Conversion therapy for LGBT youth banned in Delaware, 15th state to restrict the practice

Josh Hafner | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Fast facts about conversion therapy Conversion therapy aims to change an LGBT person's sexual orientation or gender identity. Now the controversial practice is being regulated in many states.

Licensed mental health professionals can no longer practice gay conversion therapy on minors in Delaware after its governor signed a new law Monday. With the signing, Delaware becomes the 15th state to restrict the practice, the Human Rights Campaign said in a statement.

After the Monday signing, Delaware Gov. John Carney thanked legislators who began pushing for the law over a year ago.

"All Delawareans, including Delaware children, deserve to be respected for who they are, and I was proud to sign Senate Bill 65 into law today," Carney said in a tweet. "Discredited practices like conversion therapy have no place in Delaware."

Delaware joins Washington, Maryland, New Hampshire and Hawaii in passing measures this year to restrict conversion therapy, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Almost 50 bills had been introduced targeting conversion therapy in 24 states as of April.

Conversion therapy aims to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. It's discouraged by the American Psychiatric Association, the nation's foremost professional group for psychiatrists, which urges families to "avoid sexual orientation change efforts that portray homosexuality as a mental illness or developmental disorder."

The new law threatens discipline for licensed medical and mental health professionals who practice the therapy now considered unprofessional conduct, Delaware Public Media reported. It also prevents Delaware's Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families from recommending the therapy, according to the news service.

When the bill was introduced last year, conservative groups such as the Delaware Family Policy Council said it defined conversion therapy in a way that censored the free speech of health professionals and limited families' care options.

Republican Rep. Richard Collins introduced an amendment to allow conversion therapy if the patient requests it, Delaware Public Media noted. That amendment failed.

More: 'Being LGBTQ is not an illness': Record number of states banning conversion therapy