered over 1.2 million signatures from EU citizens to ban conversion therapy.

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) held a debate on the matter earlier this week, which resulted in the committee adopting two opinions, one calling for stronger enforcement of the EU’s LGBTIQ+ Equality Strategy 2026–2030 and the other calling for a ban on conversion therapy throughout the EU.

While seven member states ban conversion therapy, including France, Portugal, and Spain, speakers at the EESC pointed out that conversion therapy is still practiced in parts of the EU.

“These so-called conversion practices or therapies are not only harmful, they are a profound violation of human dignity and fundamental rights,” said EESC President Séamus Boland during the debate, according to an EESC release. “Let us be absolutely clear: there is nothing to fix or cure. What needs to change is not people, but the systems, attitudes, and structures that deny them their dignity.”

Graeme Reid, the United Nations independent expert on sexual orientation and gender identity, also spoke during the debate, saying that banning conversion therapy is key to the EU meeting its human rights obligations and that “every person has the right to live free from coercion, fear and shame.”

Then, in a vote on Wednesday, the European Parliament adopted an opinion demanding a ban on conversion therapy practices.

The demand will be sent to the European Commission, the only body that can introduce binding legislation, which will then send it back to Parliament.

Supreme Court Will Review Ban on LGBTQ ‘Conversion Therapy’

Read more at MSN.

The US Supreme Court agreed to consider whether scores of state and local governments are violating the Constitution by barring licensed counselors from trying to change a child’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

The justices said they will hear a challenge to Colorado’s ban on what critics call “conversion therapy.” A counselor says the 2019 law violates her free speech rights.

The case adds to a growing list of culture-war clashes the Supreme Court has agreed to hear. The justices are already assessing a Tennessee law that outlaws certain medical treatments for transgender children. And in April they will hear a dispute over the use of LGBTQ-friendly books in the classroom and a case over efforts to create the country’s first religious public charter school.

Twenty-eight states and more than 100 other jurisdictions either fully or partially ban the disputed practice, according to Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ advocacy group that tracks laws around the country. The Supreme Court rejected a challenge to Washington state’s ban in 2023.

The Colorado law is being challenged by Kaley Chiles, a licensed counselor who says she views her work as an outgrowth of her Christian faith. She is represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian legal group that has been behind some of court’s highest profile cases in recent years, including the successful effort to overturn the constitutional right to abortion.

In a call with reporters, Chiles said the law “silences diverse perspectives and interferes with my ability to serve my clients with integrity.” One of her lawyers, ADF’s Jim Campbell, said Chiles had turned away multiple clients because of the law, though he didn’t disclose how many.

In upholding the law, the Denver-based 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals said it legitimately regulates professional conduct and only incidentally affects speech. Colorado officials urged rejection of the appeal, likening the measure to malpractice laws and informed-consent requirements.

The Constitution “allows states to reasonably regulate professional conduct to protect patients from substandard treatment, even when that regulation incidentally burdens speech,” Colorado argued.

The court will hear arguments and rule in the case in the nine-month term that starts in October.

The case is Chiles v. Salazar, 24-539.

(Updates with comments from counselor in sixth paragraph.)

‘They break you’: Colombia debates a ban on conversion therapy

Read more at NBC News.

Juan Viana recalls having a happy childhood in a Christian community in Bogotá but when he came out as gay at age 18, that all changed.

“Unfortunately, that community of support became a place of deep repudiation of who I really was,” said Viana, now 48.

His family took him to a center for ‘conversion therapy’ — aimed at changing a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity — on the advice of a psychologist.

“I was told that homosexuality was a disease, that it was caused by a demonic force that was going to destroy my family,” Viana said.

He said he went to the center willingly and stayed for months, thinking he was protecting his loved ones from destruction but found himself living in a nightmare.

“They break you in all senses: physically, mentally,” he said.

Several times he thought of taking his own life and tried once, he said.

“They were the darkest moments of my life,” he said.

Such traumatic experiences could become illegal in Colombia, where an estimated one in five LGBTQ people have undergone conversion therapy, according to the government’s Ombudsman’s Office.

Lawmakers are considering a bill to ban conversion therapy in the South American nation. Other countries where it is permitted include China, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

An unknown number of unlicensed rehabilitation clinics in Colombia and elsewhere in Latin America offer such therapy based on the idea that homosexuality, bisexuality and transgender identities are a mental illness that needs to be cured, rights groups said.

The World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses in 1990.

In Colombia, LGBTQ advocates have documented a range of conversion therapy practices that include humiliation, exorcism, food deprivation, electroshocks, waterboarding and rape of lesbian women.

The new legislation aims to criminalize the therapy in the conservative and Catholic country, where activists say faith is often used to mask the practices.

“We hope that more and more Colombians will understand that this is what the right to liberty, the right to intimacy and the right to having an identity looks like,” said Carolina Giraldo, a lawmaker for the center-left Green Alliance and a proponent of the bill.

Third time’s the charm?

Two previous proposed bans were defeated after conservative lawmakers and evangelical and Catholic groups mobilized in opposition.

They argued that a ban on conversion therapy could land priests and parents in prison, and some said LGBTQ groups wanted to turn children gay and trans.

Such a ban “infringes upon family autonomy by preventing parents from guiding their children,” said conservative senator Maria Fernanda Cabal after voting against last year’s bill.

From Brazil and Mexico to Spain and Vietnam, at least 17 countries have nationwide legislation in the works targeting the practice, according to ILGA-World, an international LGBTQ rights group.

LGBTQ activists in Colombia hope the third time is the charm.

“When we first started to talk about these practices, people just didn’t believe something like this could still happen in Colombia,” said Danne Belmont, executive director at GAAT, a Bogota-based trans rights group.

Belmont, a trans woman, said she was given testosterone as a child and underwent exorcisms in efforts to change who she was.

Advocates have altered their approach since the first bill was introduced in 2022, trying to broaden its appeal.

In the current rendition, the campaign is not only that LGBTQ people have “nothing to heal” but it asks their parents to “always love them,” Belmont said.

“This bill is aimed at Colombia’s families, at offering safe spaces where people can ask questions about their sexual orientation and gender identity,” she said.

Contrary to claims made by some Catholic lawmakers and ultra-Catholic groups, Father Carlos Guillermo Arias Jimenez of Colombia’s Bishop’s Conference said the latest bill does not contradict religious freedom.

“The church could not accept, nor has it ever taught, the practice of actions aimed at changing or reversing people’s sexual orientation,” he said.

Colombia’s Evangelical Confederation did not reply to several requests for comment.

In Congress, the bill passed its first reading in April with support from members of various political parties, but it must pass two more readings before next year’s elections.

Survivors, not victims

Belmont said trauma often prevents many LGBTQ people from realizing they have undergone conversion therapy until they hear stories from their peers.

A national network was set up in May of more than 50 people who have undergone conversion therapy to share their stories on social media and at events in hopes they will help others.

“Sometimes conversion therapy is a gradual, sophisticated process that mixes religion, spirituality and psychology that lays the ground,” David Zuluaga, 27, who was raised in the small town of Antioquia.

What started as manipulation and social isolation at age 12 turned into being hit in the stomach at age 14 to make him “vomit the spirit of homosexuality,” he said.

The conversion therapy lasted until he was 17, but it took him far longer to understand what had happened, let alone speak about it.

“Fear has to change sides. We used to be ashamed of having gone through this,” said Zuluaga, now an out gay man.

“But they should be the ones who are ashamed of having done this, of still doing this — mistreating, abusing and torturing people.”

According to research by the United Nations’ independent expert on LGBTQ rights, which has documented conversion therapy in at least 100 countries including Uganda, the Philippines and the United States, the practices leave deep physical and psychological traces.

“It broke my relationship with my family, with spirituality, with my body,” said Viana, who added that it has taken decades to rebuild bonds with his family, trust people and find love.

“Darkness needs to be total to exist. For light to exist, a single spark is enough,” he said.

“The work we’re doing is to multiply these sparks along the way… which we all light up together.” 

Virginia agrees not to fully enforce state law banning conversion therapy for LGBTQ minors

*This is reported by NBC News.

 Virginia officials have agreed not to fully enforce a 2020 law banning conversion therapy for minors as part of an agreement with a faith-based conservative group that sued over the law, authorities said earlier this week.

The Virginia Department of Health Professions, represented by the state’s office of the attorney general, entered into a consent decree with the Founding Freedoms Law Center last month, saying officials will not discipline counselors who engage in talk conversion therapy.

Shaun Kenney, a spokesperson with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, said on Tuesday his office was satisfied with the consensus.

“This court action fixes a constitutional problem with the existing law by allowing talk therapy between willing counselors and willing patients, including those struggling with gender dysphoria,” Kenney said in a statement. “Talk therapy with voluntary participants was punishable before this judgment was entered. This result—which merely permits talk therapy within the standards of care while preserving the remainder of the law—respects the religious liberty and free speech rights of both counselors and patients.”

A Henrico Circuit Court judge signed the consent decree in June. Two professional counselors represented by the law center sued the state’s health department and counseling board last September, arguing that the law violated their right to religious freedom.

The term “conversion therapy” refers to a scientifically discredited practice of using therapy in an attempt to convert LGBTQ people to heterosexuality.

The practice has been banned in 23 states and the District of Columbia, according to the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ rights think tank.

The practice has been a matter of dispute in several states. A ruling is expected any day from the Wisconsin Supreme Court over whether a legislative committee’s rejection of a state agency rule that would ban the practice of “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ people was unconstitutional.

The U.S. Supreme Court decided in March to take up a case from Colorado to determine whether state and local governments can enforce laws banning conversion therapy for LGBTQ children.

According to the law center, the Virginia consent decree applies not only to the two counselors but to all counselors in Virginia.

“We are grateful to the Defendants in this case and to the Attorney General, who did the right thing by siding with the Constitution,” the law center said in a statement.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, who backed the 2020 bill, blasted the decree.

“This was a statute that was enacted to save lives,” he told reporters during a Zoom session on Tuesday. “All the research, all the professional psychiatric organizations have condemned conversion therapy. They say it doesn’t work, and they say it’s counterproductive.”

Finland PM Orpo: Legislative ban on conversion therapy unlikely to proceed this term

*This is being reported by YLE.

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo (NCP) has told the Uutissuomalainen news group that he considers it unlikely a proposal to ban conversion therapy will move forward during his government’s term in office.

On Friday, MPs overwhelmingly approved a citizens’ initiative aimed at banning sexual orientation and gender identification conversion therapy.

Conversion therapy is the practice of attempting to turn members of sexual minorities into heterosexuals using a variety of different methods. The practice is usually carried out by priests, pastoral care workers, youth workers and others in some conservative religious communities.

Among Finland’s coalition government’s parties, the ban was supported by the NCP and the Swedish People’s Party, while it was opposed by the Finns Party and the Christian Democrats.

“Since there is no government programme document about the matter, and government parties do not share a unified position about banning conversion therapy, I do not believe the matter will progress during this governmental term,” Orpo told Uutissuomalainen, according to the news group.

Justice Minister Leena Meri (Finns) said on Friday that the justice ministry does not have time to prepare legislation to ban conversion therapy, as there is a long list of projects listed in the government programme that are waiting to move forward.

Kentucky GOP Lawmakers Approve Bill to Reverse Governor’s Ban on Conversion Therapy

*This is being reported by Gayety.

Kentucky state Representative David Hale, a Republican, has introduced legislation aimed at overturning a 2024 executive order issued by Democratic Governor Andy Beshear that bans conversion therapy. This controversial practice, which attempts to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, has been widely discredited by medical and psychological experts. Despite numerous opponents testifying against Hale’s bill, the lawmaker insists that his research supports the need for the legislation, although he declined to disclose the organizations that helped him draft the bill.

Governor Beshear’s Executive Order and Its Impact

In September 2024, Governor Beshear signed an executive order that outlaws conversion therapy for minors in Kentucky. The executive order not only prohibits state-funded programs from supporting the practice, but it also calls for licensing boards for counselors to consider disciplinary action against those who engage in conversion therapy. Beshear’s order aims to protect minors from a practice that has been shown to have detrimental effects on mental health.

At the time of signing the order, Beshear emphasized that conversion therapy “has no basis in medicine or science” and cited research linking the practice to increased rates of suicide and depression. “This is about doing what is right and protecting our children,” Beshear said in a statement. “Hate is not who we are as Kentuckians.”

Hale’s Proposed Bill and its Justifications

On February 15, 2025, Hale introduced House Bill 495, a measure designed to reverse Beshear’s executive order. Hale, who is known for his conservative stances, argues that his bill would protect counselors, therapists, and pastors who offer conversion therapy from government interference. He insists that parents should have the right to seek therapy that aligns with their beliefs and the needs of their children.

During a committee meeting, Hale claimed that his bill would protect mental health providers offering “therapy to relieve discomfort or distress caused by an individual’s sex or romantic or sexual attraction.” He further added that the bill would also safeguard practitioners who offer other forms of therapy, including pro-LGBTQ or gender-affirming care. Despite the claims, Hale did not specify which organizations assisted in drafting the bill’s language.

The bill, which was approved in a 15-4 party-line vote by the committee’s Republican members, is now one step closer to being debated by the full Kentucky legislature. Some Republicans on the committee argued that the bill would ensure mental health professionals could offer care that respects both LGBTQ+ individuals and those seeking therapy to change their sexual orientation.

Opposition Voices and Concerns

Numerous witnesses spoke out against Hale’s bill, citing the harm caused by conversion therapy and the damage it can do to vulnerable individuals. Eric Russ, a licensed clinical psychologist and executive director of the Kentucky Psychological Association, testified that the bill “directly threatens the trust between a mental health provider and our clients” by legitimizing practices that are widely considered harmful.

Rev. Brandon Long, an ordained minister and former victim of conversion therapy, shared his personal experience of being subjected to the practice after coming out as gay. He described how conversion therapy had attempted to alter his sexual orientation by blaming it on childhood trauma and demonic influence. “Conversion therapy weaponized sacred pastoral practices,” Long said, adding that it was “spiritual and psychological abuse.”

Chris Hartman, executive director of the Fairness Campaign, an LGBTQ+ rights group, questioned why the committee responsible for overseeing state government functions was involved in passing legislation related to mental health care.

Hale, who said he had found “no evidence” supporting the personal testimonies of those who spoke against his bill, went on to shake hands with several of the witnesses who had opposed it. Rev. Long refused to shake his hand, accusing Hale of dismissing their lived experiences and framing their testimony as lies.

Political Landscape and Future of the Bill

Hale’s bill is part of a broader culture war in Kentucky, where conservative lawmakers have made several attempts to restrict LGBTQ+ rights. In 2023, Kentucky Republicans successfully passed a ban on gender-affirming medical care, though it is currently on hold due to ongoing court challenges. While this ban focuses on medical care, it does not address gender-affirming psychological counseling.

Conversion therapy has been banned in 23 states, and the practice has faced widespread condemnation from major U.S. medical and psychological associations. Research has consistently shown that conversion therapy leads to increased emotional distress, including depression and suicidal thoughts, particularly among LGBTQ+ youth. According to the Trevor Project, nearly 21% of LGBTQ+ youth in Kentucky have reported being subjected to conversion therapy, with 83% of those experiences occurring before the age of 18.

A Divisive Issue for Kentucky’s Future

Hale’s bill comes at a time when Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers of Kentucky’s legislature, which could threaten the future of Beshear’s executive order. If passed, the bill would reverse the protections set forth by Beshear, allowing the practice of conversion therapy to continue in the state.

As the bill moves through the legislative process, it is clear that the debate over conversion therapy is far from settled. Advocates for LGBTQ+ rights are committed to fighting the bill, while opponents argue that parents should have the freedom to choose therapeutic options that align with their values. With the state’s political climate increasingly polarized, Kentucky’s legislature is set to remain at the center of a larger national conversation about the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals and the role of government in regulating mental health practices.

For those struggling with issues related to conversion therapy, several resources are available, including the Trevor Project (1-866-488-7386) and the Trans Lifeline (1-877-565-8860). These organizations provide safe, confidential support for LGBTQ+ youth and adults.

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑