Gov. Jared Polis signed two new laws Friday long-sought by the gay and transgender community that previously had been blocked by Senate Republicans.

House Bill 1129 bars state-licensed mental health counselors from conducting "conversion therapy" on anyone younger than 18.

Conversion therapy is an effort to coerce and even bully a gay person into denying their sexuality and behave as if heterosexual. It's been widely discredited by professional counselors and physicians.

One of the bill's sponsors was Rep. Daneya Esgar, D-Pueblo, and an openly gay legislator as well as longtime advocate on those issues.

Colorado is the 18th state to adopt such a law.

At the bill signing, Sen. Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, said, "Being gay is not a mental illness and it does not need to be fixed. After sponsoring this bill for the past three years, I'm proud this will be the year we put an end to this harmful and deceptive practice."

The other bill Polis signed was House Bill 1039, also sponsored by Esgar, that makes it easier for gay and transgender people to request and obtain a birth certificate that reflects their gender choice.

The bill was named Jude's Law after a 13-year-old transgender student named Jude who has several times testified in support of the legislation at the State Capitol.

"She has been simply asking this Legislature to give her the ability to live her most genuine life," Esgar said.

Previous efforts to pass both bills were blocked when Republicans had a majority in the Senate. This year, Democrats controlled both chambers and both bills were passed with bipartisan support.

proper@chieftain.com

Twitter:@RoperPeter