FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 18, 2024
CONTACT
Malkia Hutchinson, National Center for Lesbian Rights | 202-734-3548 | mhutchinson@nclrights.org
Born Perfect Applauds Kentucky for Becoming the 28th State to Protect Youth from So-Called Conversion Therapy
FRANKFORT, KY – Today, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear signed an executive order prohibiting licensed therapists from subjecting minors to conversion therapy, a dangerous practice that seeks to change a young person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Kentucky is now the 28th state to protect youth from this deadly practice through legislation, regulations, or executive actions.
“We applaud Governor Beshear’s leadership in protecting LGBTQ youth and their families from so-called conversion therapy, which has been rejected as unethical and harmful by every leading medical and mental health association in the country,” said Mathew Shurka, Co-Founder of Born Perfect. “This is a landmark day for Kentuckians and survivors across the state.”
Conversion therapy has been rejected as unnecessary, ineffective, and harmful by every major medical and mental health organization in the country, including the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
According to The Trevor Project’s 2023 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Young People, 15% of LGBTQ young people reported being threatened with or subjected to conversion therapy — and those who had reported being subjected to the practice were more than twice the rate of attempting suicide in the past year.
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Born Perfect is a survivor-led campaign created by the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) in 2014 to end conversion therapy by passing laws across the country that protect LGBT children and young people, fighting in courtrooms to ensure their safety, and raising awareness about the serious harms caused by these dangerous practices. http://bornperfect.org/
