Kentucky bans conversion therapy for youth as Gov. Andy Beshear signs 'monumental' order

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear bans conversion therapy

Photo by Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Beshear signed the executive order after similar legislation repeatedly failed in the Republican-dominated state legislature earlier this year.

Putting children through the harmful and discredited practice of conversion therapy has officially been outlawed in Kentucky after Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear signed an executive order Wednesday.

Beshear signed the order after similar legislation repeatedly failed in the Republican-dominated state legislature earlier this year. The measure prohibits minors from being subjected to the "therapy," and prevents state or federal funds from being used to bankroll the so-called care for youth.

“Let’s be clear: conversion therapy has no basis in medicine or science, and it has been shown to increase rates of suicide and depression,” Beshear said in a statement. "This is about doing what is right and protecting our children. Hate is not who we are as Kentuckians.”

"Conversion therapy," also known as “reparative therapy,” is a debunked practice that attempts to forcefully change the gender identity or sexual orientation of the patient, which has often been compared to "torture" by its recipients and health care providers alike.

Every major medical organization has denounced the practice, yet it has only been outlawed in 23 other states, according to the Movement Advancement Project. One state, Indiana, explicitly bans local ordinances outlawing the practice, and three others currently prevent the enforcement of bans.

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In Kentucky, 21 percent of LGBTQ+ youth reported being threatened with or subjected to conversion therapy, according to the Trevor Project. Manager of State Advocacy and Conversion Therapy Campaigns Tanner Mobley said in a statement that "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."

"I have been working in coalition with others in Kentucky to end this dangerous and discredited practice in Kentucky for the past 8 years, and seeing this executive order signed into law is so meaningful," he continued. "While awful in its own right, conversion therapy is also a strong risk factor for suicide; research shows that LGBTQ+ youth who underwent conversion therapy were more than twice as likely to report having attempted suicide in the past year."

"Thank you to the governor for fighting to end conversion therapy, and showing us that LGBTQ+ young people are welcome in this state, exactly as they are," Mobley said.

Kentucky Republicans could still overturn the executive order with their supermajorities in both the state House of Representatives and Senate. Lawmakers banned gender-affirming care for minors as well as public school instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity at all grade levels in 2023 after overriding Beshear's veto on what's been called one of the worst anti-LGBTQ+ laws in the United States.

Chief Executive Officer at the Trevor Project, Jaymes Black, said that "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.“

"We are grateful to see this monumental step forward for protecting the health and safety of Kentucky’s LGBTQ+ young people, and for the years of tireless advocacy from The Fairness Campaign and our partners and advocates on the ground in Kentucky," they continued. "Together, we will continue to build the safe, inclusive world that LGBTQ+ young people deserve.”

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