Delaware becomes 14th US state to ban conversion therapy

Delaware has become the 14th US state to ban conversion therapy, with Governor John Carney signing a bill into law Monday night. The new law will make it illegal for medical or mental health professionals to practice the therapy or for the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families to recommend it.

Gay conversion therapy is the highly controversial (and often religious) practice of trying to repress and change a person’s homosexuality or gender identity. The practice has been widely condemned by medical professionals and has been proven to inflict long-term psychological damage on those who undergo it.

Read our in-depth look at gay conversion therapy here.

Delaware will join Connecticut, California, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Illinois, Vermont, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Washington, Maryland, Hawaii, New Hampshire and Washington, D.C., as well as the Australian state of Victoria, as the only places in the world that ban the practice. The UK is currently working on a similar ban with Theresa May pledging her support to the LGBT+ community.

The Delaware Governor marked the momentous occasion by thanking those who helped create this new law: “I’m thankful for the legislators and advocates who moved SB 65 forward,” Carney said on Twitter. “Thank you specifically to Rep. Heffernan and Sen. McDowell for their leadership on this important issue, and to all members of the General Assembly who voted to make this new law a reality.”

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