Led by a Republican legislator, a bipartisan group of Kentucky state senators proposed a bill that would effectively ban conversion therapy, a practice that attempts to change one’s sexual orientation or gender identity, in the commonwealth.
Sen. Alice Forgy Kerr, a Lexington Republican and 21-year member of the General Assembly, introduced the measure Monday in a short speech on the Senate floor in which she described the practice of conversion therapy as “discredited“ and “barbaric.”
The bill has two co-sponsors, Sen. Julie Raque Adams, a Louisville Republican, and Sen. Morgan McGarvey, a Louisville Democrat. Adams is a member of leadership among Republicans who control the Senate. McGarvey is the Democrat’s minority leader.
If the legislation passes, mental health professionals in Kentucky would be prohibited from engaging in conversion therapy with people under the age of 18 and “adults,” defined by a Kentucky state statute as “a person eighteen (18) years of age or older who, because of mental or physical dysfunction, is unable to manage his or her own resources, carry out the activity of daily living, or protect himself or herself from neglect, exploitation, or a hazardous or abusive situation without assistance from others, and who may be in need of protective services.”
Professionals who do practice conversion therapy on these individuals would be subject to discipline. Additionally, if signed into a law, the legislation would prohibit public funds from being used for conversion therapy.
In introducing the bill, Kerr said the practice is linked to higher suicide rates among youths who undergo it and is based on the “false premise that being LGBTQ is a mental illness.”
“There are a number of states that have banned this procedure,” Kerr said.
She urged anyone seeking more information to view the movie “Boy Erased,” the 2018 film about a small town boy who is forced to undergo “conversion therapy” by his conservative parents after they discover he is gay. Kerr said it is a disturbing but important film.
Senate President Robert Stivers, a Manchester Republican, said Monday he wasn’t aware Kerr was going to introduce the bill and couldn’t speculate on its chances because he hadn’t seen it.
This Senate bill mirrors a piece of legislation introduced in the House of Representatives last week by State Reps. Patti Minter and Lisa Willner, Democrats from Bowling Green and Louisville, respectively.
Kentucky would not be the first state to pass a ban on conversion therapy. Several states have made it illegal for licensed medical professionals to conduct the practice on minors.
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Written by Ben Tobin and Deborah Yetter. Cross-posted from the
Courier-Journal via the Kentucky Press News Service.