Massachusetts House Approves 'Ex-Gay' Therapy Ban
- By
- Carlos Santoscoy
- | June 28, 2018
The Massachusetts House on Wednesday overwhelmingly voted to ban therapies that attempt to alter the sexual orientation or gender identity of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth.
Such therapies go by names such as “conversion therapy,” “reparative therapy” or “ex-gay therapy.”
The bill cleared the House with a 137-14 vote. It now heads to the Senate.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT rights advocate, called on the Senate to approve the measure.
“No child should be subjected to this abusive practice that has been condemned by every major medical and mental health organization,” said HRC National Field Director Marty Rouse. “Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agree on these critically important protections for Massachusetts’ LGBTQ youth. We urge the Massachusetts Senate to swiftly pass this bipartisan legislation and send it to the governor.”
Similar legislation has been enacted in New Hampshire, Hawaii, Maryland, Washington, Connecticut, California, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Illinois, Vermont, New York, Rhode Island, New Mexico and the District of Columbia. Lawmakers in Delaware and Maine have approved similar bills. An increasing number of local municipalities have also enacted similar protections, particularly in Florida. In March, Milwaukee became the first municipality in Wisconsin to enact such a ban.