Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear signs executive order banning conversion therapy

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear signed an executive order on Wednesday banning the scientifically disproven practice of so-called conversion therapy on minors in the state.

The state joins 23 other states that have banned disproven psychiatric treatment aimed at changing the sexual orientation or gender identity of LGBTQ people for minors, according to the LGBTQ think tank Movement Advancement Project. The executive order took effect immediately.

“Kentucky cannot reach its full potential unless it is free from discrimination by or against any citizen – unless all of 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 can cause significant long-term harm to our children, including increased rates of suicide and depression. This is about protecting our youth from an inhumane practice that harms them.”

LGBTQ activists have been condemning this controversial treatment for years, citing research showing that conversion therapy can increase the risk of mental health problems.

According to a survey by the Trevor Project, an LGBTQ youth suicide prevention advocacy group, up to 15% of LGBTQ youth have been subjected to or threatened with conversion therapy. The 2023 survey of more than 28,000 queer Americans ages 13 to 24 was conducted by the LGBTQ youth suicide prevention advocacy group. The same survey – which the governor’s office cited in its statement – found that 54% of LGBTQ youth who attempted suicide in the previous year had been threatened with or subjected to conversion therapy.

Supporters of the Trevor Project praised the governor’s signing of the measure.

“As a proud queer person who grew up in Kentucky, I am thrilled that the governor is taking action to protect LGBTQ+ young people from conversion therapy – an abusive practice that has harmed too many of us across the Commonwealth for too long,” Tanner Mobley, manager of state advocacy and conversion therapy campaigns at the Trevor Project, said in a statement.

Beshear’s executive order comes as a historic number of anti-LGBTQ bills are being introduced in state legislatures across the country this year. State legislators have considered 530 anti-LGBTQ measures this year, according to a count by the American Civil Liberties Union.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at: 800-273-8255Send an SMS with the text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.

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