Hawaii moves to outlaw 'gay cure' therapy of minors

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Hawaii looks like it will be the next US state to outlaw therapies that aim to ‘cure’ minors of being homosexual.

The practice is already illegal in nine US states, as well as countries including Switzerland, Malta, Taiwan, some parts of Canada and there in the Australian state of Victoria.

Experts overwhelmingly agree that attempts to change people’s sexuality and completely futile and can often result in negative consequence for people’s mental health.

In the Hawaiian senate bill SB 270 was passed with little opposition. The bill bans activities that “engage in or attempt to engage in sexual orientation change efforts on a person under eighteen years of age”.

The bill was passed by 24 votes to 1. The lone voice arguing against the legislation was Democratic Senator Mike Gabbard,. Gabbard heads an organisation called the Alliance for Traditional Marriage and Values and he previously lead a campaign to ban same-sex marriage in the state.
The legislation notes that the practice has been discredited by all major medical associations in the USA including the American Psychological Association, American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Psychiatric Association, National Association of Social Workers, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
OIP Staff

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