The Massachusetts Senate voted to pass the bill to ban conversion therapy for LGBTQ minors yesterday, March 28. The support for the legislation was overwhelming, with 34 of the 40 senators voting to ban the harmful practice.
Similar legalization passed the House 147–8 earlier this month.
Five of the six Republican state senators voted “present,” citing “potential constitutional conflicts” but said in general they did not oppose the ban, according to the Boston Herald. which went on to report:
Republican Gov. Charlie Baker has said he is leaning toward signing the measure if it reaches his desk.
Arlene Isaacson, co-chair of the Coalition to Ban Conversion Therapy for Minors, said conversion therapy can range from generating physical pain to try to dissuade individuals from same sex attraction to what she called “cruel psychological talk therapy.”
“Being LGBTQ is not a disease that requires a cure,” Isaacson said in a statement. “These fraudulent treatments often lead patients to depression, substance abuse, self-harm and suicidality.”
Democratic Senate President Karen Spilka’s office said the Senate bill would instead “promote therapies that encourage self-exploration and social support.”
With Governor Baker’s signature, the Bay State would join all states in New England except Maine to ban the dangerous practice against LGBT youth, becoming the 16th state in the country to do so. The legislation passed by both houses on Beacon Hill last summer but failed to reach the governor’s desk before the end of last year’s session.
