Now that Maine is free from its former Republican governor, the state could be closer than ever to joining more than one dozen states and Washington, D.C. in banning harmful conversion therapy for vulnerable LGBTQ minors, following the passage of legislation in the state House this week. “Conversion therapy is, in fact, no therapy at all,” said state Rep. Andrew McLean. “It is not a treatment. It is a debunked theory that finds its home in shame, hatred of one’s self, and a perpetuation of stigma and stereotypes about being LGBT.”
Ten Republicans and independents joined Democrats to pass the bill by an overwhelming 91-46 vote. “A similar bill passed both the House and Senate last year only to be vetoed by then-Gov. Paul LePage,” Press Herald reports. With Democratic governor Janet Mills now at the helm, advocates are optimistic that Maine will join the other states and D.C. in banning this torture. A large number of leading organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, and the American Psychiatric Association condemn the practice.
“Available research does not support the use of reparative therapy as an effective method in the treatment of LGBT persons,” said the American College of Physicians. In fact, “evidence shows that the practice may actually cause emotional or physical harm to LGBT individuals, particularly adolescents or young persons.” But despite this obvious anti-child and anti-LGBTQ harm, most states still don’t have protections in place against conversion therapy. While a bill passed the Democratically-controlled Minnesota state house last month, it faces an uphill battle in the state Senate, which is controlled by Republicans.
Smaller governments have also taken action, though. In Colorado, the Denver City Council unanimously voted at the beginning of the year to ban this torture. “Conversion therapy is not addressing a problem. It is engaging in coercion,” said Maine state Rep. Michael Brennan. “And in that respect, we need to stand today and have a law in the state to say that that type of ‘therapy’ is no longer permissible. We have an obligation to protect our young people from interventions that are harmful, and equally important, that have proven to be ineffective.”
