Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) has banned the harmful practice of so-called “conversion therapy” on minors in his state via executive order. Conversion therapy (aka reparative therapy) attempts to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity through counseling. The practice has been widely discredited by nearly all major medical groups including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Psychiatric Association.
We’ve heard the voices of LGBTQ Kentuckians and we stand with them. Today I was proud to sign an executive order banning dangerous conversion “therapy” on our kids. No child, regardless of their sexuality, should be subjected to harm. pic.twitter.com/R4A9PhB6Qj
— Governor Andy Beshear (@GovAndyBeshear) September 18, 2024
From AP News:
The governor took action using his executive powers after efforts to enact a state law banning the practice repeatedly failed in the state’s Republican-dominated legislature.
“My faith teaches me that all children are children of God,” Beshear said during the signing ceremony at the Kentucky Statehouse. “And where practices are endangering and even harming those children, we must act. The practice of so-called ‘conversion therapy’ hurts our children.”
The executive order signed by Beshear bans the practice and makes it illegal to use state or federal funds to provide the therapy on minors. It also gives the state’s board of licensure the authority to take action against anyone found to have practiced conversion therapy on minors.
Kentucky is now the 24th state to ban the use of conversion therapy on minors. Of course, the problem with doing things through executive order is they can be reversed by a future governor as opposed to laws created through legislation. Research has shown that the dangerous practice can lead to increased risk of suicide and depression.
BREAKING: Kentucky’s governor has signed an executive order banning the use of “conversion therapy” on minors. The widely discredited practice tries to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity through counseling. https://t.co/WPfTyRYg0K
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 18, 2024
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