Gov. Andy Beshear to sign executive order banning conversion therapy in Kentucky

Kentucky’s governor will sign an executive order Wednesday to ban a controversial therapy practice that has been discredited by nearly all major medical associations.

Gov. Andy Beshear’s office said the Democrat will sign the order to unilaterally ban conversion therapy across the commonwealth.

Conversion therapy is a discredited form of counseling that involves interventions attempting to change an individual’s sexual orientation, sexual behaviors or gender identity. As the American Medical Association puts it, at the foundation of so-called conversion therapy — a practice that “often includes unethical techniques” — is the assumption that “homosexuality and gender non-conformity are mental disorders and that sexual orientation and gender identity can be changed.”

The AMA, which supports conversion therapy bans, added that these assumptions are “not based on medical or scientific evidence.”

The move from Beshear comes as legislative efforts to ban conversion therapy have floundered — with those efforts coming almost exclusively from Democrats.

Democrats in both chambers of the state legislature have continually filed bills that would put a statewide ban in place. Democratic Rep. Lisa Willner, a psychologist in Louisville, has seen multiple bills on the issue garner attention but not enough traction to be passed.

Alice Forgy Kerr, a former Republican member of the state Senate from Lexington, repeatedly tried to pass a bill banning the practice when she served in the Senate up until 2022, but her proposals never gained significant traction.

A handful of cities have already passed local ordinances to ban conversion therapy, including Lexington, which became the third city in Kentucky to ban the practice in 2021, following Covington and Louisville.

Rebecca Blankenship, executive director of Ban Conversion Therapy Kentucky, heralded Beshear’s to-come action, saying Tuesday night, “this is five years too late, but better late than never. Thank you to Gov. Beshear for taking steps to protect Kentucky kids.”

Though criticized by some for not being a strong enough ally to the LGBTQ community, Beshear is the first Kentucky governor, in 2020, to speak at a statewide LGBTQ rally. At that rally, he called on the legislature to pass a bill filed by then-Rep. Forgy Kerr to ban the controversial therapy practice.

Similarly, Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman has become more vocal in her support of LGBTQ rights. She spoke at this year’s Pride event at the Louisville waterfront, and during the 2023 legislative session wherein Republicans passed a bill banning gender-affirming health care for transgender youth, Coleman slammed that policy, saying “shame on any adult that would use our kids as pawns in their political game.”

Beshear also criticized that policy, saying at the time, “We are sitting at a time of great promise in Kentucky, but Kentucky cannot reach its full potential unless all people feel free to be themselves.”

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