Gov. Beshear signs order banning conversion therapy in Kentucky

    FRANKFORT, Kentucky (WLKY) -- On a subject that has been contested in Kentucky for years, Gov. Andy Beshear signed an executive order Wednesday banning conversion therapy.

Beshear signed the order at 10 a.m. in the Capitol rotunda joined by officials from the Kentucky Mental Health Coalition, the Fairness Campaign, Kentucky Psychological Association and National Association of Social Workers.

Right before signing, he said this, "Today, we're making sure that individuals, Kentucky citizens, are not subjected to a so-called therapy that we know causes extensive harm. We can't reach our full potential unless everyone is supported to be their true selves. And so from your governor and from your executive branch, we see you. We care about you."

Conversion therapy has been a controversial practice targeting LGBTQ youth, which seeks to change their sexual orientation or gender identity.

The American Medical Association has advocated for a federal ban on conversion therapy.

Kentucky now joins more than 20 states with bans of the practice, including New York, California and neighboring Illinois, according to the Movement Advancement Project.

The practice was banned in Louisville in 2020 when Metro Council passed an ordinance making it illegal for any licensed provider to use it. Louisville was the second city behind Covington to make it illegal. It's also banned in Lexington.

There have been efforts within Kentucky's legislature to make it illegal statewide, with a bill as recent as 2023 being proposed, but nothing has passed.

Kentucky's neighbor Indiana actually is the only state with a law prohibiting local-level bans on conversion therapy.