Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, a
Republican, on Monday signed a bill into law that prohibits therapies
that attempt to alter the sexual orientation or gender identity of
lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender youth.
Such therapies go by names such as
“conversion therapy,” “reparative therapy,” “sexual
orientation change efforts” or “ex-gay therapy.”
“Gov. Baker today signed HR140 into
law and is proud of the commonwealth's history of support for equal
rights and protecting all citizens against discrimination,” a
spokesperson for Baker told the
Washington
Blade in an email.
With passage of the law, Massachusetts
becomes the 15th state, plus the District of Columbia, to
prohibit such therapies.
Baker is the seventh Republican
governor to sign such a bill into law.
As the legislation wound its way
through the Legislature, Baker refused to say whether he would sign
the bill. While he said that he was “inclined to support” the
legislation, he also used air quotes around the words conversion
therapy.