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On Wednesday, Michigan became the 22nd state to ban conversion therapy, a form of unproven pseudoscientific “therapy” aimed at “curing” LGBTQ+ individuals of their sexual or gender identity.
“As a mom of a member of the community and a proud, lifelong ally, I’m grateful that today we’re banning the horrific practice of conversion therapy in Michigan,” Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer wrote on Twitter.
“In doing so, we are taking action to make Michigan a more welcoming, inclusive place,” she added.
Conversion therapy has been rejected by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry as an intervention that promotes “the false premise that homosexuality and gender diverse identities are pathological,” and “finds no evidence to support the application of any ‘therapeutic intervention’ operating under the premise that a specific sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or gender expression is pathological.”
Research has found that the use of conversion therapy can greatly increase an individual’s struggle with their identity, as well as “provoke guilt and anxiety while having little or no potential for achieving changes in orientation.”
Michigan’s bill was approved by the state’s Senate in June in a 21-15 vote, and would subject mental health professionals to disciplinary actions should they prescribe or implement treatments aimed at altering the sexual orientation or gender identity of patients below the age of 18. Other states to implement bans, to various degrees, on conversion therapy include California, New York, Colorado, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, and Vermont.
In June of 2021, Whitmer signed a directive banning the use of state and federal funds for the harmful practice of conversion therapy on minors. “Since day one, I have made it clear that hate has no home in Michigan,” Whitmer said at the time. “My administration is committed to addressing the systemic barriers faced by young LGBTQ+ Michiganders so that our state is a place where they are able to reach their full potential.”
